Day 5 of the Carni-Light Challenge

Hello out there! Well, I’m on day 5 of the “Carni-Light” Challenge, and thought it would be a great time to report back to you on the first few days. In case you haven’t had the chance to read my first two blog posts on this, here’s the deal. I’ve set up weekly goals for myself designed to prompt me to eat more plant-based meals and less meat. Disclaimer: I am NOT going completely vegan and, to be quite honest, I don’t see myself EVER going completely vegan. But, I’m trying to diversify my protein sources, take in more micronutrients, and experiment because I like doing things like that 🙂

A FEW THINGS TO NOTE

• How am I feeling? Not gonna lie….a littttle bloated. Now, that could be from a variety of things, so I don’t want to be too quick to judge. If you’re also opting to attempt this challenge, here are a few things that may be causing a bit of discomfort:
  • Your fiber intake: I have a love/hate relationship with fiber. It’s great in so many ways. For me, it is the holy grail of consistency when it counts (if ya know what I’m sayin’). Eating too much fiber, however, can often lead to bloating, discomfort, and may even have the opposite potty-room effect. When you begin eating a more plant-based diet, your fiber intake is naturally going to increase. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, even nuts all contain a decent amount of fiber. And they are all super healthy! But much like with everything else in life, the key is moderation.
  • Water, water, water: We all get it. Water is super important. It’s even MORE important when you’re engaging in a more high-fiber, plant-based diet. Why? Well, fiber NEEDS water in order to function correctly and not clog up the system. I went get to into detail in this blog post, but there are different kinds of fiber and both require water in order to keep things moving (for different reasons…future blog post).
  • Ch-Ch-Changes: If you’ve ever changed up your diet in the past, you may be very used to this feeling. When you start something new, your body is going to take a little time to adjust. You may be consuming less sugar because of this new approach. You may be changing your eating schedule a bit. There are a lot of things that can impact how you feel overall. Give yourself some time to adjust. And also…take it slow. Don’t beat yourself up. There will be trial and error. Don’t stress about it, because that’s completely counter-intuitive to feeling better. Am I right?
  • What’s going on outside your diet?: Since we don’t live in a completely A/B environment, there are a lot of factors that can contribute to how we are feeling. That time of the month? No time for exercise this week? Stressed out at work? Not sleeping as much? All of these life factors can contribute to how you feel overall. That’s why it’s important give things little time to evaluate.
  • Are you taking in important vitamins and nutrients? I take a multi-vitamin, Methyl B-12, Vitamin C, and probiotics. Occasionally, I take digestive enzymes before my larger meals to help me break down foods that aren’t easily digested. The latter is a VERY useful tool in helping to reduce bloat after meals.

• Have I been completely on point? Yes and No. I’ve been incorporating a lot more plant-based proteins (um, Sunwarrior Vegan Protein in Mocha is the jump off), changing up my meals, and limiting my animal protein intake. However, there were a couple times where I just couldn’t eat more beans or nuts or grains to reach my protein goals. And that is A-OK with me. This is not an extreme plan.

• What have been the rising stars from my Grocery Haul, thus far?
  • Sunwarrior Vegan Protein Powder (Mocha flavor)
  • My mashed chickpea salad (recipe coming soon)
  • Bread. I love bread. Especially toasted. That is all.
  • Avocado…yes. I have fallen into the typical Millenial avocado toast craze. And I’m not ashamed. And no, I was not a big avocado person before. Hence rising start.

• Weekend Plans? I ALWAYS have weekend plans. Which can sometimes pose a challenge to trying to be “on-point” with my nutrition. However, I don’t really subscribe to the black and white version of what “health” is. No drinks? No eating out? NO THANK YOU. I enjoy socializing with my family and friends. I LOVE wine…like good wine. I LOVE crafty, fresh cocktails. And I don’t really feel like I need to give that up. But I CAN be more mindful of how I choose to imbibe.  SO, as noted in  my plan, my goal is to stick to 1-2 drinks up to 2 nights per week. I’m doing this for me. I’m doing this to PROVE to myself that it’s possible to go out, socialize with people, enjoy a couple cocktails, and not go overboard. I mean, I think we can all get on board with a hangover free Sunday.

On that note, I’m catching a plane to Boston for the Kenny Chesney concert with my mom and sister. Blog post to follow on our epic ladies weekend ♥♥♥♥