National Nutrition Month

You may not know this, but March is National Nutrition Month. It was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics back in 1973 (when they were still going as the American Dietetic Association) as a way to highlight the field of dietetics, and to educate the public on how to improve their nutrition. Since its inception, there has been a theme, starting with “Invest in Yourself – Buy Nutrition,” to “Say Yes to Less (Less Fat, Less Salt, Less Sugar) or Juggle the Foods You Eat (1983),” “Eat Right America!(1993),” “Healthy Eating, Healthy You (2003),” and "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day (2013)."

Perhaps realizing the previous themes were not too catchy, the theme this year is “National Nutrition Month.” According to the Academy site, for 2019, the focus will hark back to the original reason for starting NNM: “To increase the public’s awareness of the importance of good nutrition, and position Academy members as the authorities in nutrition. They hope to see “all people thrive through the transformative power of food and nutrition.”

So why am I writing about this? I’m not a dietitian, nor am I a nutritionist (they are not the same... not by a long shot). I am merely someone interested in nutrition and educate myself on many things related to it. Maybe I’ll go back to school for it. That is, if someone’s willing to foot the bill.

So, the plan for this month is to write about nutrition related things. Macronutrients, micronutrients, healthy at every size, intuitive eating… and we’ll see. I’m just getting back into the blogging swing of things. Gotta shake off those cobwebs.

Happy Saturday!

Primal Watching: My Foray into the World of Dual Diets

I don't know what got into me, but I'm on this "be healthy" kick. I run, which I actually really hate... but hey! It's to be healthy. I lift weights, which I don't really have an opinion of either way, other than some of the people around me with their wretched BO. Would a little deodorant kill ya?!?

And then there's the eating, which if you know me is paramount. Junk food is bad, yes we all know that. And all the crap they've put into our food is even worse. So healthier eating. Cleaner eating. Mindful eating. Which in the end should make me weigh less, look better, and feel good about myself. That's the goal, anyways.

But how to go about this. Well, for starters, I'm back on Weight Watchers. I don't even remember if I had talked about it when I had first started. I was pretty embarrassed about the whole thing. So why go back on it? Work discount pulled me in this time, although the discount seems to be a whopping dollar. Woowhee... am I saving money, or what?!?

But sarcastic comments aside, as long as you put the effort into it, it will work. You may not agree with the point system, it does reign in on the eating "bad food" and forces you to make better choices. When I had first started, I downloaded the apps for both the daily tracker and the food points scanner. I walked into the supermarket and started scanning like crazy. Secretively, of course. It was shocking to find out that foods I thought were okay, weren't in the eyes of WW. So I ate more vegetables and fruits. Switched to seltzer when I needed the bubbles and drank more water. It was also at this time when I got a membership with PF. Not only does food get points, but so does your activity. If I went over my daily limit, I knew I would have to go to the gym to make up for it.

Eating healthier, exercising... of course I saw weight loss. And it was great. But then I got tired of logging in my meals and exercises so I cancelled my account. And I was fine for the most part. But the old lazy habits kicked back in, and my clothes that were looking pretty loose on me started to feel snug again. This is where that caveman stuff comes in.

I had been looking into the whole paleo/primal diet thing for a while. Eat lots of meat? Hell yeah! But give up bread, soy, dairy? Umm... okay? I'm Filipino fercryinoutloud... you can't ask me to give up rice! No soy sauce? Blasphemy! Not to mention the fact that my whole kitchen was pretty much filled with paleo no-no's. There was no way I was going to follow their advice of getting rid of all the non-paleo foods... I'd have nothing left.

But all these blogs... Pinterest... it seems like it wouldn't be bad. So it's been gradual. Say, 80-20. I'm eating up all the no-no's from my stocks and replacing it with more friendly items. I don't really buy bread anymore, and the only grains I've had lately are the ones found in my beer. I have on occasion eaten some bread, pasta, and rice, but only because it was part of a meal. I can't even remember the last time I've had any beans. I am slowly weaning myself off of sugar... at least the white stuff. I still add a little honey to my tea. On the dairy front, I've cut back to the occasional cheese or splash of cream in my coffee (I go days without coffee... insanity). There has been an increase of vegetables and lean meats.

The tentative results are promising. So, I'm enacting a change. I don't know how long it'll last, but I've got to start somewhere, right?

Breakfasting on Wheels

I was on a good streak there, exercising. But a majority of the summer I've been busy until the late evening so working out just had to wait. Then came that nasty humid weather, or the downpours on the weekends that got in the way of healthy activities.

But I did it. I got back on the bike and enjoyed the nice weather. I really wanted to bike out to Rotterdam, but I ran out of time. Settled on twenty miles. A good number and I got to do some uphill work - and failed.

Must say I really like the crunchy peanut butter Clif bar. Going to have to remember to buy more of those.

Healthy Beginnings

So I’ve started to take steps to be healthier. I got a membership at a local center and have been running/swimming/loosely hitting the weight room. I’ve also been eating oatmeal in the mornings – I’ve remedied that stale steel oat issue and bought a few pounds of oats from Honest Weight. I also picked this up, since it was on sale. I’m not really a cereal person, and hot cereal… well, doesn’t sound all that appealing. But it’s healthy, so why not, give it a go.

Cooking is a snap. There are directions, but I don’t really follow them. Mix enough water with the oats to your liking and cook in the microwave. I usually set cook time for two minutes, but there’s a lot of pausing to stir the oatmeal and prevent it for spilling out of the bowl. Sprinkle some brown sugar and allow it to cool down enough so it doesn’t burn your mouth.

It’s not bad, and surprisingly very filling. I’ve been eating this in the early afternoons, when work slows down a bit. And since it is winter, warm food is always a good thing.

Trader Joe’s Snacks