What I eat in a week #1
From now on, I hope to start a new series called What I eat in a week to give a realistic look into my eating habits on a weekly basis! During my week I apply ideas and conclusions I have learned from the research I have done and discussed in my blogs. This way, I hope to connect with anyone who may feel slightly anxious about eating healthily yet happily, while also giving insights into my thought process when deciding what to eat. I hope this series is helpful and personally, I adore taking pictures and records of my food each day. So it’s a win-win situation. Enjoy!
One might be able to observe a few patterns in my eating habits throughout the week:
I prioritize simplicity in my breakfasts. Given that I make all my breakfast, I prioritize efficiency and eating something that is high in protein. Many of us have heard of having huge glucose “spikes” - a term popularized in the recent years - if we consume a high-sugar breakfast in the morning. This in turn sets us up for a bad morning since we crave sugar more. However, I eat at least ~30 grams of protein (typically yogurt, protein granola & egg whites) during breakfast for the simple reason of feeling more satiated to sustain myself through the day until 12:30pm when I have lunch. From 6:00am to 12:30pm, a savory, high protein breakfast is a non-negotiable to ensure that I don’t lose concentration during morning lessons. One might feel that my breakfasts looks extremely plain and, well, depressing, but I personally look forward to the morning quiet time when I can listen to a podcast and enjoy a meal by myself.
Veggies for the win! While I may seem like a psychopath for this, but I truly enjoy the fresh, crunchy and juicy aspects of all kinds of vegetables, so I eat lots of it. More and more so, I started replacing some of my carb sources like rice with beans, chickpeas and boiled vegetables (which all contain some carbs) as I feel that they’re more satiating, which indeed does make sense as all foods listed above are high in fiber, great for keeping me full. Of course, eating enough complex carbs like potatoes or sweet potatoes are still important as they provide energy for me to carry out my evening activities too.
All my meals are built around whole foods, hence giving the impression of “clean eating” or frankly, bland looking food which isn’t appetizing to many. That’s OK! I’ve learned to appreciate the natural flavors from all kinds of whole foods and enjoy the satisfaction of being able to eat a lot but because these foods are nutrient-dense, I still stay on track with my fitness goals.
With all the “boring” healthy eating out of the way, let’s treat ourselves a little! Balance is key and I’m still trying to navigate my mindset around this idea that I can let myself go once in a while whilst still staying disciplined. At the moment, I’ve given myself the option to eat whatever I want for a meal in a week, as well as a sweet treat. To many, this is already a really strict diet, but personally, I still cannot truly let loose without feeling guilty. Have anyone else also felt this way?
Anyway, Korean hand-cut noodles and a matcha mochi danish tart were on the agenda this week! The matcha mochi tart was everything I had hoped for and more: flaky yet fluffy exterior with an incredibly rich matcha flavor inside. Unfortunately, I knew this was a calorie bomb and only had a few bites before sharing it with my parents. The noodles, on the other hand, were more disappointing because it wasn’t firm and chewy like I had hoped. It felt like a clean, healthy meal more than anything, so I was upset for building such high expectations for it! Sometimes that’s also another issue with cheat meals, where after you’ve finally decided on a restaurant to visit, and they fall short of your expectations, it’s really unfortunate because you’ll have to wait another week for a cheat meal!
That’s it for this week of good eats, I hope you’ve either resonated with some of my thoughts or felt inspired by any of the meals. I look forward all the good food next week!
Thanks for reading, and see you all in a bit.
-Winnie 10/11/2024
