Here is the latest bunch of things that I honestly did not know were true until recently, when my brain had some moments of lucid ED-freeness. I will post more about these thoughts as they come, but for now here are three:
1) I can put chocolate chips in my oatmeal.
Not only can I do this sometimes, I can do this EVERY time if I want to. And it in no way cancels out the nutrition of the oats. Instead, I get to enjoy chocolate-y goodness AND reap the benefits of whole grains.
For years, I have literally thought that I had to have either chocolate-y goodness or something healthy for breakfast. It NEVER occurred to me to have both. It was either Pop Tarts or plain jane oatmeal (I would sometimes put peanut butter or fruit in it, but it wasn't really what I wanted for breakfast). I have been obsessed with chocolate for breakfast for years, and now I can have it whenever I want it, and it's actually filling.
2) If I'm not hungry, I don't have to eat.
Say what?! In theory, I have learned this many times. But it only recently really clicked for me. A couple of days ago, I was hungry for popcorn right after work, so I ate some popcorn right after work. Meanwhile, I started a crock pot meal, figuring that I would be hungry for it before bed and enjoy a late dinner.
Instead, I was tired at 9, and not hungry at all, so I put the crock pot meal in to-go contianers for lunches and went to bed.
I actually had to think about it for a few minutes though, wondering if I should go ahead and eat, since that was the plan, and since it was all Power Foods. Then I had the brain click moment. It's okay to just go to bed and accept that this was a light hunger day. Maybe tomorrow will be a heavier hunger day. My body is usually worth listening to.
3) I can mix beans with meat.
Again, literally never occurred to me. Since I started to eat meat again, my old staple of beans has become less popular. For whatever reason, I had it in my head that my meals had to be either vegan or completely bean-free. Yeah, that's just not true.
A couple of days ago, I was looking for more stuff to throw in the crockpot for dinner. I had put in some frozen fish, some frozen vegetables, and a can of tomatoes. Then I saw it: a can of black beans. So I threw it in. And I'll be darned if that wasn't the best fish meal I've ever made. I look forward to experimenting more with this!
During my years of vegan eating, I developed a real taste for beans, and I still love them. I still eat a lot of vegan, bean/veggie/grain bowl meals like I used to eat. But now I know that I can throw beans into meat dishes, too.
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