day 30 blog 30 foodie

i love food. i always have. my dad used to say that he "ate to live" but that my mom and i "lived to eat" and in some ways i could see that. i have had a pretty fast metabolism until recently so i've been lucky that for most of my life i could "eat anything" without it really showing. i'm realizing as i start to free associate on this topic that i could do several posts on food...and health...and on being a hypochondriac and all that i associate with those three topics...

but for now, this photo with my sister was taken at least 5 years ago when i lived in sacramento. at a little cafe i loved called "cafe bernardo"...i'm eating a salad sampler...i waited tables for 16+ years...one of my first jobs starting in junior high, then high school...all thru college, graduate school and even up until i was pregnant with sea...i did it in part for the good and easy money but also because i love being around food. i can sell it because i believe in it, love it, enjoy it myself.

so most recently i'm writing about food because with this mastitis issue i've been reading up on what sort of diet i could have to relieve symptoms and this has lead me to the conclusion that beyond being vegetarian and trying to eat organic as much as possible, for me i really need to cut back on sugar, fat and empty carbs...i could eat brunch food every day...pastries, cookies, donuts, breads of any sort...i feel like i always need dessert to finish my meal...

another quick free association related to my love for sugar...my friend andrea (who has an awesome food blog, by the way...keep meaning to do a post on her...) told me that she learned somewhere that a craving for sugar can be your body's way of telling you that you need more protein in your diet...makes sense in my case as i don't feel i get enough protein as a vegetarian...readers, i'd love tips on how you get vegetable proteins in your diet...like i love lentils and rice, beans and rice etc. combos...she is also one who believes in eating for your blood type. i started reading the book on this and had to laugh as early on it indicated people with blood type O like myself should eat (i'm paraphrasing) "primarily animal protein"! HA! i chuckled to myself...i've been vegetarian my whole life so who knows how i would be different today if i'd been eating meat all along...oh well, this wasn't going to change my mind...i have many reasons for continuing to be vegetarian that i could go in to later...to be fair, i really should read this book as i could supplement other types of protein...

ok so back to cutting sugar, fat and simple carbs out of my diet (i'm really all over the place in this post, sorry! these ideas are not linear but related to a lot of things!)...i think i could have had an eating disorder at some point if i didn't love food so much...i love the control aspect related to choosing what goes into my body and how it affects me...unfortunately i love so many unhealthy things more than i love the feel of being healthy...so i'm trying to change that...

i ate at whole foods today with my mom (she doesn't have one by her house so she likes to go there regularly when i visit and i like to go because it is a treat since i usually can't afford to eat there). i had a seaweed salad with a yummy asian vinaigrette (i would totally get this again) and some avocado, hummus, veggie sandwich...usually i love walking around and eating all the rich cheese samples...and of course this particular day they also had dark chocolate (the fairly "healthy" kind rich in antioxidants and made with pure ingredients) covered foods...like strawberries which i almost tried to justify to myself...they also usually have some pastry or bread or something which i purposely didn't look for...my other usual item there is a large, hot yerba mate latte made with whole milk (i like it creamy)...but i'm also trying to cut back on too much dairy and caffeine so i went without this splurge...i did buy several bottles of kombucha (see my previous post on this topic...oh wait i can't find it and don't care enough to obsess about it...more on this another time i guess...sorry no link!)...this elixar (sp?) makes me feel more alive but healthy at the same time...

so last night manuel and our family went out to eat at a buffet and the salad bar and 1 enchilada i allowed myself just didn't quite cut it...i passed up SO many desserts i was salivating over and didn't even get the cup of coffee i usually sip slowly and savor...so i know i need a balance on these things. for now i'm trying to eat super healthy with lots of raw veggies, complete proteins, miso soup, etc...

finally, i'm a very social eater, too. i'll plan all sorts of events around food and eating with people. i have many, many, many fond memories with friends and family that are tied to specific meals and places and i still associate those when i eat those things or go there...

will update and let you know how that is going...i'm up because the children were nursing so much i couldn't sleep. but i'm tired, now, so i think i can go back to bed for a couple of hours...tell me about your issues with food (what you love, how it relates to your life, how nutrition has improved your life, etc)...

i'll leave you with an old school dorky photo of myself taken probably 10 years ago when i was working at piatti...i believe i literally have my mouth full in the photo (which is appropriate!)