Choices, Choices,

1.     Please describe your philosophy or approach to eating & food choices and why it’s right for you.  What are your priorities?  What isn’t as important and why?

I tend to flip flop from being very healthy to being very unhealthy. I try to stick to healthy balanced meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. but after a few drinks i seem to lose any inhibition to stop eating. I will eat very unhealthy junk food like chips and cookies and have no intention on stopping because i dont seem to get full. My main philosophy when it comes to eating is "everything in moderation"

My priorities on food:  i like convenience, something quick so i dont have to wait, that usually applies to lunch and breakfast. Also i WANT to get a healthy option but usually do not. When it comes to dinner i like a perfect balance, protein, carb, and vegetable. When i cook dinner i dont mind a meal that takes a while, i enjoy prepping and chopping vegetables and when it tastes great its worth the wait. 

2.     Have your food choices changed in the last few years?  If so, what are you trying to eat more/less of - why?  Provide specific examples of how your habits changed & specifically what you’re doing differently.  Do you feel rewarded or like you’re making sacrifices with these changes?  

I go on a variety of diets, a few months ago i was actually vegetarian for a few months and lost a lot of weight 30 pounds. I also tried gluten free but i didnt really enjoy that one. yes i lost weight by the simple fact i was having a lot less carbohydrates then normal. but it wasnt something i enjoyed or saw a benefit from.   Currently i try to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Apples are one of my favorite snacks and i try to have one salad a day. I notice when I havent had any fresh produce my intestines feel backed up and by bowel movements arent as regular. In addition to eating more produce, i try to eat less processed junk foods, specifically things like cookies, chips, icecream, candy, soda. this seems like common sense but since i moved back home there are a lot of temptations. there is always icecream in the freezer, chips and dip, and bowls of candy around the house. I do feel very rewarded when im good and dont eat a lot of the crap and see a change on the scale of my pants fit better. I wouldnt call it a sacrifice, im not losing anything, im only over indulging myself, which i can be happy without. 

3.     Give me a virtual tour (by taking/posting photos) of the food you have @ home right now.  Take/post overall pics of what’s in your frig, freezer & pantry + include zoomed photos of specific items you reference in the questions below:

a.   Looking at your pics, what does the food you have say about you?  Why?

   

 By the looks of the kinds of food you one would assume that i try to make "healthier" choices. i would not classify what i have as health food. for example the "bark thins", they are chocolate with coconut and almonds in it. yes it is dark chocolate and it sure is better than having an icecream sunday after dinner. but a really healthy option would be not having any kind of sweets after dinner. 

It also looks like I cook a lot and always have some left overs in the fridge that i try to eat instead of going out for lunch/dinner. But at the same time you dont see any raw meats. I tend to go shopping and buy my fresh meat and vegetables right before i cook them. Whenever i try to buy them all at once in the beginning of the week something always changes and i dont end up cooking it all and it goes bad. So in a way i just do it to cut back on wasting food. because i dont have a problem eating left overs 2-3 times if i made a delicious dish. 

b.   Take pics/blog about a few products that meet your“healthier” definition: include at least 2 “packaged” items and 2 “non-packaged” items.  How does each meet your definition?  How do you feel eating each of these items?

Apples and carrots, two great healthy non-packaged snacks i have in the fridge, both of them are high in sugar so after a workout they taste great. 

when i eat and apple i feel refreshed, a cold crisp apple hits to spot for me. just this weekend after a night of drinking i went into a friends fridge and bit into a juice honey crisp apple. i feel healthy when i eat apples. "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"

here is a cliff bar, a great snack or breakfast on the go. i would classify this as a healthy option. cliff bars have that "healthy" taste. but also satisfy me for a very long period of time. so i feel good about eating them. 

Black bean veggie burger, great lunch item some times i will put it on top of a salad or just eat it with some salsa. the "macros" are very good, high protein, low carb, high fiber, low fat. and has about 230 calories that when paired with a salad make a great meal. When it comes down to it, im not sure if it that much better than a piece of chicken but when you eat a veggie burger you feel like you made a good choice. 

c.   Are there certain meals/times of day when eating “healthier” products are more important?  When & why?

i try to eat a healthy lunch that can keep me full for a very long period of time. big salads or healthy wraps, veggie burgers and great options. I know you guys are asking about what meals i make healthy, and the study is about breakfast... so i will say that breakfast is usually my most unhealthy meal of the day. i tried doing oatmeal or cliff bars but nothing is better than a bacon egg n cheese sandwich from a drive through. 

d.   Describe what one of the “healthiest meals” you regularly eat at home looks like.  What makes it “healthy” & how do you feel when you eat this meal?

Regularly I will buy a bunch of different vegetables, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, and onions and chop them and bake them in the oven together. for a while i was vegetarian so i would just eat the vegetables but now i will also bake some chicken sausages on the trays. this gives me a source of carbs (potato) protein from chicken sausage, and a variety of nutritious vegetables. when i make food i try not to have empty calories, simple sugars that contain no vitamins and value to the body. i feel very full after eating piles of vegetables and also feel good about it. I really hate when i finish dinner and have that self loathing sensation like "i should not of ate that" or "ughh that 7th slice of pizza is not sitting well in my stomach" so when i load up on a tray of veggies i am pretty happy with myself.

4.     How let’s talk specifically about breakfast:

a.   Post an image from the Internet on what you wish YOUR breakfast looked like on a “typical” weekday. Describe why-what does this breakfast do well?

I selected these two because they are both hand held options and great on the go. also i dont like shoveling food into my half asleep mouth.
The first picture is actually a breakfast crunchwrap supreme from taco bell. which is probably one of the best things on the market, it takes the breakfast burrito to the next level with an entire layer of crunchy hash browns. it might be the blend of flavors and textures that i like best. also its sealed up at the bottom. Eating on the go or in the car means the sandwich will be held in multiple angles, vertical/horizontal while driving and nobody wants egg on their clothes before work.
the second picture is sometime i would like to eat at home, it has fresh veggies on it and a whole grain bread that will keep me full longer. the problem with this is the cooking and prepping, im not slicing tomatoes at 5am with only one eye open.

b.   Describe 2-3 of your most “typical” breakfasts at/from home during the week. How well do these breakfasts satisfy your wants/needs – be specific?  What do they do well/less well?  If not optimal, what gets in the way?

I make the overnight oats where you soak them with chia seeds and protein powder and water. it is VERY healthy but its hard to shovel down in the morning. sometimes i just want to have the coffee and leave and get food in an hour. But when i want to be healthy this is what i do. it is very filling and i can go hours without eating if i can eat my whole jar. also i dont feel that sluggish greasy feeling like i had a bunch of butter pumped into my veins first thing in the morning. The preparation gets in the way, if you do not prepare the night before then there is nothing to eat. also its very bland. i put cinnamon in it but i needs more sweetener. 

Another common breakfast for me are hotdogs. I am not sure why i like them so much but they cook up very quickly and minimal cleanup. If i cooked eggs i would have a dirty pot, and a bowl that i scrambled them in. but with a hotdog i throw it on the grill or microwave and start to brew my coffee. its super simple, has the protein i need. and best of all i think is the cleanup, all i need is ONE PAPER PLATE, no forks, no spoons, no bowls, no pots/pans. so when i leave for the day i dont come home to dirty dishes. one thing that bothers me is the mystery of the hotdog temperature when i microwave it, sometimes its still cold, other times lava hot.

c.   On a “typical” weekday, what are your priorities vs. what you’re willing to compromise on-why?  What are the “must haves” in your breakfast vs. “nice-to-haves”?  What are 1-2 breakfasts that wouldn’t quality-why?

Number one priority is the mess, i love to cook but i cant make a mess and leave the house. i cant justify all the work it took to feed just me. im willing to compromise on time, no preference over hot/cold items. A must have would be nutrition, i dont like empty calories or things that dont fill you up for example:  Nutella on toast is NOT breakfast. that will just make me hungry and grumpy by the time i get to work. something nice to have would be quick and easy, things that you pop in the microwave or just add hot water too are "nice" but then waiting for it to cool down is a bummer. but i can wait i like to get up earlier than i need because i hate the stress and anxiety of rushing to work. 

d.   Describe the “healthiest” breakfast you eat & how you feel about it? 

Overnight oatmeal is the healthiest, i put flax seed, chia, organic oatmeal, protein powder, cinnamon and water. let it all soak together overnight and be soft and edible in the morning. it is GREAT when it comes to nutrition, it just takes a lot of work and bunch of different ingredients i need to buy in order to make it. after a few days of doing it i need a break or i get busy and forget to make it. 

e.   How do weekend breakfast need/wants or what you eat differ, if at all?

The weekend isnt much different to me. I still try to get up and start the day around the same time. i might be more open to cooking and making more dishes because i dont have anywhere to be so i can stay and clean. 

5.     Last, what is the role that breakfast plays in your day: 

a.   Imagine a weekday when you eat your “ideal” breakfast.  Describe what you’d eat, and how it would affect you physically, mentally & emotionally both in the morning and (if relevant) as you go about your day.

If I were to wake up and have my ideal breakfast i would feel great. mentally i know i made a right choice, the hardest part in being healthy is the mental aspect. physically i wouldnt be hungry and would have the energy to take on the say and last all the way to lunch. i tend to like having a very late lunch so it can make the work day feel like its almost over after i finish lunch. So i really need something to make me feel healthy, and also stay full/focused on working and not on my next meal time. 

b.   Now imagine a day with a non optimal breakfast.   Describe what you’d eat and how this breakfast would affect you physically, mentally & emotionally both in the morning and (if relevant) as you go about your day.

If i had a non optimal breakfast i would be looking for a snack or lunch around 11:30 (instead of my regular 2:00 lunch) and once i have to break down and eat an early lunch then i will need a snack before i get off and go home for dinner so really i sabotaged my whole day. and an afternoon snack where i work is usually cake/cookies. so really it would mess up my whole schedule. not to mention the flow of work, because my coworkers depend on me to take the late lunch so they can have a break earlier. 

c.   Is there a difference in the role/impact of a “hot” vs. “cold” breakfast – how?
I honestly dont see a difference when it comes to hot or cold. every morning my coffee is hot. sometimes i can eat a healthier meal if its cold because i can shovel it in faster and not burn myself. i alternate all the time bewteen my cold oatmeal or hotdogs (no pun intended).