Meals and gratitude #10

Today has had its ups...and its downs.

My eating today hasn't been great. I nearly cried when I saw the calorie total. (I know I shouldn't, but in the context of my binging this weekend it just hit hard).

I've felt "toxic" all day. You know when you're hungover and you just feel like you can feel all those gross bits of alcohol poisons lingering in your body? That's how I felt. I guess it was just my blood sugar levels being all over the place, and when I eventually managed to get some breakfast this morning I was feeling better.

I took my laptop to my workplace's cafe and sat with a peppermint tea and had nuts and an apple that I'd left there last week. It felt so good jut to get some plant power in me! The perfect breakfast on the go.

Then I went to a meeting...where my client had brought a quadruple tiered salted caramel chocolate cake. They always bring cake to the meetings, and so far I've politely refused. However this time I felt massive pressure to have a piece to be thankful for their kindness. I thought I'd at least think it tasted good, but it was a bit sickly, and it set my blood sugar levels all over the place again.

I ended up not having lunch til about 3.30 as I was still stuffed from the late breakfast, cake and all the messed up eating from the last couple of days. I'd been super prepared yesterday and cooked dinner in advance, put it in a tupperware box to take to work with me...and in the end I took it all the way to work, and all the way back home, and ate it at my own dining room table! I had gluten free pasta in a homemade tomato sauce, with veg, black beans and nutritional yeast.

I also ate a lot of bread, to the point of feeling uncomfortably full :(

I can't believe the difference between how awful I feel now, and how good I was feeling last week.

And at the back of my mind I know I've got to do this food diary for the therapist, and I'm dreading it.

I also rang up to get my blood test results. I've been feeling so much better (my runs have been visible evidence of how much more energy I have!) and whilst my levels have improved, the Drs want me to be on supplements for another 3 MONTHS! I know it's for my own good, and not really much of a hardship (other than paying for the tablets and it messing up my digestion slightly) but I guess it's just that thing about still being ill when you thought you were better. And 3 months seems so long - it's a quarter of a year!

I think one of the main causes of my annoyance is that the reason I'm not getting better is because I'm not eating properly. And the reason I'm not eating properly is because I need support in doing so. But the NHS won't give you that support unless you're severely under a healthy BMI. And as I said in my post about being ruled by the scales BMI means nothing! It's such a frustrating situation to be in.

Anyway, there's not a lot I can do about it. So on to the more positive side of my day!

Gratitude

There have been so many small little things that have made me really happy today.

- My morning run (albeit meaning I had to get up before 5am) was SO good. It was a drizzly morning, but it meant that the temperature was perfect, and it felt like I was flying!

- The allotments next to the train station (for which I'm on a 5 year waiting list...sigh) are looking amazing! You can't really see here, but this one had a purple shed, with purple fox glove and red poppies. So beautiful!

- Listening to great rainy day music, such as this from Gabrielle Aplin's English Rain album (so aptly named!)

- This happening at work today

- Getting so much work done on my train journeys! I'd honestly make the train my office if I could!

- Hopefully changing a little girl's perceptions on life, at least for today. She was looking at skinny models on the front covers of magazines, and so I picked up a New Scientist in front of her to try and change her goals in life.

- Being at home for the rest of the week :)

So not all a bad day today then.

Hope you all have lovely evenings.

E x

WIAW #3: Potassium

Hi everyone!

We're half way through the week :)

I've had such a lovely day today. I woke up to sunshine and it put me in a great mood straight away. I went for a run and kept an average pace of 10 min/miles, which is just such a change from even just 4 weeks ago! I had a chat with a potential private clinic about getting help for my disordered eating and have an introductory session tomorrow evening, which I'm both excited and terrified about. I've had a blood test to check my iron and B12 levels are back to normal, cleaned the flat and did washing, made almond milk and prepped meals for the next couple of days, bought flowers and chocolates for my flatmate as it's the last exam of her phd tomorrow, went for dinner with my boyfriend and his parents...and went to the Chelsea Flower Show!! It's been packed but so good :)

But it's What I Ate Wednesday time. Each week I want to focus on a different nutrient, to show how important each and every one is, and why we need to eat a healthy diet (in content and volume) to ensure we meet our needed amounts.

Today I want to focus on potassium. Potassium is important for keeping the right mineral and fluid levels in the blood, without which our heart and nervous system wouldn't work so well.

Diets high in potassium are associated with:

- better blood pressure control

- kidney health

- better muscle contraction, including the heart

- stronger bones, particularly in older women

- lower risks of stroke

On the whole, if you eat your recommended amounts of fruit and veg you should be able to meet the recommended daily allowance of 4,700mg (5,100mg for breastfeeding women). However many of us don't eat the 5 (or more) recommended portions of fruit and veg, either due to poor diet or restricted eating, and anyone who sweats a lot (for example through exercise if you're like me) will lose potassium. In runners this may mean your muscles are not recovering as effectively if your potassium levels are low.

Potassium deficiency (or hypokalaemia) can cause weakness, muscle cramping, digestive issues, and fainting due to low blood pressure.

Bananas are traditionally seen as one of the richest potassium sources (one of the reasons they're a runner's favourite post-run fuel), containing 422mg per banana, however there are other foods that have even greater potassium doses:

Source

Green leafy vegetables are your best source
- 1 cup of swiss chard = 960mg
- 1 cup of spinach = 840mg
- 1 cup of bok choy = 630mg

If green veg isn't your thing here are other great sources of potassium:
- 1 cup of cantaloupe melon = 427mg
- 1 cup of tomatoes = 426mg
- 1 cup carrots = 390mg

Alternatively pick up a coconut water. A normal small carton contains 740mg of potassium!

It's important that for potassium to do its job properly, you must make sure you're not having too much sodium, which processed food is often laden with. To keep things in check, make sure you're getting your potassium from natural sources like those above.

My breakfast today was a green smoothie which contained both banana and spinach so double the potassium loving! It also contained cherries, flaxseed and almond milk - it was the yummiest smoothie yet! I also had a frozen tahini-filled date which was exactly what I needed post-run.

Lunch was a bit snacky (I was panicking a bit as I was going out for dinner, and I hate not knowing what I'll be having or planning how many calories will be involved). Probably minimal potassium there.

Dinner ended up being at this amazing Italian restaurant, Sale e Pepe in Knightsbridge, with my boyfriend and his parents. The food was great, but the service was better. I have never seen waiters with so much energy and excitement, and they were constantly singing and bouncing around. I definitely recommend it! Pasta main dishes are averagely priced, but the other mains and starters are quite pricey, so it's more of a treat. I had asparagus to start (another good source of potassium at 403mg a cup) and then gnocchi in a tomato, basil and mozzarella sauce. Was hoping I'd be able to avoid the mozzarella but it was truly melted in the sauce. Tomatoes, however, another great source of potassium!

I was panicking a bit today about the calories, and whilst I can't be sure my dinner is accurate (I haven't included any oil of which I'm sure there was plenty...) I was surprised by the total. I feel incredibly stuffed! And I would say my potassium levels were pretty good today!

 Exercise today was a run this morning where I averaged a 6mph pace - so chuffed! I also totalled up over 14,000 steps just tootling around :)

 And to finish off, here are a few of  my fave pictures from the day :)

Clockwise: tartan garden!; a dress...made from flowers; anyone want to buy a T-Rex head made of shells?!; the Alan Titchmarsh garden "Over the hills...and far away".

Hope you all had lovely days!

E x

Sources:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/potassium
http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6801
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=90&tname=nutrient
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-potassium
http://www.webmd.boots.com/a-to-z-guides/low-potassium-hypokalaemia
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-about-coconut-water