Assembling Lunch
[Whole artichokes: more trouble than they’re worth, but look how pretty! Photo by sheeshoo.]
I am no chef. That, my friends, is an understatement. I do bake on occasion, but my specialties are artery-thickening and insulin-spiking cheesy potatoes and spaghetti pie, recipes handed down to me through generations of hearty Midwestern folk. I improve the former by substituting real cheese when the recipe calls for Velveeta, but any way you slice it, I wouldn’t get hired at Clean Eating magazine.
That’s not so say I don’t own healthy cookbooks. In fact, I buy myself ridiculously good cookbooks like The Healthy Hedonist, Super Natural Cooking and Simply in Season. I just don’t open them.
But I do care about eating in a way that supports my health and fitness goals. Especially since I started keeping a combination food-and-fitness journal seven weeks ago. (My journal is embarrassingly titled — not by me — I Will Get Fit This Time! It’s even written on the spine, I suspect so you can’t hide the evidence under stickers, though I plan to try.)
While I’ve kept a fitness journal before, this is the first time I’ve ever tracked my food intake. I’m not bothering with quantities or calories — I’m just looking for patterns and pitfalls. And my, my, my do they jump off the page.
The first day, I had leftover pad thai chicken for breakfast. After writing it down, I was like, “I really don’t want to do that again.” Because now, forever and ever, chicken pad thai is written in my food journal as what I had for breakfast that day. Perfectionists hate that mess.
To eat healthy but avoid cooking, I have placed my focus on food combining. There’s no other way to put it, as my efforts extend only as far as mashing different foods together. Today’s lunch was a prime example — see the “recipe” below.
Lazy, Healthy, Delicious, Easy Tuna Salad
Slap together the following ingredients while simultaneously explaining to your puppy that paper is not a good snack choice for her. (Or you, for that matter.) Combine with mixed greens or spinach. Eat.
Pumpkin seeds: Also known as pepitas (which I will obviously be calling them from now on), punkin seeds are an anti-inflammatory food and a good source of zinc and magnesium (which in turn is good for muscle building if you’re a dude because it keeps your testosterone levels up — not sure if women experience the same anabolic benefit, but can’t hurt to try). On a related note, did you ever see the Flavor of Love episode where Pumpkin spits in New York’s face? Me, neither. But that was disgusting, wasn’t it?
Canned artichoke hearts: Another anti-inflammatory food, artichokes are also high in fiber (which slows the rush of sugar into the bloodstream).
Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil: An excellent source of good fats (the kind that actually help you lose fat), olive oil is yet another fabulous anti-inflammatory food. Do you detect a theme? And by “detect” I mean “Are you conscious?” Subtlety isn’t my strong suit.
Canned tuna fish in water: Because of its good fats, tuna is also anti-inflammatory food. And, it’s high in complete protein, so it’s great for building muscle. But since tuna is also high in mercury, it’s best to limit it to occasional consumption. Not to mention a friend told me recently that bluefin tuna is now extinct due to overfishing (if that’s the case, what exactly did I just eat?). While that seems to be an overstatement, things do seem to be heading that direction. Anyone have ideas for easy substitutes? Is there such a thing as canned antibiotic-free chicken?
Disclaimer: The foods listed above have a much more extensive nutrient profile than I’ve outlined here. If you want to find out more, consult sites such as www.whfoods.com or www.nutritiondata.com.
REGARDING MY EMPHASIS ON ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS, I’m currently (finally) reading UltraMetabolism by functional medicine doc Mark Hyman, MD, and I’m finding it so, so interesting. And, as the smartest things tend to be, full of common sense. I’m going to devote an entire post to inflammation, so for now I’ll just say that eating with an eye toward eradicating inflammation has done wonders for my recovery time between workouts.
If you want more on the topic now now now, see “Fighting Inflammation” from the July/August 2004 issue of Experience Life, or check out the second in the six-part article series Hyman is writing for us, available in this month’s issue.
SHARING IS CARING:
- What is your favorite food-combining “recipe”?
- Any advice on making food prep insanely simple?
- Have you ever kept a food journal? If so, what was your experience?
- Whaddaya know about inflammation?
July 29th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
OMGosh, I have the same diet/exercise journal! It’s so embarassing to pull it out & write in it. I feel like I’m unfit everytime I touch it (b/c of the title)! good luck!
July 29th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
This has gotten me extremely excited for the food journal review!
One quick tip on easy food prep… One day of the week, most people choose Sunday (my Sundays aren’t relaxing so I tend to choose a weekday) spend an hour, two if you have to, and cut of the vegetables and some fruits (since some fruits brown after being cut) that you’ll eat for the day.
This way they are ready to be cooked when you want to cook a meal and they are available for mid day and late night snacking.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
You do not want to know my opinion of food journalling. Not pretty. But I love food combining. I don’t have any science behind it except that I like lots of food mixed together. I’m like the anti-toddler;) Inflammation? Know a little, never enough. Must check out that book.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:33 am
I kept a food journal for a while in college, but it was arranged as a system of tally marks, and organized by food groups. So I monitored how many servings of fruits, vegetables, fats, starches, etc, rather than writing everything that passed my lips — easy and informative, and surprisingly conducive to positive changes.
These days, I’m all about the pre-chopping. Also, Trader Joe’s. My one note on food-combining/inflammation is that in Chinese medicine (holla) patients are advised to avoid raw foods, which can be hard on the digestive system. Instead, choose foods that are lightly cooked to help jump start the digestion process. Artichoke hearts would count, as would toasted nuts, canned fish, blanched or roasted vegetables, hard-cooked eggs (a personal favorite), and most beans/legumes.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:54 am
you dont wanna know my food combos (unless you wanna do an entire post on REALLY YOU MIXED THAT SH** TOGETHER AND ATE IT?!) but Im not about the food jounrals fo’shizzle.
I tried one time (on the weightloss move I blogged about today) and it made this NONFOODOBSESSED woman head down that path.
didnt work for me.
July 30th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I’ve seen the episode where Pumpkin spits on New York and yes it was distgusting especially VH1 showed the replay in slow motion about 5 times. I’m not proud of knowing this information
July 30th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Oh my… Aren’t I in the SAME struggle at the moment. I don’t cook either but am now trying to remedy that, I also like to eat super duper healthy, combat inflamation and well… get some tasty bits in the process. I will check out the book you mentioned here, and if I make any super food combo discovery, I shall let you know. Aye.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Does anybody know if following a diet to fight inflammation can relieve any symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
July 30th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Christi,
Looks like the answer is YES. Check out this MSNBC article called “Fight arthritis with these foods”: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21246089. Foods covered include foods and supplements with Omega-3 fatty acids; antioxidants such as vitamin C, selenium, carotenes and bioflavonoids; and spices like ginger and turmeric.
Alice,
Keep us posted on your food discoveries!
Michaela,
For shame … wait, what’s that saying about glass houses and stones? I saw the clip on the spin-off show I Love New York, but that is no better.
MizFit,
I’m torn between wanting to start measuring my food so I learn more from the journaling experience and worrying I would get too caught up in it, too. It seems to work well for some and be disastrous for others.
Court,
The tally marks system is a GREAT idea! And it could be the answer for me (if I can figure out how to do it, that is — any resource suggestions?) B/c I don’t care as much about calories, I just want to eat enough good, healthy food to support my sports performance. That’s really interesting about Chinese medicine and that perspective on raw foods. Especially interesting in light of the raw foods movement. Sigh — makes you realize it’s all gray area, doesn’t it?
Charlotte,
After reading about your latest experiment, I’m glad you aren’t messin’ around too much with your diet anymore. You seem to have already done enough trial and error to find what works best for you. I’m getting there, but I had spent years sabotaging myself with super-rich foods (to the point where I developed gall stones, for the love!). Putting pen to page and at least writing what I’m eating, if not how much, is working for me, for now.
Pam,
Thanks for the tip. I like the idea of preparing ingredients ahead of time. What kinds of things do you chop? Don’t say squash.
Kaolee,
I laughed out loud when I saw your comment. Hilarious. But the layout of I Will Get Fit This Time! is great, isn’t it? Two pages for each day! I pored over all the selections at the bookstore, and in the end, that one won out because it had a designated space for cardio, strength, group exercise, flexibility/relaxation (also known as Wishful Thinking), nutrition and vitamins/supplements. It was worth overcoming the title.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Simple food prep idea.
I plan my family’s meals for a month at a time. I write the meals on the calendar and put the recipes in a folder. I mostly use magazine recipes (for fresh ideas) mixed with some of my favorites. I try to choose meals I can prep the night before. I can prep two meals at once and cook one that night and just bake the next one the following night. I make larger servings so we can take left overs for lunch. Not only does this save time for me to spend with my child, but it also helps with the food budget.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Hello, Liberty!! You are blowing my mind with your ability to plan meals a month in advance. Seriously, I don’t even know what to say, considering I can do three days out, max. You’re a member of a CSA, right? Do you know what’s coming?
July 30th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Simple foods create great flavors, here are some favorites…
bell peppers, all colors
broccoli
cauliflower
mushrooms
Others that don’t need cutting, but are good to use…
sugar/snap peas
drained beans (kidney, black, garbonzo, pinto)
asparagus
The day of the cook, simple cuts are…
cabbage, slice as much as you’ll use that meal
Alternate all those with various lean proteins and you’ll be set with variety. You can also get away with slicing up some yams a few days in advance (but not too many.)
Hope this helps. As for one pan/pot meals, just start throwing stuff together, various vegetables, a mixture of green and starchy is usually good, add a few nuts and whatever spices you like, once cooked mix with the lean protein. Depending on you lean protein you can also cook it along with the other mixture you’ve created.
As for inflamation, take a look here, http://www.deflame.com/
July 31st, 2008 at 7:00 am
Have on hand:
1. Can of beans (black, pinto, or a relatively healthy refried)
2. Package of Pre-grated cheese
3. Package of whole wheat tortillas
4. Cherry Tomatoes or baby carrots or other easy veggie.
5. A microwave.
Put beans and cheese (and maybe some salsa) in tortilla, and nuke.
Put veggie on side of plate next to burrito.
Done.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’m working on the resources bit (I have some handouts; still not unpacked), but in the meantime here’s a sketch of what it looked like:
Fruits - O O O
Vegetables - O O O O O
Protein/Dairy - O O O O O O
Starches - O O O O O O O O O
Fats - O O O
I worked with a nutritionist (but you could set your own informed goals, I’m sure) to figure out how many servings of each group I wanted — hence the bubbles, which I filled in throughout the day. When I was getting started I just used tally marks to asses my starting point. The tricky part is figuring out what constitutes a “serving”, but there are tons of resources for that, particularly online (e.g. http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp). Remember you can have half-servings, too!
And have you truly explored the wonder that is Trader Joe’s? Tryyyyy it…
August 1st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Thanks for the suggestions!! All doable. Crabby, that’s my kind of recipe. Though Pam looked through my food journal (THANK YOU!!) and nixed midday grains, so I shall proceed sans tortilla. Court, you just changed the way I keep my food journal. Brilliant! Also, I think I do need to venture over to Trader Joe’s….
August 1st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I’m with Crabby that ish is good. I find though that having a can of beans and a can of diced tomatoes on hand can do wonders. Plus spices. Lots and lots of spices.
I keep an online food journal at www.peertrainer.com. I have a group with a few of my friends and we all check up on each other. You can record as much or as little as you like, so I record just the basics to stay on track.
Side note: I recently one a few “Experience Life” mags from MizFit, and I’m through the first two and I LOVE them. Ya’ll have great stuff; and it’s not like the other consumer mags that continually recyle content. Keep up the good work!