My Perfect Breakfast

So, after my attempts to find the perfect diet and exercise regimen, while training for a half marathon and staying healthy were once again settled by Weight Watchers. I tried many different things this Summer and I finally found that by sticking with WW, I was able to drop 15 pounds I had put on over the past year or so. This time I'll keep it off!

I found that when I was in the midst of my dieting, food basically took over my thoughts. I was constantly thinking about what I'd eat next, what I could eat if I was dining out that night, and what I shouldn't eat. As a result, I believe I ate a lot more than I actually needed to.

When we get wrapped up in our goals, they consume our thoughts. With dieting, this makes it nearly impossible to achieve your goal because the exact thing you don't want to over-indugle in, is the thing that is streaming through your head all day long!

I've found that since I have a pretty intense workout schedule, running 3-4 miles daily, an 8-12 mile weekly, and lifting weights biweekly, it is important for my body to get the proper nutrients to nourish and restore my strength post-workout. This means enjoying a serving or two of whole-wheat carbohydrates, filling up on lean protein, and incorporating vegetables into my lunch and/or dinner.

Throughout the summer, I tried eating eggs for breakfast everyday because I've been told how good they are for runners. They are full of protein, and can be prepared easily and quickly. Though I enjoy eggs, I discovered that this breakfast may not be the best one for me because of my sweet tooth. Sweets for breakfast? No, let me explain.

Peanut butter is one of my favorite foods, and learning that it is a great power-food for runners and for weight loss was great for me. Because of my sweet tooth, I found peanut butter to be the perfect snack. I'd crave peanut butter all day, and I'd find myself snacking on it by the tablespoon in the late afternoon. I decided after a run that I was going to go back to an old favorite breakfast I've enjoyed for many years. This decision to change my breakfast to incorporate peanut butter helped ease my sweet tooth. Now, my breakfast, which is a 100-cal multi-grain english muffin with 2 TBSP of natural chunky peanut butter and pieces of banana on top, really eases my PB cravings! Since I know I will be able to have my favorite food every single morning after my workouts, it is an easy way to get this craving out of my head.

Though eggs are a great power-food, filled with protein and nutrients, they get a little boring to me. Sometimes after a long run I'll add some scrambled eggs with cheese to my PB-banana-english muffin breakfast. I'll also keep omelettes in mind for a quick dinner idea when I am away at school and don't get to eat my mom's delicious cooking every night. But for now, my breakfast is filling, satisfying, and nutritious. It gives me the energy I need after my workouts and it extinguishes cravings. Sounds decent to me.

The Peanut Butter Experiment

Because of the knowledge I gained from my South Beach Diet trial, I have been paying closer attention to the foods I consume. I now look at not only the nutrition information, but more importantly the ingredients on the labels in order to A. know what exactly I am putting into my body and B. make sure it is not one of the hidden ingredients that secretly makes people FAT!

Since peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite foods, I realized it was very necessary to see if this favorite of mine is as healthy as it is rumored to be.

I started my "experiment" by switching from my usual Jif/Skippy, reduced-fat, creamy/chunky peanut butter to strictly (at least according to the label) "Natural." Before I really knew what "natural peanut butter" constituted, I selected Skippy Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter.

I decided on this peanut butter as my new natural choice because of its claim to eliminate the drippiness of natural peanut butter with the added palm oil. The ingredients were only roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and salt. Since it didn't contain the hydrogenated oils and corn syrup that my non-natural peanut butters had contained in the past, I believed the label that this peanut butter was 100% Natural.

However, I was wrong. Natural peanut butter only contains one ingredient. Can you guess it? Peanuts. So, I had to go on a new quest which consisted of A. finding the best way to get rid of this faux-natural peanut butter and B. find a natural peanut butter that didn't scare me away because of its drippy and flavorless consistency. The first part was easy (I ate it :x). The second part brought me to the peanut butter section of an aisle at the grocery store. I decided to go with Smuckers because it was apparent that my good old friend Skippy lied about being natural. I found a natural peanut butter (with no salt added) and decided to give it a try.

I first put it in the refrigerator in hopes of eliminating the drippiness. When I opened it a few hours later, the top was still sort of liquidy (which is yuck), so I stirred it. The thing about all-natural peanut butter, I am learning, is that it is much different from regular. So if you are not adventurous, the real stuff may not be for you. After stirring a lot, I tried some and got a mouthful of liquidy, peanutty oil. So I stirred some more and dug into the bottom where it felt more solid, and I tried again. This time, I actually enjoyed it! Though it is definitely not as sweet as the enhanced stuff, it is still very flavorful. If you can get past the absence of those unnatural flavors, it will definitely suffice either on a piece of celery, an apple, or even by itself for some people.

So, if you are also looking for ways to improve your eating habits, start by paying attention to ingredients on labels. If one of your favorite foods has a bunch of big words that you don't really understand in it, then chances are it isn't that great for you. You are in luck if you can find a healthier alternative! If you can't, then you probably shouldn't be eating it anyway :)

x Riana