Body Love

It's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

 I scored this sticker when I went by the nutrition department yesterday!

Check out this article, Hate your body? Most do, at least once a day. I think it sums things up pretty well.

Negative body image is something that I think almost all women struggle with at least at some point in their life (Of course, it's a bigger struggle for some than others). I felt the need to be perfect for a large part of my life, until I realized that being perfect is impossible. As women, we constantly compare ourselves to others and strive to reach this so-called "ideal." And, it doesn't exist. There is no such thing as a "perfect body." We are all made differently. And, that's the beauty of it. We are all unique, and it's our imperfections that make us who we are. Not to say I've got it all figured out, but the main thing that has helped me is to just stop the negativity. I won't let myself say anything bad about myself anymore. Because, honestly, what good is that going to do? There is no point in bringing yourself down. Words have so much power. When you continually talk bad about yourself, you begin to believe the lies you are telling yourself. Instead, focus on what you do like about yourself. Appreciate and value who you are and embrace it. You should take comfort in the fact that there is no one else in the entire world who is exactly like you. Just remember that you are worth it and you are enough just the way you are!

"We will not compare ourselves to each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original."
Galations 5:26 Message

CANDLELIGHT!!!

Congratulations to my roommate, Katie!!! She got engaged in Nashville on Friday, and she kept it a secret ALL weekend! She totally had me fooled!

Breakfast this morning was a "yogurt mess", consisting of Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt, Barbara's PB Puffins, Iz granola, 1/2 sliced banana, and a spoonful of crunchy Barney Butter.

Today was Brunch for Lunch at the sorority house. I had scrambled eggs, a side salad with cucumbers, diced tomatoes, broccoli, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries with balsamic vinaigrette, and a few hash browns with ketchup. I snacked on my Millet & Flax Cinnamon Chips this afternoon. Wow, they are good! When I bought them, the cashier warned me that I may become addicted to them. She was right!

I went on an hour walk around campus this afternoon with Rebekah. It was a gorgeous day for a walk! After I finished class for the day, I met my friend Allison to take pictures for my photography class. My assignment is portraits. The idea is to evoke emotion through the pictures and tell a story. My idea is to tell the story of someone mourning a loss and the process of release and letting go. I took pictures at a graveyard today for the mourning part of my assignment. Allison was a great model!

Dinner tonight wasn't really picture-worthy. Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a wheat roll. 

Katie's Candlelight!!!

Look at the glowing bride to be!

You can't really tell in this picture, but her ring is beautiful!

Roomies

Callie, Katie, Rebekah, and me

Now, I'm watching the Bachelor, discussing bridesmaid dresses, and studying for my oral Italian exam tomorrow. I'm about to make some hot tea and eat an apple with a little crunchy Barney Butter for dessert. Have a good night!

Functional foods

I did not want to get out of bed at all this morning. I had to hit the snooze button a few times before finally making myself get up. I ate breakfast on-the-go this morning, an Almond & Coconut KIND Bar and a banana. When I got the the review session, I ate a slice of cranberry walnut bread and drank coffee that was provided.

Today we discussed community nutrition (government agencies, pregnancy and lactation, how a bill becomes a law, etc) and research and education. Overall, the review session was so helpful! We covered a lot of information, but they gave us a condensed binder of the material, practice questions, flash cards, and access to an online practice test. I hope to take the RD exam by June 27 (my birthday). We only had a 30 minute break today for lunch, so I got Newk's to-go. I got half of a vegetarian club and a cup of tomato basil soup (I love the added goat cheese).

Before my run today, I ate a Honeycrisp apple with Justin's Chocolate AB. I went on a 5 mile run with Mary Alice. I can usually run a pretty long time without too much trouble on a flat ground. But add in other elements-hills, rocky terrain, heat, wind-and, it's a different story! It was a challenging run, but not defeating. We kept a good pace, and I actually feel pretty encouraged by it! I snacked on a couple of handfuls of Barbara's PB Puffins and Iz granola after my run.

I went to Panera Bread from about 5:00-8:30 to work on my summary and abstracts that are due tomorrow. I get some of my best studying done here. It has a cozy atmosphere, free Wi-Fi, background music, and immediate access to coffee and food! I stopped for a dinner break and ordered the BBQ chicken chopped salad with a whole grain baguette. I ate some of my new Chocolove dark chocolate for dessert. I just read a research article about the affects of dark chocolate on improving acute endothelial function and blood pressure, so I thought it was only appropriate!

Check out this article, A Quest to Add Sophistication to Beer's Appeal! I think I'm up for the challenge:)

And as promised, here is my summary of the ADA's position paper on functional foods:

     Functional foods are currently a growing trend in the world of food and nutrition. Functional foods have increased in popularity due to an increased consumer interest in health, increased elderly population and ethnic subpopulations, rising health care costs, food market competition, technological advances, such as biotechnology and nutrigenomics, changes in food regulations, and the link between diet and reduced chronic disease risk by evidence-based science. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) believes that all foods are functional to a certain degree, because they provide energy and promote growth and development.  However, functional foods are those that go beyond basic nutrition and provide additional health benefits that may lower the risk for disease and encourage optimal health.
The categories of functional foods include conventional foods, modified foods, medical foods, and foods for special dietary use. Conventional foods are foods found in an unmodified form. They include fruits and vegetables that naturally contain bioactive components. Examples of conventional foods include tomatoes, raspberries, kale, and broccoli. Modified foods are foods that have been enriched, fortified, or enhanced. Examples of modified foods include calcium-fortified orange juice, folate-enriched cereals, and margarines containing plant sterols and stanols. A medical food is a food intended to be consumed enterally, and should be prescribed under medical supervision. They function to aid in the dietary management of diseases with specific nutrient requirements.  A food for special dietary use is used to provide nutrient needs required by a physical, physiological, or pathological condition. Examples of foods for special dietary use include infant foods, gluten-free foods, lactose-free foods, and weight-loss foods.
Because the FDA does not have a specific definition for functional foods, the regulation of functional foods is confusing and has been publicly criticized. Depending on how a manufacturer markets a product, functional foods can be regulated as a conventional food, modified food, a food additive, dietary supplement, drug, medical food, or food for special dietary use.
The field of nutrition is constantly changing; therefore, it is important for food and nutrition professionals to stay informed about current trends. Incorporating functional foods into MNT by use of ADA’s Nutrition Care Manual can help enhance the health of individuals.  Registered Dietitians should be the main source of information about functional foods to consumers. Food and nutrition professionals also have the ability to consult with corporations about potential food trends in functional foods. In addition, research should be conducted to further expand existing knowledge about the role of functional foods on health. 

Carmelo

I was running a little behind this morning, so I ate breakfast in a hurry. I didn't even have time to get coffee! I had a really hard time staying awake during the first part of the review session. Breakfast was 1/2 C Barbara's PB Puffins, 1/2 C Oatmeal Squares. 1/2 C skim milk, and a Honeycrisp apple.

Luckily, one of my classmates brought her coffee maker, and I made coffee on a break!

Today's lunch destination was Manna. It wasn't too crowded, so we ordered from the cafe! I got one of the daily specials, a pita pizza with spinach, figs, goat cheese, and roasted red peppers! The flavors worked really well together. It also came with a salad on the side.

While we were there, I couldn't help but pick up a few groceries! Iz granola, crunchy Barney Butter, Millet & Flax Cinnamon Chips, and dark chocolate.

Today's session covered the topics of MNT (medical nutrition therapy) and food science. MNT includes lab values, stress response, tube feeding and TPN calculations, diabetic exchanges, oncology nutrition, inborn errors of metabolism, eating disorders, malnutrition, acid-base balance, kidney disease, and nutrition therapy for other diseases. Food science deals with cooking methods and techniques and food safety. After being cooped up in a classroom all day, I was ready to be outside! After the session was over, I went on a run/walk (mostly walk). It felt so good to just be doing something other than sitting! 

Mary Alice and I went to Carmelo's, a casual, upscale Southern-style restaurant for a late dinner. A chalkboard in the restaurant read that a Carmelo is an heirloom tomato, crimson in color and sweet in taste. Very fitting name for Tuscaloosa! We both ordered the grilled salmon with tomato cucumber salsa, gouda grits, and asparagus. Great food and great company! I've been eating really well this weekend. You'll probably be seeing a lot more PB&B's in the future:)

Good night!

Save the ta-ta's

I woke up bright and early this morning and went to Chloe's Cup before the RD exam review. I ordered oatmeal and coffee to-go. It was homemade oatmeal prepared with skim milk and topped with blueberries and strawberries. I was so impressed with the natural peanut butter that I ordered on the side. They also have pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that look awesome, so I'm sure I'll be back soon.

When you get a group of nutrition majors together, we talk food. We have already planned out where we are going for lunch the rest of the weekend! Today was Chipotle. I ordered a burrito bowl filled with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, grilled chicken, sauteed onions and bell peppers, mild salsa, a little shredded cheese, and lettuce. The ingredients were so fresh! I could definitely taste the difference, and I was full all afternoon!

Reasons I like Chipotle:

1) 100% of the pork served is naturally raised.

2) 85% of the beef served is naturally raised.

3) 100% of the chicken served is naturally raised.

4) Over 35% of dairy served is from pasture raised calves.

5) 40% of beans are certified organic.

6) Chipotle prefers to work with farms that are family owned and operated.

7) Chipotle does its best to source local food. In 2010, their goal was to serve at least 50% of at least one produce item from local farms when seasonally available.

Afternoon pick-me-up:

Mary Alice, Dara, and I went on a quick coffee run through the Mcdonald's drive-thru on a break. I ordered a cappuccino made with skim milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup.

The session today really went by pretty fast. Today we covered the topics of food service management and basic nutrition (Krebs Cycle, Vitamins, Minerals, Macronutrient distribution, food sources, label reading, etc). It was really helpful, and I got a lot of good tips for how to do well on the RD exam. I made a quick dinner at the sorority house before heading to the Alabama gymnastics meet. Dinner was a classic PB&B (my day just isn't complete without a banana), along with some baby carrots and hummus, and a vanilla Chobani. 

I walked to the meet from the sorority house with Callie and Rebekah (one of the perks of living on campus). Everyone wore pink tonight to raise breast cancer awareness, and each gymnast honored a breast cancer survivor. Gymnasts' ability to master four completely different events astonishes me. It's so fun to watch! I ate part of a leftover cinnamon roll when I got home for dessert. I'm exhausted, so I'll probably go to bed pretty soon.  Hope you have a good night!

Taste of Thailand

Even though my 8 AM class was cancelled this morning (I seem to be having good luck with that this week), I still woke up at 7 and couldn't go back to sleep. I watched last night's episode of Modern Family, while eating breakfast this morning. I think Phil and Cameron are my favorite characters, but it's hard to decide because they are all so funny in their own way. Today's breakfast was 3/4 C Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted cereal, 1/4 C granola, 1/2 C skim milk, and 1/2 of a sliced banana.

Lunch today was fabulous! I made a chicken salad salad topped with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, dried cranberries, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Alpha Chi really does have a great salad bar!  I also had half of a croissant on the side.

I went to the Rec this afternoon and ran for 45 minutes around the indoor track. I made sure to spend some extra time stretching today.  I've discovered that I prefer to run without an ipod. However, I can't imagine doing the elliptical or another machine without listening to music. I ran some errands and picked up the grocery essentials of sorority house life: bananas, apples (I got Honeycrisp this time), Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt (Target didn't have Oikos), baby carrots, and Sabra Roasted Garlic hummus. I also worked on another group project at the library (story of my life), worked on graduate school applications, and did some laundry and cleaning (it's amazing how fast my cubicle-sized room gets messy).

Afternoon snack # 1

Coffee and Honey Oikos Greek Yogurt. I got hungry again when I got back from Target and ate a Honeycrisp apple.

I went to dinner tonight at Ruan Thai with my other adventurous eating buddies, Mary Alice and Jody.  This restaurant was actually #1 on my list of restaurants to eat at before I graduate, and it did not disappoint! I ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to start. I ordered the Pad Peow Whan, which is sautéed bell peppers, tomatoes, and pineapple in a sweet and sour sauce. I added grilled shrimp, and it came with a side of rice. I already want to go back!

After dinner, we went to The Alcove, a quaint smoke-free bar that is known for its amazing craft beer selection. I love this place! I was in the mood to try a new beer, so I asked for a recommendation. I tried a beer called Blonde Bombshell Ale. I really enjoyed it. Very smooth and not too heavy. It was a fun night filled with good conversation!

My weekend will be spent at an RD Exam review session (8-5 Friday, 8-5 Saturday, and 8-3:30 Sunday). It's going to be a long day tomorrow, so I'm about to call it a night!

National Almond Day

Breakfast this morning was Kashi Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal prepared with 1/2 C skim milk and topped with 1/2 sliced banana, a handful of Barbara's PB Puffins cereal and dried cranberries.

My Italian class was cancelled today! This gave me a perfect break in between my 9 AM class and 11 AM class to study for my test today. I went to the library to get coffee and look over my notes for my Finding Financial Freedom test. I made a 100%! Iron & Wine and Alexi Murdoch are the best study music! 

After my test, I came back to the sorority house for lunch. Today's lunch was hot wings and waffle fries. This didn't appeal to me at all, so I toasted half of a Nature's Own whole wheat bagel and spread crunchy peanut butter on top. I rounded out the meal with a side salad topped with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, and sunflower seeds with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I also had a honey-flavored Oikos Greek yogurt (I think this may be my new favorite flavor).

This afternoon I went to the Student Recreation Center to fit in my routine workout of 30 minutes on the elliptical, 25 minutes on the bike, and stretching and ab work. I ate a Fuji apple and a handful of almonds afterwards. After all, today is National Almond Day! 

I worked on a group project at the library right up until dinner. We submitted our project, which was a huge relief! Tonight's dinner included BBQ chicken, macaroni and cheese, English peas, and a wheat roll. I ate a few Dove dark chocolates and a handful of Barbara's PB Puffins for dessert.

It ended up being a busy night for everyone, so we postponed Katie's birthday celebration until next week. I have actually been really productive with my time. I started on my graduate school applications and finished my math homework for the week. I am about to start reading the American Dietetic Association's position paper on functional foods and make a cup of Stash lemon ginger caffeine free herbal tea. The ADA defines a functional food as "any food that moves beyond necessity to provide additional benefits that may reduce disease risk and/or promote optimal health." Pretty interesting topic! My assignment is to write a summary of the paper and two journal abstracts of research articles used to write the position paper. I will post my summary when I am finished!