My best friend isn't bothered about food. It just doesn't excite her. It's one of the things that makes us completely different. I LOVE food. I plan what I'm going to eat for dinner before I've even gotten out of bed in the morning. I'm constantly looking up different recipes, discovering new things in supermarkets, hunting down the newest cafe and trying out the latest 'food trend'.
My approach to food is try and keep it real. I don't believe in restricting yourself. I tried that for years, being gluten intolerant, allergic to dairy, having a fear of sugar. I found that, in terms of maintaining a healthy weight FOR ME, non of this worked. I would cave and binge, leading to weight gain, water retention, bloating and feeling rubbish.
With a little help from my brother Michael I've worked out what works for me, and am open to trying different approaches. I've always had a big appetite and an unbroken habit of post-dinner treats (not sorry) so I make a conscious effort to eat well most of the time. What works for me may not work for you, but I'll give you a little insight into my usual day of munching:
BREAKFAST
(the most important, and my favourite, meal of the day)
After my daily workout, I like to think of breakfast as my fuel, also, I'm not going to ruin my hard work with a croissant and latte.
Usually, I have a little time in the morning, and whip up an omelet with 2 eggs, onion, peas, capsicum and parmesan/goats cheese. Sometimes I'll have 1/4 of an avo, sometimes some smoked salmon if I'm feeling fancy. My aim is a hearty breakie with plenty of good fats and protein to keep me feeling good till lunch time and help me power through my morning.
I also try and have a big cup of hot water with lemon, and sometimes a small glass of grapefruit juice to take my multivitamins.
If I'm in a rush, my go to is a big, thick smoothie. I buy bananas for the soul point of freezing them, because they make smoothies extra thick. So I chuck in my frozen banana, some berries, coconut water, plant derived protein powder, chia seeds, maca, spirulina & acai powder and some bee pollen. Wiz it all together and BOOM there's breakfast.
LUNCH
I've never been great at lunch. I get hungry around 1/2pm but never hungry enough to demolish leftovers and also I love to be hungry for dinner.
So my lunch is usually pretty basic. Tin of tuna and some tabouleh is my usual, I've also been known to go a veggie soup or some baked falafels with salad. Just something to fill the tank and keep me going through the afternoon.
I also like a bit of fruit after lunch, maybe a bit of pineapple and kiwi, whatever's going.
DINNER
Even when I don't get home from netball till 10pm, I have dinner. I love going out for dinner, although these days would take breakfast over dinner. My family get togethers have always revolved around a big meal, whether it be a BBQ (fave) or Sunday Roast.
On a normal weekday, when I have time to cook myself, my dinner usually consists of fish or chicken with some veggies and starch of some kind, often roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, or rice. My boyfriend made a mean thai red curry the other day with turkey! I also love chilli con carne with cauliflower rice, its actually better than real rice!
And don't think I hold back on the portions, my portion control is non-existent. I usually just eat till I'm full, a bad habit I know.
TREATS
Aah, treats. Finally the fun part. I. LOVE. TREATS. I cannot help myself to after dinner treats. Dried figs, dark chocolate, grapes, Nobo ice-cream (if you haven't tried it, do). Sometimes I get really domesticated and make my own healthier version of a brownie (will post the recipe one day) which doesn't last long. But honestly, I bet around 40% of my daily calories are consumed between the hours of 8pm to 10pm. However, I don't see myself breaking this habit any time soon.
Here's the thing. I'm never going to be a petite person. It's not in my genetics or my bone structure, and to be perfectly honest, I enjoy food way to much to even consider restricting it. It has taken me a few years to work out what makes me feel good when I eat it. Sometimes I'll have eggs on toast, sometimes I'll have yoghurt and berries, sometimes I'll hit up half a toblerone. The only time I don't eat something is when I don't like it (runny egg white...eew). Fridays are for fun and that's when we'll have pizza, nachos, Wagamana and Baskin&Robbins and I'm not going to feel guilty about it any more.
Life's too short to worry too much about what you're eating, but you only get one body, so nourish it.
V x
