Disclaimer: I'm not giving anybody dietary advice. I do not have a degree in nutrition, a degree in medicine, or any degree other than that on a thermometer. You can thank a lawyer for me saying that before I begin. Now, let's begin.
I find myself constantly battling fatigue. Much of this can be attributed to taking short cuts on nutrition, poor sleeping habits, and sometimes stress. New Year, new me? I'm dragging out the juicer, and committing to re-implementing juicing as part of my health management.
I do not take a lot of supplements. I do have some which I must take, beyond that I subscribe to the belief if I eat right, I get what I need. The key here is "if I eat right." Too often I fall victim to poor food choices as most of us do. Vegans are not immune to poor food choices, one can just as easily be a "junk food vegan" as a "junk food carnivore." Ask me and I can probably recite any junk food which is vegan. All that aside, I do have some knowledge about better food choices.
Being that I'm doing this running thing on a regular basis for about 1 year, I've come upon 2 foods which make the difference between a great run, and an "eh, I made it" run. #1 food choice is chia. That's the same stuff I used to smear on various animals shaped terracotta pottery. Chia pets, remember? Yes, but now I eat the stuff. Chia seeds are high in Omega 3s & 6s, from what I read. Chia seeds are high in calcium, iron & fiber. They may be good for our hearts, and heck who doesn't want help with that? I'm a convert, I miss my chia when I slack and don't eat enough of it. You can sprinkle about 1 tablespoon on cooked oats, toss it in a smoothie, mix it in your (non-dairy) yogurt. Pretty versatile.
The other food which really helps with my energy is quinoa. Not as good (for me at least) as the chia on the fatigue issue, but I just love red quinoa and find that a little of the stuff gives me a lot of energy. Quinoa is also gluten free for those of you who care. I'll eat maybe a half cup of it for lunch, organic of course. Put it in a sauce pan, toss in a half cube of low sodium veggie bouillon, and poof 10 minutes later, I'm eating hot food. Happy girl.
I've been slacking on my supplements, slacking on my eating. The sugar has begun to creep back into my life, and its time for it to go away. As mentioned, the Champion is out of the closet, and my veggie drawer is loaded with carrots & apples (my favorite combo to juice). Oh hellyeah I've got a blank for my Champion so I can make my own fruit freezes (WHAT?! You've never had a fruit freeze??? Darling, say it isn't so! A fruit freeze is Champions way of kissing us smack dab on the lips... you put in frozen (organic!) fruit, and out the other side comes creamy soft serve, no other added ingredients. PLUS, you can make your own magical nut butters with that little teeny magical piece of plastic called the blank.)
I've measured out all my vitamins & supplements for the week, and am back on track with them now too. I had my red quinoa for lunch today, and then went for a run, yay! A little cool out there (boo hiss, something wicked this way came, and we're no longer in the 80s, just pushing maybe 70?), but we didn't have a snow pounding like many friends did, so I'm taking it all in stride.
I'm going to be coming at ya with healthy living tips (at least that's the plan) for the next few posts. Today, maybe investigate if you'd like to try some chia, or quinoa (especially the red). I buy both products organic. If my little local island health food store sells these great items, I'm sure you can find them near you too. I guess I better go, boot camp class tonight, and its time for my carrots & apples. Cheers!
I find myself constantly battling fatigue. Much of this can be attributed to taking short cuts on nutrition, poor sleeping habits, and sometimes stress. New Year, new me? I'm dragging out the juicer, and committing to re-implementing juicing as part of my health management.
I do not take a lot of supplements. I do have some which I must take, beyond that I subscribe to the belief if I eat right, I get what I need. The key here is "if I eat right." Too often I fall victim to poor food choices as most of us do. Vegans are not immune to poor food choices, one can just as easily be a "junk food vegan" as a "junk food carnivore." Ask me and I can probably recite any junk food which is vegan. All that aside, I do have some knowledge about better food choices.
Being that I'm doing this running thing on a regular basis for about 1 year, I've come upon 2 foods which make the difference between a great run, and an "eh, I made it" run. #1 food choice is chia. That's the same stuff I used to smear on various animals shaped terracotta pottery. Chia pets, remember? Yes, but now I eat the stuff. Chia seeds are high in Omega 3s & 6s, from what I read. Chia seeds are high in calcium, iron & fiber. They may be good for our hearts, and heck who doesn't want help with that? I'm a convert, I miss my chia when I slack and don't eat enough of it. You can sprinkle about 1 tablespoon on cooked oats, toss it in a smoothie, mix it in your (non-dairy) yogurt. Pretty versatile.
The other food which really helps with my energy is quinoa. Not as good (for me at least) as the chia on the fatigue issue, but I just love red quinoa and find that a little of the stuff gives me a lot of energy. Quinoa is also gluten free for those of you who care. I'll eat maybe a half cup of it for lunch, organic of course. Put it in a sauce pan, toss in a half cube of low sodium veggie bouillon, and poof 10 minutes later, I'm eating hot food. Happy girl.
I've been slacking on my supplements, slacking on my eating. The sugar has begun to creep back into my life, and its time for it to go away. As mentioned, the Champion is out of the closet, and my veggie drawer is loaded with carrots & apples (my favorite combo to juice). Oh hellyeah I've got a blank for my Champion so I can make my own fruit freezes (WHAT?! You've never had a fruit freeze??? Darling, say it isn't so! A fruit freeze is Champions way of kissing us smack dab on the lips... you put in frozen (organic!) fruit, and out the other side comes creamy soft serve, no other added ingredients. PLUS, you can make your own magical nut butters with that little teeny magical piece of plastic called the blank.)
I've measured out all my vitamins & supplements for the week, and am back on track with them now too. I had my red quinoa for lunch today, and then went for a run, yay! A little cool out there (boo hiss, something wicked this way came, and we're no longer in the 80s, just pushing maybe 70?), but we didn't have a snow pounding like many friends did, so I'm taking it all in stride.
I'm going to be coming at ya with healthy living tips (at least that's the plan) for the next few posts. Today, maybe investigate if you'd like to try some chia, or quinoa (especially the red). I buy both products organic. If my little local island health food store sells these great items, I'm sure you can find them near you too. I guess I better go, boot camp class tonight, and its time for my carrots & apples. Cheers!
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