Being strict vegetarians, James and I like to think of ourselves as a nutritionally conscious couple. However, when you're trying to be conscious of so many other things at the same time -- work, bills, housekeeping, triathlon training, doggy care, social life, marriage -- it's inevitable that something will occasionally slide. And for us, lately, it's been our focus on nutrition.
Sure, we eat a vegan diet, eschewing all animal products (except honey, occasionally) in favor of plant-based foods. But the busier we get, the more we tend to shift away from wholesome, home-prepared, vegetables and legumes to more processed, grain-based convenience foods. And let me tell you, we can feel the difference. So today, as we both battle a hangover from a particularly successful weekend dinner party, we will re-focus ourselves on the veggies and commit to making thoughtful food choices. After all, what's the point of doing so much hard work in training if we're not doing the easy stuff, like eating, properly?
Here's our daily plan, with quantities listed per person:
- Strive to eat 1 lb of fresh, raw veggies.
- Strive to eat 1 lb of cooked green veggies.
- Eat no fewer than 4 pieces of fruit.
- Eat at least 1 cup of beans, legumes, tofu, or some combination of those.
- Choose starchy vegetables over whole grains, and whole grains over refined ones.
- Eat 1-2 oz of raw nuts and seeds, plus some flaxseed.
- Minimize use of added oils in cooking.
We both agree that eating this way makes us feel better. We both agree that we deserve to feel good all of the time. And we both agree that a little bit of planning goes a LONG way in helping us make the best choices to support our training and recovery and just keep us happy and healthy in general. Wish us luck!
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