Hey! So does anyone else feel like it is not Thursday?? Holiday weekends really screw up my timing and schedule.
This morning I had a bowl of cereal with some coconut milk.
1 cup Kashi 7 Grain Honey Puffs, a banana, 1/2 cup coconut milk
So why coconut milk as opposed to the 1% milk sitting in the fridge? Well, lately I’ve been researching and experimenting with different milk substitutes including soy milk, coconut milk, and almond milk. I have always had some stomach issues, and once I started running I would get runner’s stomach during/after a long run. Well I found that eliminating dairy 12-18 hours before a long run made me feel better. But then I started thinking: what if I cut back on dairy all the time? Would it help my general stomach issues? Would it make me feel better?
As you know, I’m not vegan. And though I feel myself slowly moving there I never want to the be the kind that passes up eating at a restaurant because I’m not sure if the bread has milk in it or not. While I’m realizing how much better I feel when I eliminate animal products from my diet, I know it isn’t entirely practical to swear it all off and still expect to live the lifestyle I have.
At the local YMCA here, I noticed a poster in the locker room this morning that recommends 3 cups of dairy a day (but only 2 cups of fresh fruit or vegetables). Well I think I get 2 cups of vegetables in ONE meal, but looking at my average diet I’m no where near 3 cups of dairy. That seems like a lot. Too much, even. I know some fat is good for you, but with all the current research on dairy, plus the cruelty that comes along with the dairy industry, I just can’t get myself behind 3 cups of milk, cheese, and yogurt on an average day.
So ditching the dairy warrants some thought. I certainly feel better, gastrointestinally speaking, and health and environment aside, I feel like I’m continuing to find more ethical ways to nourish my body. For now I will continue to eat dairy substitutes along with dairy, but I still plan on limiting my dairy intake as best as I can. I mean, I’m going to France in a week where I’ll likely double my body weight from eating cheese alone, but overall I’d like to cut back on dairy a lot. Are you dairy free? Do you have thoughts on dairy? Pro-dairy or anti-dairy?
After I debated all this over a bowl of cereal, I went to the gym to swim. It was cut short to 30 minutes because of a local elementary school’s field trip and rowdy kids in the pool kept “accidentally” getting into my lane. But I tried to keep it fast since it would be short and I ended up getting a nice 2000 m in before heading home to make lunch and style my new hair-do.
Sweet potato, squash, and mushroom hash (with ketchup for dippage); half hummus & lettuce sandwich
(Yes, that is the fresh, local, organic lettuce that my mom’s coworker grew and gave to me, along with her home-grown radishes!)
Still not sure how I like it... I think it needs to be straightened a little?
Off to get some routine blood work done and then go down to Lexington to have dinner with my aunt and uncle and see my cousins’ piano recital! Cute!
