Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Food (b)Log #1

First, here's a link to a page on a fav blog of mine, Weighty Matters, about portion size. We all know this is true, but apparently, there had to be a study documenting this (and they say English is a useless degree!).


Ok, here I go with the food(b)log:

Breakfast:

Weetabix with 3/4 cup milk (sorry Ms RD, it wasn't low-fat)
An orange (actually eaten a couple of hours later)
Tea

Lunch:

Wrap containing 2oz turkey, red and yellow peppers with lettuce, spritz from Misto of olive oil, vinegar. Wrap was whole wheat (110 calories).
Apple.

Dinner:

4 oz pollo asado, grilled
1/2 cup black beans and tomatoes
1/2 cup brown rice medley
Roasted red peppers and eggplant with misted olive oil

That's all folks.

Now, how do I feel about it?

Well my feelings are mixed, and at one point today I have to admit to being mad with Ms. RD because I was hungry, and I'm a baby, and I don't like being hungry. However, after having dinner and talking to her, I felt better (more full) and like I won't have to go through that again tomorrow.

I felt fine after breakfast. I'm not used to eating a big breakfast anyway, although I usually do have something to eat. At lunch, I was hungry, but not ravenous. I ate lunch, but still felt hungry, even after waiting about 20 minutes and eating an apple. I toyed with putting mayo on my sandwich, but didn't, or even a bit of cheese. I should have done something like that to guard against the voracious hunger that surfaced around 4 pm. I talked to Ms. RD and she okayed the adding of something hearty to lunch. We bandied around suggestions and came up with canola mayo, a little cheese (I think less than 1 oz), nuts, nut-butter, or hummus. She can correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.

I also asked her today about beans. I wanted to add some beans to my dinner, and a strict interpretation of the guidelines she gave me didn't allow for this, but I know, somewhere in my gut that beans are good, so I started cooking them anyway, and added some tomatoes for good measure. Worried though, I e-mailed her and asked about them. She replied, "Beans are great!" She explained that they are a very low-fat, high fibre protein, so they're just plain good for you and a great addition to a meal. Plus, they fill you up. Good to know, eh?

I am having a hard time thinking what to eat for lunch. I always find lunch the hardest meal. Dinner and breakfast are so clearly defined in my mind, but lunch to me always tends towards the sandwich, and I have to get out of that mode of thinking. She e-mailed me with suggestions and a link, both of which I shall post below:

Ms. RD:

OK, how bout some lunch ideas:

1) Homemade chicken salad sandwich (made with 2 tsp canola mayo)on rye bread w/ a cup of fruit mixed with a cup of yogurt (add some nuts into the fruit and yogurt too)

2) Spinach salad with mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, red onions, oil and vinegar topped with 4 oz of grilled chicken or fish

3) Tabouli salad stuffed into a tomato, cup of lentil soup, piece of fruit and a handful of nuts

4)Whole wheat pita or spinach wrap stuffed with loads of veggies: tomato, cucumber, onion, sprouts with 3 Tbsp of hummus as a spread. Add a piece of fruit and a cup of yogurt or a handful of nuts

I love the magazine Eating Well for great nutrient rich, yet healthy recipes. You can search their website for more lunchy ideas :)

You may be wondering why, if I was hungry in-between lunch and dinner, I didn't have a snack. I'm just not a snacker, never really have been. I like my three meals a day and that's it. I don't really like to think about having to snack and it seems that it just makes me hungrier because I want to make every snack into a meal. But Ms. RD likes snacks and she's just humouring this idiocyncracy of mine.

Tomorrow, we'll talk pizza recipes. Stay posted!



4 comments:

  1. Excellent work Miss Bates!

    One problem though...I need more details with portions.

    For example, Weetabix...how much?

    Was it a half cup of rice and beans each or combined?

    What size were your veg servings?

    I know its a PITA, but it'll get my magical analysis more accurate :)

    Hope today was better!

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  2. Ok, it was one serving size of Weetabix 120 calories, 1g fat, 4g Fibre.

    1/2 Cup Beans and 1/2 cup Rice

    I ate tons of veg. I had at least a cup each at lunch and dinner plus a piece of fruit and breakfast and lunch. Plus I ate some more raw veggies while chopping :-)

    If it gives you a better idea, I've eaten 3 peppers and half an eggplant in one day.

    And today was better - you'll find out it a big blog soon.

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  3. No wonder you were starving!!!

    OK, from my calculations you ate only 1000 calories, 70 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fat.
    Thats only 13% of your calories coming from fat (30% or below is recommended, but you definitely have room for more fats)

    OK, so I suck as a meal planner.

    I still have to analyze your next day's food journal, but I bet your still below the 1500 calories we set out for.

    Good news: A bit more fat and calories is ok :D

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  4. More room for fat is good. I like fat - that's how I got this way! As I said, I am the guinea pig, so a little experimentation is ok (no animal cruelty though).

    ReplyDelete