Nourishment for the New Normal
Hello friends! It’s been a minute since talking about something other than procedure and policy and it feels very refreshing. How is everyone doing?? For me...I recently heard the term “Corona Coaster” and that nailed it perfectly. The ups and downs of this year have been felt tremendously.
Truth be told: my diet is the first thing that goes out the window with excess stress. Guilty as charged. I have struggled to keep the food choices semi-healthy so that I’m not eating based on emotional highs and lows. However, as the hits of 2020 keep rolling in, those choices have either been really hard or really easy. Ugh. Over the last few months, my splurges have been clear: sugar, carbs, and cheese. I’ve baked many a goodie, just to pass the time, and overindulged on things I know are “naughty.” Throughout this process (as I’m sure most of you are going through as well), my compassion for myself has been tested. I’m still learning to be kinder, allowing for wiggle room, but without beating myself up for having something not-so-healthy.
So, how am I reigning it in? I’m trying to go back to the foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) along with general, basic nutrition to help keep things simple. I’ve also adopted the Marie Kondo theory on tidying up and applied it to foods. Her thoughts on keeping what sparks joy in your life is super important and very pertinent in this weird time we’re in. (Here's a link to her books if you haven’t heard of her). So I take my basic principles of what makes me feel good nutritionally, and I sprinkle in things that make me really happy, which still includes a little sourdough bread, some sugar, and definitely cheese.
Here’s how I’m doing it and what I’m shooting for nutritionally:
First and foremost, foundations of TCM nutrition are really based on eating with the season, so I’ve been trying to find things that are ripe right now. This goes for all fruits and veggies! To see a list of what is best during the summer time, click here.
TCM also looks at the temperature and properties of food. It's incredibly hot out the last few weeks, so eating things that help the body clear excess heat like mint and watermelon are great choices. I’m staying away from anything too spicy because I can’t handle processing any more heat with our 100 degree days!
You rarely hear me say this, but I’ve been having a little more raw in my diet recently. Again, taking in the temperature outside, there’s more energetic heat in the environment to help your digestion break things down. So, I’ve had way more salads and smoothies than normal.
In that same vein, I’ve swapped out chips and crackers for more pick-me-up veggies like snap peas, carrots, tomatoes, and jicama. They give me the crunch factor without the calories.
I’m a little less hungry in the summer, so I’m eating more “picnic style” smaller meals instead of full blown big meals. We’ll make charcuterie boards for dinner with high quality meats, cheeses, fruit and nuts and that seems to do the trick. I thoroughly enjoy that “pick up” style, so it feels really fun and satiating for me.
I also practice intermittent fasting (IF) and eat in an 8-hour window of time everyday. I could go on a whole other tangent about this topic alone, but I’ll keep it short! If you’re interested in info on how IF works, ask me in your next treatment.
When I have a snack attack, I try to drink a 6-8 ounce glass of water first. Lots of times, the body is actually just thirsty/ dehydrated and is craving water instead of food. It's a fun trick I’ve been using to sneak in more water and eat a little less.
When it comes to sweets, I limit my indulgences to weekends or special occasions. I’m trying to stay away from highly processed sugars and more natural ones. For example, my husband whipped up the most delicious dessert on our anniversary a few weeks ago. Instead of cookies or chocolate or ice cream (some of our typical downfalls), he made us grilled peaches over a dollop of coconut vanilla yogurt with a drizzle of an almond-based salted caramel sauce on top. It was AMAZING and felt much healthier.
How are you managing food and cravings during the COVID era? Are you doing ok or are you struggling to find balance? If you have any other tips and tricks that are getting you through, I would love to hear them!
