I have reached the point in my weight loss journey where I am getting “food confused”. While I am doing my best not to demonize food and get “scared” of eating – especially when it comes to whole, natural and organic foods – I AM feeling conflicted with certain “natural” ingredients after reading the book “The Food Revolution”, which I blogged about earlier.
The foods I am having issues with are primarily dairy and meat foods. The uncertainty I have been feeling around these classes of foods has me avoiding, hemming and hawing over menu choices, and alternating between fasting and then binging. MASSIVE STEP BACK FOR ME FOLKS.
DAIRY:
Here’s the deal: I truly feel that dairy doesn’t do me any good. I am sensitive to milk and get tummy aches whenever I consume more than a cup of milk at a time, including lattes, soups and ice creams. I know that cutting it out isn’t hard emotionally or psychologically, since 1) It hurts me, and 2) Commercial milk products are usually produced in inhumane ways, so I get that feel-good aspect of choosing morally “clean” menu fare.
So over the past few weeks, I have been slowly discovering alternatives for my usual milk consumption. I found the PERFECT milk substitute (Ripple brand pea milk) for my morning coffee. I now order coconut milk lattes at Starbucks. I use Ripple as a sub for milk and cream in recipes now, as well.
I’ve also found a variety of plant based cheeses at Grocery Outlet, and while I have yet to experiment with them, I now have mock mozzarella, cheddar, pepperjack and parmesan cheeses on hand. I worry that these cheese replacements won’t always be on hand and will need to find a steady source for them in the future (Grocery Outlet rarely has the same brands and items in stock for long) but I will cross that bridge when I come to it… So milk and cheese? I think I’ve got this.
MEAT
Now on to MEAT! I think I eat too much meat (usually we eat it with every meal, in fact it is the one ingredient that is generally deemed essential to having a “complete” meal). And I KNOW that the vast majority of my meat comes from unsavory places, processed via unsavory means. So I have some valid health and moral concerns about this ingredient.
So in an effort to reduce my consumption, I had figured I would stop eating meat during the day, and reserve my meat meal for the evening when my husband is home, and to limit my consumption to meat from humane sources. But this left a kind of breakfast and lunch void in my day, and I found myself resorting to meals that are very much NOT my weight loss journey usual. For instance, eating salads and wraps that are far too nut heavy and fat heavy. I don’t know if it’s psychological.. meat being “missing” and making me far more hungry than usual, but cutting meat out during the day has made my appetite EXPLODE.
Because my appetite has been exploding, I have wavered between, “You can’t have too much whole, nutritious foods” and overeating fats and nuts, and then frustrated with my scale, I think, “Time to intermittent fast and get this appetite under control!” and then skipping meals, which leaves me famished and stressed and prone to give in to drinking a few glasses of wine (my go to de-stressing ritual).
On top of it all, I’m also experiencing guilt during my meaty meals in the evening with my husband. Did I get this meat from a good source? Am I eating too much meat? Am I eating enough? Should I skip dinner altogether since I binge ate throughout the day? Since I’m having a few glasses of wine? How do I eat again? What do I eat again? Throughout this whole experiment, my weight loss not only stalled, but fluctuated UP throughout these past two weeks!
So I’m back to trying to figure out what role, exactly, meat should play in my diet so I can proceed without guilt and confusion. So I re-read The Omnivores Dilemma, which may just be the best ever written book on the dilemma of eating meat. It provides so much clarity, without ducking the hard questions and stark reality of our current food system.
SOME CLARITY:
Here’s where I stand on eating dairy: No real struggle here. I will use milk and cheese substitutes at home, and choose cheese and milk free options outside of the home when possible. I won’t avoid it if it’s a key ingredient in dining out, but I won’t actively seek it out either. DONE!
Here’s where I stand on eating meat: I will source, to the absolute best of my ability, all of my meat from clean and ethical sources. I will treat meat with the reverence and gratitude it deserves. Additionally, I will limit the portion sizes of my meat to limit my intake (no more giant steaks, instead aiming for a card deck size portion). And I will reduce the frequency of my meals containing meat and make a point of trying out vegetarian and vegan meals on occasion.
Above all, I will strive to feel good about the food that I put into my body. I won’t resort to “starving myself” and only allow myself to skip up to one meal a day. If I feel uneasy or unsure of any food item, I will check in with myself and ask why. I will banish irrational food fears, and delight in giving my body healthy, high vibrational and nourishing foods. I got this! <3
More about the Omnivore Dilemma from Amazon:
One of the New York Times Book Review’s Ten Best Books of the Year
Winner of the James Beard Award
Author of How to Change Your Mind and the #1 New York Times Bestsellers In Defense of Food and Food Rules
What should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, with The Omnivore’s Dilemma, his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species. In the years since, Pollan’s revolutionary examination has changed the way Americans think about food. Bringing wide attention to the little-known but vitally important dimensions of food and agriculture in America, Pollan launched a national conversation about what we eat and the profound consequences that even the simplest everyday food choices have on both ourselves and the natural world. Ten years later, The Omnivore’s Dilemma continues to transform the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.
CURRENT STATS
Start Weight (May 15, 2020): 201 pounds
Current Weight (June 25, 2020): 187.2
Total Pounds Lost (Since May 15, 2020): 13.8
Pounds Left to Lose to Reach Goal Weight of 130 pounds: 57.2
