Tags
black olives, carbs, coffee breakfast, food, goat cheese, WIAW
I made quite a few jokes on the subject. Like WIWW or WIMW! But today I’m presenting you with my true–honest-no joke What I Ate Wednesday post.
First thing in the morning – Coffee. 
Breakfast. Chicken and some fruit. (Note I eat “breakfast” around 11 am. Not the breakfast eater at all.)
Lunch. Chicken kebab. And some salad (mine is the bigger one, though they contain the same amount of food) 
Snack. Apricots. 
Dinner. Shrimp and black olives stuffed with goat cheese in olive oil. 
Dessert. More shrimp. Haha! 
Do you sense my fear of carbs? What’s your take on them? Yay or Nay? And why?
Coffee Addict 
I love your food. I am not a big breakfast person either, so I totally understand the 11 am breakfast. And honestly, until you made the comment about carbs I didn’t even notice. You had a really good balance of food.
I have sort of a love/hate relationship with carbs. I love them and I am very opposed too knocking out one type of food. It always lead to a binge. At the same time it takes so long for my body to register carbs that I have to be really careful on my serving sizes. So to help with that I try not to eat carbs after about 3 in the afternoon. Since I refuse to stock my refrigerator meal by meal, bc that (for me) perpetuates the fear of food and the b/p cycle, limiting the times of day that I have carbs helps me control the urges.
I find your take on carbs really appealing, Lisa! The only complex carbs my stomach is welcoming is white rice but I only eat a serving of it on my workout days in order not to balloon up.
Once I’ve followed some kind of similar diet– I was allowed to eat whatever (cakes and ice cream) till 12am and then nourish on protein, fruit and veggies for the rest of the day. It worked quite well, as I can recall. So I believe you’ve got a great way managing having your carbs and eating them too. Thank you for sharing it!
A few extra carbs on a workout is essential. I tend to drink lowfat chocolate milk after I do a half marathon training run because I need to re-stabilize my body and get some protein to help my muscles recover. It is a nice tasty treat after a long run.
I hate carbs! I know, I sound disordered 😉 But I do, and I am. I am more afraid of carbs than I am of fat. I rarely eat any sort of wheat or gluten or grain products. I can’t remember the last time I had rice or pasta and I have a slice or two of dark, wholegrain rye bread once a week. The rest of the time I eat protein, vegetables and salad.
For example, today I had scrambled egg whites with broccoli and semi-dried tomatoes with some hot salsa for breakfast, then lunch was salad with baby spinach, carrot, beetroot, zucchini, broccoli, tomato and a home-made vinaigrette with vinegar, lemon juicea nd mustard and dinner was a vege stir-fry with 1/2 tspn peanut oil, loads of veggies and some tofu. I find it easy to eat this way though because it keeps my blood sugar steady, so I don’t have cravings for sweets…my treat at the end of every day is a light hot chocolate. With only 45 calories, it’s a sweet treat that also feels safe.
Consumption of too many highly processed carbs makes your blood sugar fluctuate too much and crave more and more sugar and starches, which only perpetuates the cycle. I think your food is extremely healthy and appealing and has a great variety. I wish I enjoyed seafood but I just don’t.
And of course, coffee is essential 🙂 xo.
Whoa, Nataly! You are more carb-phobic then I am! Just kidding! Your meals sound very delicious! What about a piece of fruit? Still nay?
At the beginning of my recovery I could only digest white meats, seafood, cottage cheese, tomatoes and olives. That’s all! Any different kind of food gave me gas, bloat and stomach cramps. I’m progressing eating so many (in my norms) kinds of food. But as I have mentioned to Liza above I only have a bit of rice every other day.
Anyway I like that we eat in similar way. And good for you for having what you like!
Ah yes 🙂 I do eat fruit! I left out of my “typical day” the fact that I have fruit as snacks. It’s winter here at the moment so there is only “boring fruit” available but I usually eat a green apple as a snack.
The other thing that I love that gives me a sugar boost is fresh dates! Not the ones that are so dried out that they are just brown blocks of sugar, but these are large, moist, succulent and not as sweet as dried dates. I will sometimes have 3 of those if I am craving sweets 🙂
I would love to eat more grains because I think being a vegetarian I need some extra whole grains – lately I have been trying to eat some grain for breakfast – whole rolled barley, rice, oats (1/4 cup) and I also want to add quinoa back in…it’s packed with protein!
I think that the best way to eat is how you feel comfortable as long as it’s nourishing for your body 🙂 But yes, I am quite carb phobic. I want to get to the point where I don’t feel that food is good or bad and I just eat foods that make my stomach feel happy. I know how hard it is on your body with bloating and gas and cramps when you start to add things back…slowly and gently is my motto 🙂 xo.
Your food looks nourishing. Right now I can’t eat a lot of raw vegetables but your meals look yummy and nourishing.
I’ve read a lot about carbs. Some people that I follow on their blog or website seem to go through a phase of no or low carbs as they do a paleo type diet. They get great results but then at some point feel a need to add some starchy foods. It seems to be a matter of timing and finding the right starch/carb for their body, their digestive preference. And it seems key to find the proportion that suits them. These are people who are not eating disordered. (Chris Kresser, Marks daily apple are just a few). Even the GAPS healing plan, which totally avoids all grains, most beans and most simple sugars, is used temporarily to heal and then to broaden and include – possibly – some grains or tubers. It’s very individual.
I also think it is important how these foods are prepared. Like with whole grains, they need to be soaked with something like whey or lemon juice or vinegar, a bit added to the soaking water, to deactivate the phytic acid which all grains naturally have. Most people don’t know this and when they have problems digesting regularly cook grains and flour products they think these are not good foods for them. Possibly they are right but it’s also possible that it’s just the way they were prepared.
I wouldn’t make a blanket statement either way — that carbs are good or that carbs are bad for us…so much depends on one’s digestive system and how healthy it is and how the carbs are prepared and what else one is also consuming.
I love your question and that you are thinking about this topic.
Oh, Gel, as well as you I have read tons of books on health. Some of them gave me light bulb moments; some were just the waste of time. But on the whole so much information just left me confused. For example I believe in raw food philosophy, but I can’t apply it to myself as I don’t feel well following it. So I nourish mainly on foods I feel good.
As I understand you do the same. I’m really looking forward on you post of this topic.
We absolutely share love for olives and seafood!
Traditional processed carbs and fruit in excess = nay!
🙂
I’m very aware of your food philosophy, Nicole.
LOL (literally!)
Carbs are evil. I generally eat protein and salads or vegetables (not starchy ones like corn), I find when I do eat carbs it messes up my blood sugar and I gain weight. Immediately. That’s just what works for me – can’t do the fruit thing either, I think because of the effect on the blood sugar.
I always wonder if low carb is sustainable for a life time. May I ask you are you is your diet low or high fat, vegetarian (vegan) or do you eat meat; also how long have you been on low carb? And do you eat dairy?
Hi 🙂 I had to butt in here again, my lovely. I don’t think low carb is sustainable for a lifetime honestly much as I fear them, because our brains can only use glucose as fuel. Neurons cannot store glucose so they need a constant supply of it for our brains to work. We can only get glucose from carbohydrates. So, if you cut carbohydrates, you are going to have trouble thinking 😦 xxx
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/carbs.html xxx
Whoa! This is scary! I do feel bulimia’s negative trace on my thinking – it’s not as sharp, as clear and the memory is still really bad. And being fat is not as terrifying as being stupid. However I wonder are there any alternatives to get that glucose? From fat?
I wish I knew but I don’t. There is no glucose in fat, and no glucose in protein so it stands to reason the only place we get brain fuel is carbohydrate which is what I’ve been taught. However there are people who eat very little carb who aren’t dieting and who aren’t dumb.. so they must get it somewhere. Maybe the amount we can get from our vegies/fruits is enough? hope so 🙂
Thank you for this link!
When you eat a low-carb diet, the body goes into ketosis, which is a state in that in uses ketone bodies from fatty acids as fuel for the heart and brain. In other words, when glucose is not sufficiently available, the bodies adepts very quickly and uses fatty acids instead to cover its needs. That’s nothing dangerous, so no need to worry about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis
Thank you Kath! You are one of the few people online, especially in the ED community, who I trust with nutrition advice 🙂
Woohoo! I like it Dr.Kath! 😀
Haha, thank you both! 😀 You know I’m not an expert, but for 1 1/2 years or so, I read everything about nutrition I could get my hands on (from Paleo, vegan, low carb etc etc perspectives). Personally, the insights from that intense research really helped me to improve my health, and even that of my parents. 🙂
LOL I did that too! I read pretty much everything I could read, but it was in the mid to late 90’s and a lot of it is outdated. A lot of it is also lost to cognitive blahhhh where I can barely remember my own name some days 🙂 I also don’t have the skills to remain unbiased – back then, I read those searching for ways to stop ‘being so fat’ as I truly believed I was. So I absorbed everything about losing weight and conveniently skimmed over the finer details! Not a good idea at all. 🙂
Hi Greta, I have doing low carb for probably the last 5 years. I saw my weight starting to creep up and knew I had to do something to take control. So I tried that … and never looked back. I eat shrimp, salmon, filet, really any kind of high quality meat. Yeah, I’m definately a meat eater 🙂 But I don’t eat a lot. Some dairy, usually a cup of yoghurt in the morning (mostly for the calcium). Vegetables of all kinds, I love em, Sweets …. not at all. Only because I don’t really like them. The only thing I drink is coffee 🙂 , water .. and wine. Don’t get me wrong, if there’s a beautiful pizza in front of me, I’ll eat it ! I just don’t do it often. So I don’t feel deprived, at all, and ended up losing 25 pounds and keeping it off. Back to my fighting weight 😉
Thank you so much for this thorough answer. I’m so excited for your weight loss! I’m beyond excited reading about some pizza from time to time on your woe. I do too believe in lower carb way of eating for life. I just wonder how other people manage it. You seem to be doing it according to your body needs. That’s so great! Once again thank you for sharing!
PS wine is always awesome!
Greta, thank you for sharing your WIAW so honestly 🙂
Your food looks lovely, healthy, fresh…I am so glad you can enjoy these foods…I totally understand your fear of carbs also, I really do.
When I was entrenched in my anorexia, carbs were utterly terrifying to me, impossible to consume in any form. That fear remained for a long time, but now as I am managing to be in what I see as my form of recovery (as much as I can be at present) I make myself eat carbs..I say make as it is still not something I enjoy doing or am comfortable doing, but it is what I am committed to. I have all kinds of fruit, bread, cereal, rice, potato…and feel amazed that I am able to to eat the, without completely freaking out or simply being unable to do it.
It shows me that I am that much stronger than the anorexic mindset now…and I am SO grateful and happy!!
I love your posts, my friend.xxoo
Oh, Jennifer, every time I go to France and get served croissants with butter for breakfast – I freak out while awing petite Parisians savoring their buttery carbs over bowls of coffee. I want to be them one day too.
So hearing, reading or watching someone eat carbs is like a wonder to me! I’m so happy you are committed to your recovery and manage to love food in all its forms and content.
xo.
It’s contagious!! Breakfast foods are huge triggers for me, so I totally applaud your ability to eat what you want when you want it. Shrimpers for dessert!? Hehe, you’re awesome.
I just can’t do breakfast, Jeni. If I eat in the morning I feel like a crap for the half of the day sometimes even longer. And I tend to skip lunch then which lead me to binges later. I’m just ok without it. And I feel the same for shrimp as for coffee – love. Hihihi.
Hello lovely Greta, your food makes me want to eat it too! I’d love to know what the green leafy bits on your prawns are, what herb? And how you prepare them. I love prawns but have never been able to cook them nicely and I don’t really like them cold! The best prawn I ever had was crumbed and deep fried, in what was my first ‘real meal’ in 15 years – a seafood banquet at a restaurant and I’ve wanted to have another like that ever since – it was piping hot and just sublime. I can’t have it deep fried every time though! I’m not that brave yet lol.
I share your fear of carbs. I fear them even more than fat, than anything. It’s an ED thing, yes. At one stage I cut out all carbs, right down to things like milk for the lactose, lettuce because it might have a few stray carbs, any meat that might have filler (like sausage etc) all fruit, everything. I did that for about 2 years, and it really stuffed up a lot health wise especially contributed to kidney failure and osteoporosis 😦 Funny thing is I had MORE muscle wastage in that stage than at any other stage, you would think it would be the opposite. Never again. But I’ve retained my fear and it’s something fuelled by the constant changing opinions put out in the media about whether they are good, bad, ugly, etc. I wish food was just food!
Thank you for being so honest and for also not claiming that it’s totally healthy and non-disordered to eat this way even though it’s very healthy and obviously working for you – better than before – and you HAVE come a long way. Very proud of you 🙂 xx
PS love the russian mafia having coffee complete with special cup haha 🙂
My lovely Fiona, the shrimp is just marinated (overnight ) in apple sider vinegar, olive oil and a generous dash of fresh parsley.(no cooking) It tastes the best because of oil. I’m a very oily person. I’m rather on a high fat than low carb diet. I add oil to everything except fruit. Haha!
Also I’ve been on various no carb diets as well from South Beach, Atkins, Dukan to completely zero carb when for a few months I was eating meat only. The amazing thing is that during the meat period I felt like a crap but I was binge and purge free so my attempt to stay on the lower carb side is based on my personal evidence. (Though I don’t want it to damage my brains more)
Yes, food fear is still present and I would never ever suggest those kinds of foods to any person who has issues with food.
And my cats actually despise coffee, but Mr. M is an attention whore so he’d even drink it to get some of the notice. Greetings to my lovely kitty-in-law! 😉
Kath has some great info on this topic at her blog (My Funny Little Life ) . If you haven’t already seen her post on grains, here’s the location:
http://myfunnylittlelife.com/2010/09/21/grains-and-other-concerns/
I love Kath’s writing and she’s done a lot of good questioning, research and paying attention to her body experience around eating. I see her as a good role model – for me anyway. I especially like the way she looks at distinguishing between fears of food that are based in the ED and healthy skepticism about foods and all the mis information out there.
I hope she doesn’t mind me putting these links here. I just think it is wonderful to have a person who has dealt with a lot of the same ED issues, and who has made some great progress and has written about it.
Thank you for this link, Gel. Kath is a miracle for me too. Her blog is like a gold mine! Off to dig something spectacular!
😯
I’ve read this and it made me smile! I don’t have a problem with this at all! 🙂 🙂 🙂
There are carbs in many vegetables…like carrots, and yams and the orange winter squash. Also all fruits have carbs.
I love those and eats loads of them! 😀 But I know you can’t eat carrots, Greta. 😦 What about squash?
I try to include some of the carrots into my salads and I seem to do ok with the cooked ones – but not too much. Also who knows, I can probably make a progress on eating them as I’ve done to fruits. And squash is just not my thing.
Thank you for the tips, girls!
I always wanted to be able to do a WIAW type of post — but I am too ashamed currently of the way I eat. That is why I would want to one day do one – because that would mean I’m doing good schtuff.
Also I worry that like — if I “knew” I was documenting would it somehow altar what I was eating ….and I can’t see how it wouldn’t lol.
I’d be like….maybe I wont eat that 2 am bowl of kimchi. what will the neighbors think?
Carbs are a trickwitch for me — grains in particular. I do not eat flour and eat very minimal amounts of grains in general as a result and I think that is 100% fine for me.
I get carbs from the grains I DO eat, fruit and starchy vegetable. And terra chips.
But if a chip is made from potato “flour” (<— most ARE.) They go down WAY to easy and I cannot consume them in a sane way at all.
Same goes with crackers – Mary's Gone Crackers have no flour. I can eat them like a normal person would. If you hand me a healthy cracker made with rice "flour" I get wonky.
I thus – avoid flour for the most part.
Flour gets my stank eye. But not carbs .. (anymore). I've come a long way baby.
Oh, believe me Missy, if I did the WIAW post 14 months ago it would be pounds of tomatoes, black olives and some meat. Those were the only ones I felt good consuming and keeping down. So I see nothing weird in people’s with an ED background foods. Only if they don’t preach it as an ultimate diet. (Hehehe)
I have celiac so your allergy to grains (flour) is very well known to me. I could never have anything containing gluten. I’m glad that you can consume gluten free products as crackers or chips as I would definitely binge on those. I still can’t have anything like that around me. 😦
And you’ve really came a long way, baby! You journey is breathtaking and inspiring all at once. If I were your neighbor I’d join you for that jar of kimchi at 2 am. Seriously!
I’ve eaten a low carb diet for the past 2 years due to my blood sugar levels. Recently, I’ve started to eat some more carbs again. I actually can digest carbs quite well, while I do have a problem with too much fat in my diet (I find it disgusting and at some point, it doesn’t satisfy me anymore). I still eat carb reduced overall though. When I say “more carbs” I mean two or three tablespoons of cooked legumes or brown rice with my lunch and sometimes also with my dinner. So not a lot at all. But it helps me to feel more ans stay better satisfied. I don’t know why, but low carb eating never was completely satisfying for me, however I had to do it because I didn’t tolerate carbs at all anymore. I’m still very careful with sugar and even with fruit. I can hardly eat fruit on it’s own, only with protein, otherwise I’ll fall into the sugar trap. Berries are okay though because they’re so low in sugar.
I really look up to people like you for the nutrition advice, Kath. You’ve collected so much knowledge and experience on the subject your personal revealing on things is always appreciated so much.
I’m happy you are enjoying your meals and experiment to find the best solution to your body and mind. Really inspiring, thank you!
PS Also the almond milk rocks! That reminds me to take the picture of it!
Oh, and I *always* soak the legumes and rice I cook, to reduce antinutrient content and improve digestability.
I have never soaked my rice. I guess I’ll be doing it from now on.
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