May 14, 2014

Moderation - Whole 30 Challenge - Day 17

I've been eating a lot of nuts on this challenge which means I've been brushing my teeth a lot. Mr. Crying Cook is allergic to nuts and I don't want to delivery a deadly kiss. My nut consumption happens in snacking through Lara bars and my buddy's excellent banana walnut muffins (made with almond flour). At breakfast I've been eating nuts since that paleo granola is mainly comprised of almonds. When I get salads, I like adding nuts for the crunch.

As I searched for another kind of paleo granola online, I found a ton of links--mostly paleo blogs--warning me that nuts would kill me. Okay, that's hyperbolic, but I came across post after post about how too many nuts could wreak havoc with my digestion. So far, no complaints, but this is the kind of information that drives folks to ignore most nutrition "news." One day coffee will be your demise, the next it'll cure all your ailments.

I wonder what paleo enthusiasts would say about the environmental impact of consuming so much animal protein. The energy it takes to produce beef is significantly more than it takes to produce a vegetables. Paleo is not perfect.

Once this challenge is over, I will return to some of my eating ways, but some things are permanent changes. I'll go back to eating beans, quinoa, oatmeal, farro, barely and the like. Those foods make me feel good. They're also inexpensive. While I can afford to do this challenge, I resent how expensive it is. It feels elitist.

I'll eat a lot less red meat. Besides the price, I've been eating a lot of beef and I have yet to come across a neutral source that tells me this is what a sustainable diet looks like. 

The biggest change, and I've written about this before, is how this challenge has curbed my sweet tooth. I am shocked that I can have coffee with one sugar. I don't have the crazy need to have a dessert after dinner. Basically, moderation, moderation, moderation. Eating a lot of one category of food is not for me.

Nutrition
I had grilled turkey and roasted veggies for breakfast. For lunch, I grazed on a salad and had a Lara bar. It was grad class night, so I treated myself to a steak Chipotle bowl and made the choice to have beans. They were delicious, but I lost one point.

Exercising
Mobilizing
Two points.

Drinking
Two points.

Lifestyle
The meditation is less about a focus on breathing so far and more about paying attention to my thoughts without judgment.

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