On Calorie Counters and self policing

As I focus more on nutrition, I try to not get too absorbed in calorie counting. For some people, it's a great method for keeping tabs on how much food one eats and where one stands as far as input/output of energy. For me, I find myself checking in on how much I've burned versus how much I've consumed, which has a lot to do with the apps I've used in the past, and when I see that I'm at a severe deficit, I binge on pizza at 1 a.m. But that isn't all there is to nutrition (in fact, it isn't healthy at all). I'm sure many of you have heard "not all calories are created equal," but how does that transfer into your daily eating habits?

I find that using things like calorie trackers are very similar to using a GPS. If you have no idea where you are or how to get where you want to be, and have no idea how to read maps or the time to focus on learning about best routes, then it's a good tool to get you where you need to be. However, both tools are limited. A GPS doesn't always have the most up-to-date routes, especially in Western Pennsylvania where the roads are constantly under construction and closed off. Even features like Quickest Route, Shortest Route, or No Tolls don't always deliver, and we often end up taking a longer or at least less pleasant route than a local may instruct us to follow, or that we may find on our own by looking at some maps. Further, the more we rely on GPS, the less inclined we are to listen to our own navigational instincts or to pay attention to our surroundings. We are less likely to learn about the roads, routes, and nearby attractions if we stare at the digital screen in front of us, telling us exactly where to go and sternly alerting us when we veer even the slightest off track.

The same goes for calorie counters. If you are at a loss as to how to manage your nutritional information; if you haven't yet learned the skills to know when you are full, hungry, or thirsty; if you don't yet understand how to intuitively know the quality of the food you're eating, then calorie counters are great. I like to use them intermittently to check in on how I'm doing, if I'm about on track with where I ought to be. But when I focus too much on the calorie counters, I start to become more obsessed with this abstract number rather than the actual purpose of monitoring my intake.

Since I can't currently do too much besides some gentle yoga, nutrition is more important right now than I necessarily expected it to be, so I'm thankful for the 90/10 group to motivate me to pay attention rather than fall into a delicious canyon of pizza and beer. Since I'm vegetarian (I did eat fish in Vermont — sorry fishies, as well as ate more dairy than I'm used to — sorry cows), I found this round-up of vegan proteins to be very helpful. A lot of this information is stuff I learned as a teenager, but it's always good to have the reminder that there's more to life than peanut butter and toast, as delicious as it is, or rice and beans, as cheap as it is. The list, published by Greatist, is available here, But I'll let you know what my top 3 favorites are:

• chia seeds
• quinoa
• peanut butter sandwich

Today I had chia seeds and flax seeds on top of my unsweetened greek yogurt, which I then drizzled with a bit of local honey from my neighbor Bee Boy, who is resisting a web presence so he doesn't overwhelm his hives due to an increased demand for the sweet stuff. For lunch was sprouted flourless bread with peanut butter, and for dinner I'll probably make some sort of quinoa dish. These are all vegetarian, and all complete proteins.

When you're well-nourished, eating food you like, and don't feel like you have to police yourself, it's a lot easier to maintain healthy eating habits.

In related news, I spent my time in Vermont eating my fair share of gluten and soy, and didn't have any major sensitivity outbreaks until I returned to Boston and then to Pittsburgh, where I broke out in hives both times. This leads me to believe that my sensitivities are largely stress-related, that stress brings in inflammation, hives, and other discomforts. The gluten and soy are Alka-seltzer tablets to my glass of stress water. Together, they fizz into an eruption.

So the goal, after that interesting experiment founded by my own weakness for fresh baked bread and brownies, is not to completely regulate my food, but to avoid the food that puts me at risk for discomfort, but also avoid stressful situations and mindsets, not letting myself get caught up in unnecessary drama. Instead, I'll try to alleviate situations before they manifest, to deal with things head-on before they become stressful.