My goal this month was to avoid grains and sugar. Unfortunately, gluten free grains was the only thing I could stomach this week, everything else was too heavy or the thought simply turned my stomach inside out.
I have no had chocolate since New Years Eve though! I continue to ask myself why this is a good thing, and I'm telling myself because sugar hates my body. Sugar is detrimental for PCOS
PCOS nutrition says "There’s no question that sugar wreaks havoc on the health of women with PCOS. Not only does sugar spike insulin levels but it also contributes to high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and high levels of C-reactive protein, all of which has been linked to oxidative stress and inflammation. These are also serious risk factors for heart disease which have caused The American Heart Association (AHA) to take a stance on added sugar."
Another report from the Irish Nutrition + Dietetic Institute "t’s critical to avoid high sugar foods with PCOS. Eating less sugar results in lower blood glucose levels. This decreases insulin levels, and reduces male hormone levels. Most women with PCOS crave sugary foods, even after eating meals. This is due to increases in insulin. To best manage insulin levels and cut down the amount of sugar in your diet:
- Opt for fruit instead of sugary foods during sugar cravings
- Avoiding sugar in your diet will result in fewer cravings for sugar over time
- Be sure to eat often, such as every 3 to 5 hours
- Have sufficient protein with meals and snacks – this will help with feeling full
- Avoid high sugar foods, especially soft drinks, sweets, cakes, sweetened yoghurts and ice cream, sweetened cereals. Avoid adding sugar to food and drink"
Anything chocolate seems to be my downfall. It sends me down the path of over eating and craving more sugar.
Having a meal plan helps with focusing on what will heal my gut and improve my overall health.
Here is my 2 week meal plan leading into January.
Breakfast ~ Pancake Sausage Bites, Ground turkey, sauteed butternut squash + spinach, pumpkin custard with a side of eggs.
Lunch is mostly going to be left overs from all the dinner ideas, but I did try a Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe this past weekend. Overall it was not bad, but personally I would add less apple cider vinegar next time. I think I'd use a 1/4 of a cup vs 1/2. Totally a personal preference though, overall easy recipe! I made mine in the crock pot. I tossed in the kitchen sprinkled with salt then topped it off with the sauce.
Dinner, I can not wait to try some of these recipes...the weather here has been a bit warmer than usual, so I may not have planned these out very well, but they sound so comforting.
Ham Potato Soup - I over thought this one at the store, I thought small potatoes sound like fun...forgetting that it's a CREAMY soup...Yeah, I needed LARGE potatoes to make the cream...so this turned into sliced ham and roasted potatoes...not bad...but CREAMY potato soup either.
Oven Roasted Rib Steak
Creamy Chicken Tomato Soup - I made the soup already for this the night when I wasn't feeling well. It is delicious! I will be sauteing up the chicken this weekend for a dinner meal to add to the left over soup.
Mexican Chicken Posole (I skip the hominy)
Now...my favorite part of the day! SNACKS!! Egg whites + fruit, almond flour crackers + sliced turkey, almonds + pumpkins seeds, and protein cookies!
Now that I have my awesome NEW NINJA BLENDER! (Insert fancy dance moves)
I'm gonna try to make homemade cranberry larabars! Using this recipe, but instead of cherries, canned cranberries (be careful of the sugar content, you want pureed cranberries no added sugar!) I got over zealous with a cranberry can purchase back in November...it's time I get around to using it.
Now that I'm finally past this tummy bug and I can breath out of both nostrils I'm ready to pick up workout schedule and get back into meal prepping!
I also signed up for my first race of the year! A 5k next month. While I wish I could run the 5k in less than 25 minutes but I am no where near that goal. Instead I will aim to finish in less time than I did last year...and lastly, just complete it! Miles are miles after all!
Speaking of miles, my run the edge team and I have already completed over 100 miles for the the year 2019 Run the Year Challenge! Today was the first day I felt good enough to try and get all my steps in today. Right now the steps feel easy to get, but as part of the team I have to complete just over 400 by myself for the year and add it to the overall goal of 2,019 miles. I was playing around with the idea of how I could personally achieve 2,019 miles...we'll see...I do have my tracker connected to my garmin so it'll be interesting to see my yearly average!
Alright everyone I am off to bed!
Blessings,
A
Comments