Let me just give an instant disclaimer by saying that I can’t wait to be a mom.
Ok, now on with the show.
I woke up this morning and realized that I have unknowingly welcomed a strange layer of fat to every inch of my body. While there is more concentrated in some areas than others, there still seems to be no part spared; right down to my toes. It’s nice to suddenly grow a pair of big, youthful jugs, and the junk in the trunk that I have been wishing for my whole life is not so unattractive, but ankle fat? Fat on my underarms? Fat on my lower back? Excuse me, no thanks.
I know that “fat” is relative and by most peoples standards I need to just shut my trap….but this whole pregnancy weight thing really has my panties in a wad.
The past few days all I want to do is run. Run a lot. Lots of miles. Run and not stop running until my ankle is back to normal size.
Baby Fat
24 DecWhats in a number?
29 Sep
So I have been tracking all of my food on www.thedailyplate.com. Let me just plug in here that its an AMAZING website with SO much information that is easy to find etc etc. GREAT GREAT GREAT.
Anyways, I consider myself a fairly healthy person. I make sure that all of the foods in our house are HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) free, no partially hydrogenated oils, fresh fruits and veggies grown in our backyard (well some of them anyways), hormone free milk and so on. Well…after tracking my food for 2 weeks I found out a few things that I never would have guessed:
a. I dont eat anough carbs. EXCUSE ME?? I feel like that is all I eat!
b. I eat too much sugar. Now I know I have a torrid affair with ice cream but I didn’t think it was THAT bad!
c. I eat too much fat. Not by a lot. But still too much. Where would this be coming from??
d. My protein intake was too high. We do not even eat a ton of meat around here!!… but apparently the other foods I am consuming are adding into that number as well.
E. I eat WAY too much salt. This was the one that blew me away. I never salt anything! When a recipe calls for salt, I always do half. When I season my foods, I use other seasonings besides salt. I have always tried to be really conscious about it. But apparently all of the other items that are in my pantry that I do not make from scratch are VERY high in salt content. I never knew. And I never would have known if I hadn’t tracked my food for 2 weeks. I would have gone along thinking, “I’m healthy cause I don’t put salt on my eggs”.
After taking some time to review what my intakes were and what was in my pantry I came to these conclusions:
- I need to eat more carbs, but the RIGHT carbs. Not cookies and granola bars and sugary items. This will also help cut down my sugar intake!
- I need to read labels for fat counts on all prepackaged and processed items. And I need to make sure they are mostly GOOD fats (mono and polyunsaturated, and SOME saturated fats) and not BAD fats (trans fats – aka partially hydrogenated oils)!
- I need to save my protein counts for fresh items like meats and legumes. The over abundance is coming from processed items!
- I need to READ the labels for salt content on any processed items I buy. Our bodies need salt. BUT mine does not need as much as I have been getting!
So…what are your counts like? What are you getting too much of? not enough of? Take some time to figure these things out! It will be worth it in the long run. Do a “spring cleaning” of your cupboards and get yourself on the right track!
Easy Pizza Dough!
12 AugOne of my best friend’s growing up ALWAYS had homemade pizza at her birthday parties. 
And let me tell you nobody makes pizza like her mom. It was my favorite food!! Some years later - ok a lot of years later – I got married and moved to Oklahoma (which is actually fairly recent history). When we arrived back from our honeymoon there was a box on our doorstep. It was from my friend’s parents. Her mom had purchased us an awesome baking stone, a pizza peel, and a pizza cutter as our wedding gift. Inside was a note that said “So you can carry on the tradition”. Not only did I cry but I was super excited! Well yesterday, after 6 months of non-usage. I decided it was time. And much to my surprise it went off without a hitch! Successful pizza made from scratch and in practically no time at all! Not only was it easy it is SO much healthier to make it from scratch – this way YOU can control what is in YOUR dough and what toppings YOU put on. No mystery ingredients. And it was CHEAP – about $1.25 per serving – yet another perk. Try this one out (this recipe makes 2 pizzas and approx. 4 large servings):
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose Flour (you can always substitute wheat flour as well – this will be my next experiment!)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (115 -120 degrees F)
Mix on low speed for 30 seconds
Scrape sides of Bowl and Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes
Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead in another 1 1/4 cups flour
Knead for approximately 8 mins or until you have a moderately stiff dough
Split it into 2 pieces and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes
Roll each half into a 13 inch round and build up the edges to form a crust
Place onto a pizza peel that has been covered with corn meal
If you do not have a pizza peel and baking stone you can put them onto a baking sheet – you will still want to put corn meal down 1st
Bake at 400 Degrees F for 10 minutes
Remove from the oven and add your desired toppings, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
VOILA! Homemade pizza – so so so YUMMY
Trans Fats
4 Jun
What is Trans Fat? When hydrogen is added to vegetable oil via hydrogenation.
Why do food manufacturers use them? Trans fats are more solid than oil causing them to spoil less quickly = increased shelf life.
Where can you find Trans Fats? Many of your favorite everyday foods. Like Oreo’s, Bisquick, Ramen Noodles, KFC chicken, Froot Loops, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, Girl Scout Cookies, Animal crackers, Fig Newtons, and Ritz crackers just to name a few.
What words should you look for in ingredients? Partially Hydrogenated Oils, Hydrogenated Oils, Shortening, margarine.
Fact: If a product has less than 0.5 grams of Trans Fat the manufacturer can label it as Zero Trans Fats – even though they are still in there.
Fact: Trans Fats increase bad cholesterol
Fact: Trans fats increase triglycerides (fat found in your blood) which can cause hardening of the arteries and thickening of the artery walls which means increased risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and heart attacks.
Fact: Trans Fats increase the body’s inflammation response which can effect the way your body responds to injury
To put it simply: Trans fats = BAD for your health. If you know what’s good for you, AVOID at all costs.
Blood Money – The Business of Abortion
11 May
Click here to view the trailer for Blood Money - The Business of Abortion – a film taking a look at the abortion industry. This looks like its going to be a really powerful and eye opening film. Go to www.bloodmoneyfilm.com to sign up and show your support for this topic/film!
Written and Directed by: Caitlin
Forever student, Nutrition nut, Sideline florist, Coffee lover, Mom-to-be
