How can you tell if you really know how to eat healthy? The moment life gets chaotic does your nutrition unravel? Do you only know what to eat when your routine is locked in, otherwise you panic and don’t know what to do, or fall off and just eat whatever? What happens when your motivation is high compared to when it is low?
How do YOU build confidence, trust, regulation, and a system to automatically fall back on when life does get crazy? What do you do when there are no “rules” to follow or rigid plans? SO MANY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER!!
Let me put it this way: do you only know how to have good nutrition when life is perfect? I don’t know if you know this, but life ain’t always perfect! (LOL) And it’s not about loving yourself enough to have good nutrition only when life is perfect. It’s about loving yourself enough to have good nutrition for life in general- the good and the bad.
I don’t always have my fridge and pantry stocked. I go out of town and to events where meals are provided and I don’t have a lot of choice. I get tired and when I come home at the end of the day (or even in the middle of the day) preparing a meal, or even eating is the last thing I want to do. So, here are some of my strategies (which may look different for you) that help me eat intentionally, especially when life is…well, life.
First, I treat food as a vibe. 😏 I try to always eat intentionally no matter what situation I’m in. When I’m eating, I’m eating ONLY. Now I’m not perfect in this, and sometimes I do eat while working, but I try to make myself slow down and take bites, chew them, and finish before going back into my work. It’s important to me to put effort into flavors, be curious about combinations, and pay attention to plating and how “beautiful” my food looks, even when it’s in a to-go container. I associate food with being fun, and not a chore. True, sometimes it’s merely fuel, but never an emergency and never an obsession.
I rarely food prep for the week, but find myself prepping for the whole day one day at a time. I find this very efficient for me. I have the time to do this and I know it’s a trade off either way. Perhaps there’s other things I could be doing during this time, but the same goes for an all day prep one day a week. This works for me, but I also enjoy the times when I have prepared things ahead of time. On top of that I have go-to “Oh crap I’m out of groceries and I don’t have much time” meals/menu. When my fridge gets low, I can pretty much count on finding some frozen fish or shrimp in my freezer, a can of tuna in the cupboard, and plenty of spices in my spice cabinet. I’m pretty good at making a meal out of random things I have to throw together, but I’m also not scared to try. In these instances I definitely prioritize protein.
Tuna, cottage cheese, pickles or capers, mustard, canned fire roasted tomatoes, jalapenos…whatever I can find.
I keep a handful of no cook staples on hand. Sometimes I consume more protein powder than I’d prefer but I’m never stuck or panicking when my fridge is empty or I haven’t prepped.
Second, I don’t have to micromanage every bite I take. I wait for a while between meals and basically eat when I’m hungry. My body has gotten into a pretty consistent rhythm with this. It keeps me metabolically flexible, and has taught me to actually have hunger cues and listen to them. I try not to wait too long, but feeling hungry shouldn't be scary, and I'm grateful for my bodies cues.
Third, one of the biggest things for me (as a woman, dudes are ok to fast in the morning if they want) is having fuel 30 minutes upon waking. This sends the signal to my hypothalamus (brain) that there’s nutrition coming in, and my body can regulate my morning cortisol spike so I don’t remain in that spike with prolonged stress on my body. It doesn't have to be my full breakfast, but some fuel of a carb and protein (especially if I plan to workout!).
Fourth, no matter what chaos life brings, I always aim to have a solid, protein packed, SAVORY breakfast. I know that if I have something sweet in the morning, I’m likely to be fighting cravings all day long and I’d rather not fight that fight and use my energy for other things. But if I do have something sweet, I am just very aware that I'm going to have to put my dukes up and be ready to demonstrate a little more self control. But I like the control I have when I am proactive about regulating my glucose spikes, especially for the first meal of the day.
Your strategies may look much different and they will have much more of an impact and be much more satisfying when you discover them for yourself. Find your rhythm and don't forget to have fun! We don't do these things for life to be miserable and stressful. We do them to thrive and have the most wonderful, fulfilling life. There's plenty of chaos so let's make it a point not to add anymore to our lives unnecessarily. We are the champions of our outcomes.
-Coach Tish
