Carol O’Dell is sharing her way of eating and enjoying life in this wonderful post! To good health and joy! Slante!
I wake to the sun, stretch and welcome the day. My first thought is probably coffee. Yup, it’s coffee. I head to the kitchen and heat some lemon and water and sip as I go. Sometimes I add honey/royal jelly if I feel I need a tad. I grind some organic coffee beans and get out some unpasteurized heavy cream. I crave the fat and know it’s good for my brain. Add a splash of Sweet Leaf english toffee stevia and sit on my back porch taking in the green of the day. Two hours or so later I think about eating. When I’m hungry. When I’m ready. Some call it intermittent fasting. I call it intuitive eating.
I’m often asked what my daily food intake looks like. I call it nutrition. I don’t diet. Diet is a vicious cycle that sets you up for your next gain. Nutrition is eating for the day’s needs/requirements. Let me share my ground rules. I’ll go into the whys later.I’ve ridden my kitchen of products that contain hydrogenated oils. In my opinion, this is the most dangerous substance (perhaps other than Meth) that can enter our body. That eliminates most processed foods. I avoid gluten (not 100%) but close. I ONLY have sweets as an occasional treat–and it’s got to be decadent and worth it. A few bites and I’m more than satisfied. I choose sparkling waters. No sodas. I enjoy an occasional well crafted cocktail—not gonna lie–but a shot of tequila is my go-to vice. Those 60 calories are worth it. One does the trick. Again, a good quality followed by a club soda chaser.
Enough of the don’ts…I EAT gorgeous, REAL food. Organic as much as I can. Lots of veggies. Quality cheeses, olives, pickles, kimchi–anything fermented, I eat lots of fish, seafood, organ meats, a little red meat, antibiotic, hormone free lunch meat, bacon and sausage–but all the meats are small portions–the majority of my plate is colorful. I enjoy fruit in smoothies, for a midday snack, in my salads–but I’ve learned not to gorge myself on carbs since they spike appetite. I eat lots of fresh herbs. And I pile on the spices–high quality bursting flavors. Quality oils such as butter, ghee, almond and avocado oil, olive oil for salads. Carbs–I enjoy sweet potato cubes with great spices (someties Indian tumeric and curry, other times cinnamon and a Mexican spices. I also like quinoa, a small red potato, brown rice–but all are 1/2 cup portions. Dairy–high quality only–Skyr Icelandic yogurt, good cheeses, unpasteurized products when I can get them and cottage cheese. I limit myself to 1-2 a day and not every day.
I eat breakfast about 10ish when I’m ready to eat. I eat again when I’m hungry. Sometimes noon, sometimes 2–and that’ my big meal. I’m starving by then and ready to chow down.
As I finish my day, about 7, I go light. A bit of yogurt. Some cheese and nuts and olives. I listen to my body. It depends on the day. On my work load. I just know that because I’ve eaten like a queen I don’t need to keep going. I don’t need to stuff myself. I make sure every meal contains a healthy fat–fat turns off the brain and belly and tells me full and happy.
Hot tea–chamomile finishes my evening at 7 or 8 and I’m done. Satisfied. .I cook–a lot. I love the connection I have with food. I shop local often. The butcher, elderberry syrup maker, farmer, cheese and olive vendors at my local farmers market know me by name. \I call it the 7 step connection. 1. Plan my week. 2. Purchase my items–as much seasonally and locally as I can. 3. Store my food properly and do a bit of food prep so i can eat well–grab and go as I need o. 4. Prepare my food–with music, lighting, a splash of wine on occasion 5. We sit and eat. Share and talk. Enjoy. 7.6. I store my leftovers (I never make one meal–always multi-meal)7. Hubby cleans the kitchen so he gets thanks and kisses:)
In practical terms: ***I always tweak my food according to how much I will move that day. The more I move the more carbs I add–and one typically at night since carbs aid in muscle recovery and helps you sleepToday’s food: After lemon water and coffee—
10ish Cottage cheese, a few fresh blueberries and slivered almonds11;30-(-in the car on the way to a client’s house) -healthy turkey deli meat with mustard and a chopped cucumber1;30–Leftover grilled chicken breast ceasar salad–with grilled romaine and topped with a quick blend of plain yogurt, lemon juice, a few capers for salt, anchovies (i love them) and fresh grated parmesan. Takes me two minutes to pulse this in the blender. Chicken was from the night before and I just cut a romaine head in half, spritzed it with oil and pan seared it for a couple of minutes. 4ish two gluten free crackers and a smear of almond butter 7ish–a cup of bone broth, a few slices of gouda cheese, green olives and raw almondsTea and goodnight!
YUM!
