FOOD | inspiretransform50

Food has the ability to enrich our senses, offer us tastes from different cultures, and nourish our bodies.

Over the years, I've tried many diet plans. You? There was low-carb and high fat, Whole 30, Paleo, and many more. None of these stuck with me for the long-term. What did stick for me, was mindfully eating whole foods from all of the food groups.

For the first 8 months of this journey, I logged every food item I ate. This tool helped me to become very aware of what I was putting in my body, portion sizes, and what time of day I was eating. I use Beachbody 21 Day Fix containers to help me with keeping my portion sizes correct. I, like others have a tendency to eat my way through stress and discomfort — and the containers limit me from overindulging.

When the 21 Day Fix containers first arrived, I returned them! My initial thought was there was no way these containers will offer me enough food to satiate my appetite. A few months later, I changed my mindset and ordered them again.

While I don't measure out every meal anymore, I am very cognizant about how much food is on my plate, and how much food I really need to fuel my body.

Over the last 4 years, I have become a lover of all things green. Kale, spinach, swiss chard, fiddleheads, and more. In addition to falling head over heals in love with greens, I love fruit. Grapes, apples, blueberries, pineapple, and strawberries to name a few. I have also learned what foods don't necessarily work with my body: cheese (which I adore), white bread, pizza, and sweets. Do I miss these foods? Some times, but not too often. I still eat dark chocolate every day. I also continue to drink iced mochas, which I make at home with oat milk and dark chocolate shavings.

For meal planning, I use an online program called Plan to Eat to store our recipes and plan each week's meals. I download recipes from Pinterest and many other sites, choose meals for the week, and print out a shopping list for our Sunday grocery shopping.

Food doesn't have to be the enemy. It has taken a fair amount of patience, commitment, and experimenting to find what foods work with my body and how much food my body truly needs. Do you need some help understanding and managing food? Or help with meal planning? Let me know. I love collaborating with people.