drink-water

What Do You Drink? Day 37

Today is another white bread kind of day. So I mixed it up with Oroweat’s 100% Whole Wheat and Artesano white bread. This is about the third time I’ve got to enjoy eating Artesano. It really toasts up very well.

Sara Lee's Artesano bread.

Sara Lee’s Artesano bread.

There has been inquiries on my beverage consumption. Do you not drink soda? How about alcohol? Don’t you need caffeine? No, no and yes.

I drink about 10 cups of water on most days. I don’t measure it out. It has always been part of my routine. Or perhaps it’s been my mom nagging me all these years. I love water and I don’t really need anything else. I view soda and alcohol as empty calories. That is the main reason I don’t consume either. Honestly, I’d rather consume my calories in a foreign sounding dessert (Kouign Amman anyone?) than a large cup of soda or a milk shake.

I do ONE cup of black coffee in the morning, with Stevia, therefore I don’t report it in my caloric consumption. I really believe in the potent antioxidant content in coffee, I’m a true believer in good coffee, and one cup of caffeine is really all I need to drive me through the day.

Mixing it up

As Connie told me to increase my calcium consumption in the form of nut milk, I decided to be bold and try different nut milks. The almond kind was okay. Bland, but palatable. Then I tasted Cashew nut milk last night. It was the most horrendous drink I have ever consumed. It tasted like a slurry of chalk and Elmer’s glue! Did this big brand even send this product for sensory testing? How can it be ok to sell this? I want my money back. Least to say, it would be cruel for me to pass this nut milk off to someone at NedSpace, so I had to pour it down the sink.

One thing I cannot get enough of is coconut water. I drink it because it is high in potassium and I need potassium to counteract the sodium levels in my bread diet. It has calories, so I do limit myself to 2 cups a day. I stock up on coconut water at the Asian grocery store. They are much cheaper there because they import it directly from Thailand (coconut water capitol of the world).

Yes, I do drink many kinds of healthy beverages, but I also keep away from unhealthy ones. A good diet is all about making the right choices, and understanding where your calories are coming from. With this diet, I hope to show you that you can have a ton of fun, eat the food that you enjoy, and not gain a single pound.  I can do it. So can you!

Here’s what I ate on Day 37 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Oroweat® Whole Grains 6 slices (38g) 480
Sara Lee® Artesano 6 slices (38g) 600
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 2 Tbsp 160
Coconut water 2 C 100
Butter 1 Tbsp 100
Homemade Pesto 1 Tbsp 80
Yogurt Cheese Spread 1 Tbsp 22.5
Nutella 1 Tbsp 100
BBQ Pork 2 oz 140
Sauteed Greens 100g 150
Orange 1/2 orange 40
Blueberries 1/2 C 40
Strawberries 4 20
Run -500
Total 1532.5

 

toast-raisin-eat bread 90

Raisins and Water: Day 9

Klosterman Organic Raisin Bread.

Klosterman Organic Raisin Bread.

The pain in my finger seems like a distant memory, now that I drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Hydration is key.

While I continue to keep a close eye on my sodium intake by not consuming too much deli meats, I try to stay away from high sodium spreads like cream cheese and peanut butter as well. Over the last two days, I realized that if I stayed away from sodium, I replaced it with sugar instead.  This is not easy. Sugar-free jam, you’re my next best friend.

The fruit breads do not have as much sodium as their non-fruity counterparts. So I had no problem eating buttered raisin toast all day. Good raisin bread is best eaten this way, and the Klosterman’s brand had so much raisins in it, it tasted so good! I could have eaten the whole loaf itself, but I had to pace myself.

Buttered Raisin Toast from Klosterman's.

Buttered Raisin Toast from Klosterman’s.

I also had to watch my sugar, so I had to eat half a loaf of the Organic whole wheat. This paired well with the savory items I had on my menu today like the tri tip steak. Thanks to my friends at Klosterman’s, this day was very enjoyable! I love your raisin bread!

Caramelized onions and steak sandwich on whole wheat bread.

Caramelized onions and steak sandwich on Klosterman’s whole wheat bread.

Here’s what I ate on Day 9 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Klosterman’s Organic Raisin Bread 6 slices (40g) 660
Klosterman’a 100% Organic whole wheat 6 slices (40g) 600
Tillamook® Salted Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Almond Breeze® chocolate almond milk 1 C 40
Steak 3oz 158
Ham 1oz 30
Salami 1oz 50
Brussel sprouts 38
Squash soup 1 C 20
Flan 200
Papaya 1C 67
Total 2063

 

Salt- eat bread 90 - sodium

Could Sodium be the Culprit? Day 7

I woke up today telling myself that I need to drastically cut sodium and drink more water to flush out the excess sodium I consumed yesterday. So, I removed deli meats from my diet today, and went with just a fried egg sandwich. I got my sodium down to a reasonable level (about 2,600mg) and I drank a truck load of water. By the end of the day, the pain in my finger was gone.

I wonder if many people felt the same way I did, and self-diagnosed themselves with gluten inflammation.  Could eating products containing gluten (sandwiches, hamburgers and pasta), also mean that you are overloading yourself with sodium? Could this reaction to too much sodium in the body give the ‘bloated’ feeling that some people feel after consuming gluten containing products? I really think so. If a healthy person like me reacted this way to sodium, I can’t imagine how other people would react. Especially those on medication, and/or a higher stress life.

Analyzing my diet

I analyzed my diet again, and realized that the sodium source came from bread, deli meats and soup. I had overdosed on sodium and sugar every day. Therefore, I really need to keep an eye on these as I go along this diet, whether I reach my target weight or not.

Now, this is really challenging, as not only do I need to count the calories, I need to look at both sodium and sugar. I mean, I should be able to do this. It’s like raising three boys, you just can’t take care of one, and leave the other two alone. I’m good at juggling. I can do this.

Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains.

Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains.

Today, I chowed down on Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains: the loaf that made them famous. I had no problem eating the 21 Whole Grains bread by itself. It was so delicious, I ate all 6 slices without any spreads.

I also rewarded myself at the end of the day with my homemade strawberry cake. OK, I did bust my sugar intake with that cake, but that was worth it!

Here’s what I ate on Day 7 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Dave’s Killer Bread ® 21 whole grains 12 slices (45g) 1,440
Egg 1 78
Favorit Cherry Preserve 1Tbsp 50
Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 4 Tbsp 80
Skippy ® Peanut Butter 1 Tbsp 95
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter 1 Tbsp 190
Kale and mushroom Soup 1 C 48
Strawberry Cake 300
Run -100
Swim -200
Total 1,981