Friday, February 15, 2013

Me and the Dietician

People keep asking me what I have been doing nutritionally and I thought I would share. You know, nutrition is one of those things that people are very opinionated about. It's right up there with worship music and politics. We watch a documentary or read a few articles and think we are experts. One says eat no meat and the next says we must eat liver if we want to be healthy. For every study that "absolutely proves" we should be Vegan, there are 5 more that "prove" we shouldn't. One study blamed cancer in a particular region on animal products while another linked it to the salt that was introduced as a preservative in the region. I spent 2 hours a day over the past year reading about nutrition. That's 700 hours of reading and I still don't have the answers. Only Jesus knows. We could all do The Maker's Diet, but then some guy tells us to definitely not eat fish because of the Mercury. We are told to eat 6 meals a day and then we hear that that will make us get a diseased colon. I only know one thing. I know what is working for me right now. One thing I like about The Blood Sugar Solution is the doctors advice to take out different foods and see how you feel. We aren't all the same and our sensitivities and reactions aren't the same. Find what works for you.

There were some things that had dramatic effects for me.

Dump the processed food, but don't stress over every single thing.
Drink warm water with lemon every morning.
Eat within 1 hour of waking.
No white sugar. No artificial sweeteners. No High Fructose.
No white salt.
No white flour.
Eat the fat. ( no low fat)
All all the vegetables and herbs you can to your meals.
Get lots of real fiber.
Get lots of real vitamins.
Don't skip meals.
Make sure to get 100% vitamin C every day for liver function.

I eat six times a day. Some say this is bad because your liver can't relax, but if you have low blood sugar, it's a must.

I use My Fitness Pal to monitor my nutrition and calories. I just got a Fitbit to make sure that I get in my 10,000 steps each day.

So, I divided my daily calories before exercise. For what I exercise I add in the calories. The Fitbit calculates this for you.

Breakfast - 15-30 grams carb, 250 calories
Snack - 15 grams carb, 100 calories
Lunch - 45 grams carb, 350 calories
Snack - 15-30 grams carb, 100 calories
Supper - 45-60 grams carb, 300 calories
Snack - 15-30 grams carb, 100 calories

This is based on a 1,200 calorie diet. Adjust the calories as you add exercise. The carbs you get from a carrot are obviously better for you than the ones you get from a chip. Glycemic index has a big impact on your health. I try to stay out of the boxed and packaged stuff. I make things from scratch in bulk. There are times I end up in a drive through window or eating chips or throwing a dollop of ice cream in my coffee and I don't stress about it. So much of our problem is that we overindulge in junk to the point of sickness. Lets just be thoughtful about what we eat without being obsessive. Keep your stress low. Enjoy your life.


Pauly in Austin said...

Awesome. Discovering a way of life is so much better than a diet. I'm still trying to figure out what works for me. What works for you appeals to me as I suffer from low blood sugar as well. You are an inspiration.

TiffanyLeigh said...

Great points! I'm eating very similarly.

danielle said...

great post! :-)

Stephanie Cherry said...

Thank you, sweet ladies. Your encouragement is priceless.