Eating My Cake

People often mistake IE for another type of diet in disguise (*cough* Weight Watchers). When they say IE is not a diet, they mean it. There are “Principles” to follow as guidelines, but there are no restrictions or requirements for eating. There is a chapter on healthy eating, but my therapist actually instructs her clients to not read that chapter. She feels that anyone who has spent years dieting *knows* what constitutes “healthy eating.” Obviously, in some cases, this isn’t entirely true, but for many of us, it is true. We know more about dietary guidelines, the latest health crazes (chocolate, blueberries, red wine, etc) and we know that someone somewhere decided eight glasses a day of water was optimal (though there zero scientific evidence to support that according to recent studies and my former nutritionist).

When people ask me what I can eat, and I answer “whatever I want,” they are understandably baffled by that. It’s such an alien concept, even to most people who’ve done Weight Watchers. True, on WW you can eat whatever you want (unless you’re following Core). However, most of the people on WW won’t eat whatever they want because you need to maximize your Points allowance, and especially if you only get 18 Points a day, what are the odds you’re going to have a slice of pizza (NY style) for somewhere around 8 or 9 Points (someday I might forget the Points values of foods)?

I figured that it might be helpful if I posted the foods that are in my fridge currently. I will do that with a bit of a caveat. I wish I was physically able to cook more. Right now, because of a back injury that is complicated by fibromyalgia pain, I’m doing more prepared stuff than I’d like. I enjoy exploring new foods and recipes, even if I’m no gourmet chef. I just physically can’t stand long enough to eat exactly the way I’d like to… so for now, I compromise. That said, I like everything I have in my fridge, or it wouldn’t be there.

So, without further ado… here’s the list of foods in my fridge, freezer & pantry.

• Sirloin steaks (for the grill, yum)
• Reduced fat Hebrew National hot dogs (because I notice no difference between them and the full fat)
• Cabot cheddar cheese (Seriously Sharp, Extra Sharp and Vintage - and yes, it’s the full fat kind)
• Light mayo (same as with the hot dogs)
• Light sour cream (I actually don’t like the full fat version, I learned!)
• Bakery chocolate chip cookies
• Pre-sliced frozen cheesecake
• Dill pickles
• Feta cheese
• Lamb chops
• Pork roast (with which I will make a white bean green chili using leftover cubed pork!)
• Pineapple-peach salsa
• Salsa verde
• Heinz ketchup (have to have ketchup!)
• Turkey pepperoni (which I like over the “real” stuff)
• Peach/raspberry pie
• Cherries (one of my favorite foods on earth!)
• Frozen single serve pizzas in various flavors
• Chicken salad
• Peaches (sadly, not fresh)
• Pre-cooked bacon
• Haagen Dazs Chocolate PB Swirl
• Frozen mixed veggies
• Kashi Mountain Medley granola
• Whole grain Melba toast
• Snyder’s Buffalo wing pretzel pieces
• Canned carrots
• Canned yams
• Canned corn
• Horizon Organic 2% milk
• Chunk light tuna (in those pouches)
• Pumpernickel rolls
• Bakery hot dog buns
• Chocolate Raspberry Milano cookies
• Prepared chili
• Rice pilaf
• Long grain & wild rice
• Potato salad
• Provolone cheese
• Frozen organic blueberries
• Dried cranberries
• Planters “Nut-trition” fiber mix
• 100% mixed berry juice
• Cerignola green olives (omg, so good - and often hard to find)

Anyway… there’s probably more, but you get the general idea, I think. I eat a wide variety of foods. Sadly, my stomach is not fond of fresh fruits and veggies much of the time. I love salads and berries and citrus fruits and apples… but it’s often difficult for me to eat them. For that reason, I tend to buy canned and frozen fruits and veggies, because otherwise, they often go to waste. In the summer, when produce is cheaper (and we’re getting there, yay) I will indulge and hope for the best, but especially when it’s more expensive in the winter, it’s not worth the risk. I probably have IBS (common amongst people with fibromyalgia) and stress (which I’ve had lots of recently) aggravates my stomach and makes it even harder for me to eat fruit and veggies raw.

While I’m sure someone reading is thinking, wow, there’s a lot of “junk food” on her list, I’d like to point out that I don’t eat it all at once. Some days I don’t eat it at all. The bakery cookies we bought will probably last two weeks, and sometimes we don’t finish them all before they’re stale. You have to understand, the point of IE is to eat what you like until you’re satisfied. Sometimes what my taste buds want isn’t what my body wants. Today is a great example. I wanted something sweet, but my body was telling me it needed protein. It takes time to “hear” the actual need over the “craving.” I’m getting there, slowly. Once I satisfy the need, if I’m still hungry, I might have some of the “craving,” but often, once the “need” has been met, the “craving” ceases to exist.

Cheese is a food I really enjoy, which is why we have so much in so many varieties. I find that cheese is often a fabulous snack for me. I break a hunk off, eat it with some nuts, olives or dried berries or pair it with juice. It is a very satisfying snack because it’s dairy, but has protein.

So, those are the things I eat. I explore new foods often, and if I don’t like them, I don’t finish them. It can be a bit wasteful, but it keeps me from being bored and helps me refine my intuitive eater’s palate.

I encourage everyone new to this to explore foods you think you like and foods you aren’t sure of. You might be surprised by what you actually enjoy eating!

xoxo,
Juliet