Happy Monday, and thanks for stopping by!
Lately I've been playing around with a 16/8 type of eating structure, where I fast 16 hours (including overnight) and eat during the other 8. There is a lot of research to support the benefits of fasting, from cellular regeneration to reduced inflammation and beyond. A lot of folks with SIBO or other digestive issues also experience relief when restricting eating to an 8 hour time frame, because it allows their bodies to fully experience the benefits of the digestive cleansing wave. As I've been playing around with this structure, I've been cautious to listen to my body's signals. Lately I've been wanting more fat and less carbs in my diet, so that's what I planned for this week. And if I'm hungry or under more stress, I'll have a snack outside of my 8 hour window and not sweat it! This tends to happen when I teach for several hours in the evening, but surprisingly, I've found that for the most part, it really hasn't been hard to do my eating between 9am and 5pm and give my system a break for the rest.
One note: time-limited eating (aka intermittent fasting) isn't necessarily recommended for everyone. Exercise caution if you have adrenal fatigue, though I have heard of many healing their adrenals using this approach! As well, if you give it a try and after a few days are noticing an increase in symptoms, cravings, or moodiness, it might not be for you. When it comes to changing things up, listening to how YOU feel is the most important part of figuring out what approach is best!
Meal prep this week was done in a snap due to two no-cook meal options. I'm all about those time saving shortcuts!
Breakfast: Protein Shake // On workout days I'm using Rootz protein superfood with some added cinnamon and turmeric, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk and ice. (Plus the Rootz pre-workout energizing superfood, which is amazing!! AND Rootz is running a sale through tomorrow Oct. 25th for 15% off using the code "fallspecial.") On non-workout days I'm having the new Vanilla Build protein by PureWOD with coconut milk, which is maybe my favorite one yet. It basically tastes like cake batter!
Lunch: Lamb Hash // I modified this batch by replacing the cauliflower rice with shredded radish to decrease the FODMAP content. I also added a little more olive oil to increase the fat for satiety.
Dinner: Tuna Salad with Arugula and Cucumbers // 1 can Wild Planet tuna + 2 tbsp Primal Kitchens Mayo + Farmhouse Culture Kraut + Bubbies Pickles
Optional Snack: Fat Bomb // 1 tsp each of Artisana Coconut Butter, Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, Tin Star Foods Ghee, and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts. I also added a couple drops of stevia to the batch, and a splash of vanilla extract. They came out 150% delicious!
And that's a wrap! Excluding grocery shopping, this took me about 1 hour in veggie prep and 1 hour in cooking/portioning, leaving me plenty of time to enjoy the weekend!
Have a great week!
-Tracey