Today is the first official day of the "transition" phase, where we can start adding grains, dairy, eggs, etc. to our diets once again. I'm not going to lie... I am a little nervous to do so. Mainly because I'm at work and really hoping I don't have a severely adverse reaction to something (read: CHEESE) and end up sequestered in a stall in the restroom for an hour. Knowing my luck, that's exactly what would happen. So I decided that instead of tempting fate, I will be continuing my detox-friendly menu until tonight, when I'm home in my own bathroom and can occupy the toilet as long as I want without shame or fear that someone else needs it. (Danny doesn't count... he can pee standing up anywhere.)
In preparation, I halved and roasted off a butternut squash last night to fill with quinoa and devour tonight. Being in my half-asleep, lemonless elixir, running late state this morning I didn't think that completely through, and packed the other half for lunch with some ground turkey and sunflower seed "pate" that really came out more like liquid awesomemess. Once I finish this post, I will be heating that bad boy up, sitting down AWAY from my desk, and chewing my way through butternut squash: round 1 slowly.
It sounds trivial, but my tendency to wolf down whatever is placed in front of me is something that has become glaringly apparent this past week. Most of my meals are consumed in 10 minutes or less, usually sitting either at my desk, in my car, or on my couch. I can't even remember the last time Danny and I actually SAT DOWN at our kitchen table and enjoyed a meal together - no TV, no phones, just food and conversation.
For those that don't know, my job consists of providing community and home support to kids aged 6-22 years old who demonstrate mental health and behavioral issues. This means I am in my car anywhere from an hour to four hours a day, depending on what I've got scheduled. It's no wonder that hitting the McDonald's drive-thru is appealing, especially if you're running late due to whatever crisis inevitably happened ten minutes before your visit was supposed to end.
This also means, since my client base is primarily children, I can't meet with client's until after school. Depending on the school and travel time to and from visits, I don't get home unitl 7pm most nights, sometimes later. Let me tell you, after a full day of being constantly on-the-go, once I walk through my door, remove my shoes and my bra and sit down for the night, there is almost NOTHING that will shake me from my couch-potato state. So, of course, we order pizza. Or chinese. Or make Velveeta mac n' cheese, because it's quick, easy, and there's no shame in eating it straight from the pot. (Not at my house, at least.)
So it's of little wonder that when I'm not eating on-the-go, I'm eating with my rear-end planted in front of the tube, definitely not paying attention to what's being put in my mouth. Most of the time I don't even taste what I'm shoveling away, which may have been the most problematic self-discovery of this detox.
Two Sundays ago, I arranged all of my ingredients for the meals I would be preparing to eat for the week. I painstakingly followed each and every direction in my pre-made meal plan, portioned and packaged each meal, then tucked them safely away, ready to be eaten throughout the week. After cleaning up my kitchen, I realized I had worked up quite an appetite. I sat down with a bowl of Apple Squash Carrot soup hot off the stove, flicked on the TV and before I knew it, I was scraping the bottom of the bowl. The soup I'd spent close to two hours preparing was gone and I didn't even know what it tasted like because I hadn't cared enough to pay attention.
I immediately reached out to the group of ladies I am detoxing with and shared my plight. Their suggestions and encouragement were incredible, as well as validating. Most are moms, some of more than one kiddo, who completely understood the on-the-go feeding mentality I had allowed myself to fall into. Here are some of their suggestions I have been trying to incorporate into my daily sit-and-shovel sessions:
- Eat AWAY from your desk/workspace - this is something I still struggle with, as I mentioned most of the time I am in my car trying to get something in my stomach because I realize it's been all day and I haven't had anything but my morning coffee (or, in my case now, morning smoothie for breakfast!)
- Count how many times you chew your food - Not only will it help you slow down in the moment, it will really get you to focus on how much you've put into your mouth. I noticed that I was filling my mouth so full of food, I had to swallow some of it before it was ready to go down in order to make room to move the rest. One of my detox ladies reccommended 23 to 28 chews per bite. I forget to do it half the time, but when I do remember, I shoot for somewhere in there.
- Put the fork DOWN - you know those Looney Tunes episodes where Yosemite Sam is sitting at the table, fork and knife in hand, and a whole turkey/pig/Daffy Duck is placed in front of him? He licks his lips, digs in, and the entire meal is gone in 3 seconds (unless it's Daffy, in which case it turns into a musically accompanied escape montage usually ending with Yosemite squished, singed and/or smoking from something going horribly wrong. Lucky, that's not often the case outside of Warner Brothers.) Just like Yosemite, if you have your fork in your hand, you feel like you need to continue eating. By physically placing the fork, you give yourself, your brain and your body ample time to process whatever is already in your mouth and your stomach.
- Drink a sip of water after every couple bites - I can't remember if this was a fellow detoxer's tip or something I've heard before, but if you can remember to do it, not only does it clear your palate but it also helps fill you up quicker!
Do I do all of these every time I eat? No. Do I even remember to do one of these things when I sit down to a meal? If I'm lucky. Eating slow is something that growing up in a family of six and living in today's fast-paced world has made difficult for me, but I'm learning. Someone (my cousin and fellow detoxer Eileen) recently said that it takes 28 days make something a habit. I am committing to changing the way I eat food now into the way I appreciate food every time I sit down to a meal. Especially when I've taken the time to assemble the entire thing from scratch.
Old habits die hard? Well I'd say this one has one foot in the grave.
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