Digestive Health

Last week, Anne posted a question on her blog asking “what does digestive health mean to you?” Having Ulcerative Colitis, I thought it was important for me to share my experience and comment.

Today, I saw that my comment was posted as one of seven on the attune foods blog. I am so honored to have my comment posted! Check it out! Thanks for including me and my digestive health story Anne.

In case you don’t want to click ahead, here is what I wrote on her site in response to her question:

“I have ulcerative colitis, so I think about digestive health every day (especially on days like today when I feel bloated and constipated). Up until a couple of years ago, I really ate whatever I wanted and started realizing what my “trigger” foods were, such as dark meat and soda. I cut those out of my diet and felt better. Then, I transitioned to eating more whole foods, made exercise a priority in my life and I instantly felt better. Also, digestive health for me means eating lots of yogurt for the probiotics! I tried the attune bars and they work well too!”

So I will now pose it back to my readers, what does digestive health mean to you? Anyone else out there deal with an Irritable Bowel Disease like I do?

Eek! Meditation this morning got moved to another room in our house because of a centipede lurking in our spare bedroom. I love spring but I hate the centipedes that invade our house with the warmer temps! I seriously scream at the top of my lungs when I see them. I have a big fear of bugs (spider and centipedes) and snakes. Any bugs that you fear?

Breakfast was a mini bagel with an egg white, cheddar cheese and Frank’s red hot. It’s kind of killing me to eat these white bread bagels instead of wheat, but I figure they are mini and they have to eaten up! I also paired it with some strawberries on the side.

No snack at work (I am trying to cut back on morning snacks), unless you count an almond latte.

Lunch was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a lemon Chobani, some pita chips and another halva. I think I spelled the name wrong yesterday, oops. Sorry about that!

Dinner was a Morningstar black bean burger on an Arnold’s Thin with some provolone cheese and then some brussell sprouts on the side.

After dinner, Craig and I went to vote in a local election and the polls were dead. I always feel like I have to exercise my right to vote because of all of the women who fought for this right and won it!

Then I quickly changed and got to yoga class. It felt good to practice, per usual.

My goal was to get this post out there and done early so I could go read my book, so that’s what I am sticking to. Night!

A good day

Despite being disappointed about Boot Camp class yesterday, I am sore in my legs today. I credit the squats we did in warmup and the squats I did with a heavy medicine ball on the bosu.

Breakfast was a fried egg on an English muffin and some cantaloupe on the side. The cantaloupe tasted so good. I cut it up before bed last night and couldn’t stop eating it!

Snack at work was a hot chocolate and a few raw almonds.

Lunch was minestrone soup and I threw some pita chips into it, which reminded me of tortilla soup. I love tortilla soup and really should make it at home sometime because Craig likes it too. I also had some grape tomatoes and a pink lady apple. Lots of red foods going on for my lunchtime eats!

I had an afternoon snack of Yogi green tea kombucha and a small square of dark chocolate.

I had quite the sweet tooth today! Upon arriving home, I needed a piece of Newman’s Own Organics tangerine licorice.

Dinner was a whole wheat tortilla with salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, pinto beans, taco flavored shredded cheese and some Penzey’s A Mural of Flavor spice sprinkled on top.

After dinner, I had a bowl of Neopolitan ice cream.

I was craving peanut butter and had some Reese’s pb chips. Told you I had a sweet tooth tonight!

Yoga tonight was great. My favorite teacher was back! He just radiates positivity, which is what I need during my work week! My friend Angie had never had class with him and she also noticed that he is so happy. My body was sore, so the stretching felt wonderful.

Now I am watching a travel show about Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general and remembering our honeymoon in Europe, wishing I was going back there soon.

We visited Amsterdam after being in a couple of German cities. We both got really ill on our second day there, especially my husband. I remember going through the Van Gogh museum feeling ready to faint. I was so happy to have seen the Almond Blossom painting though because it is one of my favorite paintings of all time.

source: how stuff works website (I had problems linking it directly) http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/vincent-van-gogh-final-paintings5.htm

At least we got to the Anne Frank house before feeling totally sick on that second day. I loved seeing where her family lived. Seeing her diary and her room brought me to tears though.

Oh, these darn travel shows! I have the itch to travel to Europe again. Or maybe our next big trip will be a tour in India?

I am getting my haircut tomorrow morning! It’s been three months since my last cut and my hair is getting super long. I’ll post before and after pics tomorrow. I am also getting my hair highlighted on Saturday, so I’ll feel all refreshed again after this weekend.

All in all, it was a good day. After a not so great Monday, I was happy to be productive, yet not stressed all day.

Back to my routine

You have the whole week to enter my Stonyfield yogurt giveaway, but come on readers, enter now!

http://fitinthemidwest.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/my-first-giveaway-stonyfield-yogurt-coupons/

After I post this, I am going to search the internet for some Cyber Monday deals. I am not looking for anything in particular for Christmas presents or myself, except prescription swim goggles and there aren’t any deals with those. I just hoped that there were a few excellent deals that would be too good to pass up. Anyone find anything exciting online?

Back to work this morning. In a way, it feels good to be back to a routine. I loved my days off, but a routine is also good too.

I had Total Cranberry cereal with pomegranate arils for breakfast and a big glass of coffee.

Food, cultures and dancing

I went to the Holiday Folk Fair International with my mom this afternoon to experience different ethnic food, cultures and performances. I had never been to it before and part of my job involves coordinating different cultural groups to dance and participate in programs. It was good to especially see the different ethnic groups dancing.

Breakfast this morning was a fried egg on a whole wheat English muffin. I also had some Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese smeared on, which made it creamy tasting.

I saved room in my tummy so I could eat lunch at the fair.

Review of Lose It!

I was a bad blogger today and didn’t take many pictures of my food. Honestly though, lunch and dinner were the same meals I ate the last couple of days because we are seriously out of food, so I keep eating the same things. Taking pictures of all of my meals and snacks (and blogging about it) does hold me accountable, for example, when I looked at the picture I uploaded for today’s breakfast, I realized that I need to eat more fruit in the morning. I love fruit, so I should be cutting up strawberries or popping grapes for breakfast more often.

Today’s breakfast was a cornbread muffin and a fried egg. I got a little too happy with the Frank’s Red Hot!