Very rarely (hardly ever!) are there clear, black-and-white answers as to what, when, and how much you *should* eat.
Yes, there are general nutrition principles that apply to most people, and this can help bring some clarity and structure to our eating. *My Type A / obsessive personality breathes a sigh of relief at some amount of clearcut guidance.* We’re talking eating 101s like eating regularly throughout the day, eating balanced meals, and eating mostly less processed foods.
But should you have a salad for lunch or a sandwich? Chips and guac for a snack or a protein bar? This amount for dinner or that?
Who the heck knows?? Not me! And I paid hefty money for my nutrition degree!
If you are wrestling with disordered eating, maybe you can relate to feeling pressure from yourself to figure out the “one right choice” with every food decision you face, from what you eat to when to how much.
(Note: obviously there are some food choices that would likely be more black and white, such as choosing to eat more if you are working on weight restoration. The focus of this blog post is on the more typical everyday food choices that are generally less clear, particularly from an outsider’s perspective).
Unfortunately no dietitian, social media influencer, parent, or nutrition book is going to provide you with the “perfect” guidance. The best person to potentially help you decide the whats, whens, and how much of your eating is YOU.
Looking forward to a weekend with not a lot of structured plans other than our usual church involvement, working on chipping away at a number of things at home with Alec, and getting outside for some walks. I certainly don’t mind a less structured weekend — those are generally my favorite kind!
What are you up to this weekend??
Recent meals & snacks, January edition:
We don’t really buy store-bought bars very often, since they can be decently pricey, and we love the ones I make at home anyway. However, whenever we are traveling and out of town we make sure to load up on our favorite store-bought versions! Due to our recent food changes, we needed to find a new option. Jonesbar is new to us, and we are now definite fans. I especially like the PB&J! I like that they taste more homemade and don’t have that store-bought-protein-bar taste.
And, fun fact that the founder is originally from Ann Arbor!
Hello everyone! I hope your 2025 is off to a good start. It’s hard to believe we are already pretty much through January!
We recently enjoyed some much-needed sunny weather in the Phoenix area with Alec’s dad / brother and family. We thoroughly enjoyed the sun, hiking, and time outside relaxing! When we got there and were standing in the parking lot going in to get groceries, I was like ahhh… feeling this sun for one moment alone was 100% worth the trip. When it comes to winter, I really don’t mind the cold, but hate the cloudy days upon cloudy days we tend to have in Michigan!
I was originally going to combine this post with a usual end-of-month eating recap, but then realized I had so much to share I should make two separate posts so it isn’t a billion words long! SO, a typical Everyday Eats post for January will be coming at the end of the week!
BUT FIRST, today’s post regarding my own personal health and food journey lately.
If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you may have noticed that some of my usual eats look a bit different than they used to.
For example, I’m no longer doing my favorite overnight oats, which was my go-to daily breakfast for ~15 years!! To say that was a difficult transition (to find a new, just as good go-to breakfast) at first is an understatement. Thankfully I now have a couple of new options I like even better!
But why the changes? We will chat more as to why that is!
Today’s story starts with a rewind, backing up about two decades…
How were your holidays? My time off ended up being rather exhausting for a variety of reasons which was hard to sit with, since I was *hoping* it would feel more rejuvenating, especially after an exhausting year in general. That being said, I feel like God is telling me that I need to learn to better rest during my regular days and weeks, and not overly look to any breaks or holidays as my hope for feeling better rested.
I read the book Sacred Rest over the past two weeks and am considering Matthew 11:28-30 to be my verses for the year… “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and Iwill give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (emphasis added)
I need to first and foremost go to Jesus for rest… not overly looking to the perfect schedule, holiday break, or outdoor adventure to solve my chronic rest deprivation and nervous system overactivation!
Sources of fatigue / overwhelm I am looking to eliminate or reduce in the coming months: saying yes (to people, plans, responsibilities) when I really mean no (aka not people pleasing), the constant feeling of needing to do things (aka being a slave to tasks — they will never be finished, there is ALWAYS more to do), and stimulation in general (less noise, less phone, more silence, etc.).
Sources of rest / revitalization I am looking to add or increase in the coming months: time outdoors connecting with Alec or friends (NECESSARY for me to feel inspired / rested), staying organized with my organization systems so life doesn’t feel as chaotic and so my thoughts and ideas “have a place” (other than overly occupying space in my head), and continuing to work on my health so that my sleep improves. (It is still bad for normal standards but has significantly improved over the past month which is huge!)
How are you feeling as we head into the new year? Were your holidays restful or do you feel like you need a vacation from your so-called vacation???
Run yesterday morning in the frigid cold. (I was dressed plenty warm!) Not much snow lately but lots of sub 20 degree days.
Even with the discouragement and tiredness from the past couple of weeks, I still of course managed to enjoy some tasty eats throughout the holidays! Note that my eating might look a bit different than it used to, as I’ve been addressing my health issues. More on that at some point in the coming weeks or months!
Eating, no matter what, in my opinion should be rooted in ENJOYMENT. “When the JOY goes out eating, NUTRITION SUFFERS!” It is when we have a healthy relationship with food as a necessary foundation that we are able to incorporate things like nutrition science and functional nutrition principles in truly healthy and healing ways.
Recapping some Christmas / New Years’ / holiday eats:
Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying time with friends and family this week. Wishing you all a restful holiday week!
With 2024 coming to a close, I’m dropping by the blog today with a recap of the past year. I always find it valuable to reflect on the past year — challenges, encouragements, gratitude — as well as look ahead to the upcoming year.
I’m not really a “resolutions” person, but I do like to think intentionally about how I spend my time / go about life, and (like many people) find the end of the year to be a natural time to reflect on this more thoroughly. I consider reflecting on the past year to be one tool to help myself with intentionality and thoughtfulness toward life.
What are you grateful for as we wrap up the year? What have been your biggest challenges, disappointments, celebrations, and encouragements?
I can’t believe Christmas is only one week away! How are all of your holiday preparations going?? Wishing you all a restful, relaxing, joy-filled Christmas season. I feel like this is the first year in who knows how long that I haven’t felt overloaded and overbooked at the holidays, so I’m grateful for that.
I am working the rest of this week and then will be off for about a week and a half – almost two weeks. Looking forward to having a good stretch of days that feel less structured!
I still vividly remember the first yoga class I ever took 15 years ago…
When I was really struggling with my eating disorder and my relationship with exercise, I randomly decided to try a yoga class, thinking that this might be a better alternative to my obsessive workouts at the gym. I also was looking for a new routine / activity to fill my after-school time.
I didn’t know ONE yoga pose and couldn’t even come CLOSE to touching my toes!
The entire class, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. It was all kind of confusing and a little overwhelming. BUT, there was something about this new-to-me form of exercise that had me intrigued enough to continue coming back.
A decade and a half later, yoga remains an integral part of my life. Not only have I seen tremendous gains physically, but also in my relationship with exercise and my body. Not to mention, stretching and sweating (I especially love hot forms of yoga) feels absolutely amazing! I always find going to a great yoga class to be a helpful physical and mental “reset.” My body is sweating out all sorts of toxins, I’m focused physically, and my mind and emotions tend to settle by the end of the class.
(Note: when I talk about yoga, I’m simply referring to mindful stretching and breathing. I don’t personally engage with the religious elements found in some forms of yoga. I’m a Christian and see mindful movement and breathing as another way to connect with God and be more present with myself.)
I recommend yoga for EVERYONE, but especially anyone struggling in his or her relationship with exercise / body image. I’d love to share with you 6 reasons why!
6 Reasons Why Yoga Can Help Improve Your Relationship with Exercise & Your Body
Happy almost-Thanksgiving! How are you spending your holiday??
It’s hard to believe we are already at the end of November. Personally I don’t love having Thanksgiving so late in the month, as it then feels like there is hardly any time before Christmas!
For tomorrow, we are hanging out at home in the morning — I’ll go on some sort of run or walk to get outside. We will then head to my parents’ to watch the Lions game and afterwards will have Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house. I’m bringing a big fall salad w/ mixed greens, roasted delicata squash, toasted pecans, pomegranate, goat cheese, and a maple cinnamon balsamic vinaigrette.
What is your favorite part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal? I absolutely love homemade cranberry sauce!
We’ve had such cloudy weather here in Michigan the past couple of weeks… gray skies upon gray skies, with little to no sign of that changing any time soon! We also had our first snow of the season at the end of last week!
Something that a number of my clients have shared with me is that it has felt to them like other eating disorder professionals / dietitians have conveyed the idea that they are “automatically being disordered” if they want to exercise or be physically fit.
Hmmm. *Skeptically scratching head.* I have to say I disagree!
I do think this is a tricky line to walk, as exercise and fitness intentions can certainly come from a place of being “mostly disordered.”
That being said, I don’t think that NEEDS to be the case. It’s all about your RELATIONSHIP with exercise, and your motivations for doing what you are doing. If your relationship with exercise IS currently disordered right now, we can work towards HEALING and CHANGING that. You can pursue physical fitness and exercise in a way that is genuinely and holistically healthy.
I am all about fitness and physical health in my own personal life, and love when clients and blog readers are passionate about this, too.
However, this wasn’t always the case. When it comes to working one’s way out of a completely unhealthy relationship with exercise, I GET YOU if that’s where you are at as you find yourself reading this blog post.
Based on my own personal experience and my work with clients, I have a lot of insight into what typically goes on emotionally and psychologically when it comes to a healthy versus unhealthy relationship with exercise.
Whether you are regularly exercising right now, taking a break, or thinking of getting back into it, here are 7 questions to consider when it comes to your exercise routine.
7 Questions to Consider When it Comes to Your Exercise Routine:
This month is / has been a bit unusual for me with more travel during October than is typical for me… two weekends ago Alec and I were on Mackinac Island for our annual fall color trip which was fabulous!! The colors weren’t actually *that peak* on most of the island, but it was still a phenomenal weekend nevertheless.
This week I am out of town in Florida with family for my mom’s (delayed) 60th birthday trip. For the past several years most of my vacation time has been either long weekends or trips with more of an itinerary, so this time I am really looking forward to a lot of relaxing with mostly no plans for an entire week!!
Beach, reading, walking/running, unstructured time, eating out for dinners… will (likely) report more next week with a food recap!
Posting may be a little less frequent in the coming months, as I am in the middle of some work transitions & projects, including a website revamp that is coming in mid/late January! Be on the lookout for a new look!! I’m aiming to continue w/ monthly food recaps and whatever else I have time for as far as usual Wednesday posting goes, at least for a few months here.
This was our favorite spot on the island that we ended up returning to 4 different times. We went on a morning walk/loop that we really liked the first morning (that included going to this overlook) and did the same route the next two mornings. We also went back one evening as it was a perfect spot to watch the sunset! The above spot is right by where the Somewhere in Time gazebo is.
More life updates, Mackinac eats, & October food favorites:
