tired of defending my choices

Here is the thing. I am completely satisfied with my daily “diet.” I never feel deprived or lacking in something by eating all plant-based foods. However, last night I had to defend the way I eat. Sometimes I am more than willing to talk about why I choose to eat the way I do. I can give facts about how the world is negatively impacted by the livestock industry. I can talk about how “cage free” can mean that chickens are allowed to leave their usual coop for only one hour a day. I can talk about these things or I can just suggest some good books, films, or articles. I just don’t always want to. Sometimes I just want to be quiet and not have to justify myself. Sometimes people are in the mood to criticize my beliefs and say thing like “Claire, you know all little fish are eaten by big fish.” Really, I had no idea. This may seem like a rant but I am just a little tired of it. I work hard to make sure I am educated about receiving enough nutrients I may be lacking in. I KNOW that I am not deficient in protein and vitamin B12. Should I have to defend myself to everyone? When I suggest trying to read a book to see my view or watch a movie, why should you refuse? I am fine with people who don’t share my views. My boyfriend is a meat eater, but is well aware of the industries that are cruel and tries his best to choose better, more humane choices. It just upsets me when someone refuses to educate themselves in order to see both sides. I am not suggesting someone change their ways, but purely to look at it from both sides and accept it. I remember Averie talking about why she doesn’t feel like she needs to explain herself and her choices. I don’t always feel that I need to either, but then there are times where I just feel attacked. This is what I am tired of.

I am sorry to sound so defensive, but when someone you care about so much and is supposed to care about you refuses to see your side, than why should you try to see theirs? If they are unwilling to make even the smallest change in their life for their health and the world, it upsets me. I hope you can see where I am coming from at least in a small little way.

I woke up this morning feeling like I “had” to change things up, as though I had to prove that my eats aren’t boring. I had a bowl of So Delicious Coconut milk yogurt topped with Puffins, a handful of Smart Bran (not gluten-free, uh oh!), raspberries, and ground flaxseed.

This did not hold me over like my usual oatmeal concoctions do. I think that I was still upset about the night before and was trying to overcompensate by changing things up. Why should I change it if it is something I love? Not quite sure, obviously I am still working out some thoughts…

I decided lunch time was prime time to try out Angela’s Nut Butter Crusted Parsnip Fries via Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. I didn’t want to use my fancy Naturally Nutty vanilla almond butter so whipped up a combo of peanuts, almonds, and coconut oil in the food processor to coat my root veggies. I only had one parsnip left from my mother’s day meal, so I used two carrots to bulk it up. More nut butter should have been used, but these were delicious.

I was running behind and didn’t want to overfill my belly before a fitness evaluation at my gym so I headed out the door with an apple and kombucha like the day before. Halfway through the car ride I realized that this was not a smart choice. I was wishing that I ate a big salad or wrap with the fries, but munched on the apple in hopes of some pre workout fuel.

The fitness evaluation was really great. I haven’t worked with a trainer since college and am not that great at keeping all areas of fitness in check by myself. I must admit that I was spoiled during my high school and college cross-country days with coaches and other team members. Healthworks in Boston also really kept me motivated with the help of a great trainer and classes like Running into Yoga (= total bliss). In the past year, my running has slipped and I haven’t taken care of myself in the same way. Of course, I know I eat well and work out moderately, but I thought I was no where near my old days of activity heading into this appointment. Wow, I was wrong. I have talked about my current career choice recently, and how it often keeps me running around all day but I had no idea it has also kept my endurance and other areas in check. Weight is something I don’t care to discuss on this blog because I have never thought it was a good measurement of fitness. I honestly don’t own a scale or use one. However, I was seriously shocked by the low number of my body fat percentage. It was only 1% higher than my peak racing days and apparently off the charts low. The trainer was kind of floored, as was I. At the same time, I became worried. A low body fat for women equals loss of menstruation, iron deficiencies, etc. I will be reading a lot more about this tomorrow and the next day to evaluate this more clearly. In the next few months I plan on significantly upping my workouts for half marathon training and then full marathon training for a race in the fall. There is no way I will let myself get unhealthy while training and hope to also stay injury free. I want to be significantly fueled and have enough energy for a fast paced job and great runs. I had all sorts of tests done other than body fat. If you are all more interested, I can go into more detail about the tests and results tomorrow. Honestly, a lot of it seems to go over my head. I am better at pace, time, and distance than I am with heart rate and the other logistics. It shall be interesting to see how these next few months shape up. Goals will start with distances covered and pace will be more focused on later.

Afterwards, I came home to re-carb with a sprouted cinnamon raisin bagel topped with better than cream cheese, and crofters on one side and grated carrots on the other. My day was looking low in greens. In the blender went almond milk, a frozen banana, and a few cups of spinach. Yes, I finished the bag of spinach in two days.

It had been way too long since I had a bagel and I realize that I totally slipped from the gluten-free eats today. I couldn’t help it, but hope to do better tomorrow. Maybe all the wheat will fuel a nice cross training session planned in the morning. Dinner looked strikingly similar to our Mother’s Day feast. The chickpea and sweet potato tagine has really stretched for days and I don’t mind. The Mousse Pie was a nice close to the day.

Other things:

Do you feel the need to justify your diet, even if it isn’t vegetarian or vegan? Do people criticize you for your healthy choices? Are you ever tired of explaining yourself?

Have you ever had your body fat tested? Did you feel like it was beneficial to your training or important to know? Part of me feels as though I didn’t need this information. Will my body fat really affect the way I train and race?…maybe, but sometimes I feel like trainers are so quick to spew out facts based on what they feel works and not what is universal to everyone. At the same time, I am more interested in the body fat percentage than weight. After an injury years ago, I had my body fat tested and it was higher although I weighed less. Just some thoughts.

Goodnight.