Laura Rainbow Dragon
Nous sommes maîtres chez nous. Et nous le serons toujours. Elbows up, Canada!
Rainbow's Mindful Eating - September 2026 Reset
Alrighty. I am back!
I abandoned my previous food log thread because my diet went completely off the rails over the summer months. I'm not going to dwell on that. We'll just say: It was bad. And move on.
I am, for the most part, someone who has skated through life with good health, including good metabolic health. My generally excellent musculoskeletal health is something I have worked for. I've always been physically active. Even during times when I was not regularly engaging in dedicated "workouts" I have always at least done a lot of walking. My good metabolic health, however...
I've had some good inputs on the metabolic side of things. I've always eaten a lot of vegetables and whole grains. The trouble is I have an unfortunate propensity for ingesting a large quantity of less-healthy items in addition to the good stuff. I've gotten away with this thus far, I suspect, due to my physically active lifestyle. But I've definitely been playing with fire. I am now 55 years old, and my bloodline is rife with metabolic ill-health. It's time for me to smarten up!
Some action items:
Let's do this!
I abandoned my previous food log thread because my diet went completely off the rails over the summer months. I'm not going to dwell on that. We'll just say: It was bad. And move on.
I am, for the most part, someone who has skated through life with good health, including good metabolic health. My generally excellent musculoskeletal health is something I have worked for. I've always been physically active. Even during times when I was not regularly engaging in dedicated "workouts" I have always at least done a lot of walking. My good metabolic health, however...
I've had some good inputs on the metabolic side of things. I've always eaten a lot of vegetables and whole grains. The trouble is I have an unfortunate propensity for ingesting a large quantity of less-healthy items in addition to the good stuff. I've gotten away with this thus far, I suspect, due to my physically active lifestyle. But I've definitely been playing with fire. I am now 55 years old, and my bloodline is rife with metabolic ill-health. It's time for me to smarten up!
Some action items:
- Eat only three times per day. Grazing throughout the day, as well as eating late at night, are both habits that don't support my health goals. So I need to stop doing them.
- Limit consumption of ultra-processed food. I'm not going to pretend it's even possible to completely eliminate UPFs from my diet. It's not. Nor will I paint all UPFs with the same stroke. UPFs incorporate a wide-variety of foods, some of which are quite healthy food choices (e.g.: whole grain breads), and others of which are carcinogenic (i.e.: processed meats). I'm not making any attempt at all to reduce my intake of commercially-prepared whole grain bread. I am going to limit my intake of processed meats. (I'm not going to throw out the sausages I already have in my refrigerator. But once they're done, the plan is not to purchase any more.) I also need to completely eliminate potato chips from my diet. (Potato chips are a slippery slope for me. I just don't have any capacity to eat them in moderation.)
- Limit consumption of cheese to once per day. (Yes, it would likely be a more healthful choice to restrict my cheese intake more than this. But honestly: limiting my cheese consumption to once per day is the most challenging item on this list for me. I need to start with what's possible.)
- Eat dark green vegetables daily.
- Eat legumes daily. (A peanut butter sandwich counts. I eat pure peanut butter and whole grain bread. So this is a healthy choice. But overall the goal is to eat a wide variety of legumes.)
- Eat oats daily.
- Eat nuts daily.
- Eat berries daily.
- Eat seafood twice a week, prioritizing fatty fish.
- Eat crucifers a minimum of twice a week.
- Eat orange vegetables a minimum of twice a week.
- Watch a Talking With Docs video while eating breakfast. This is the YouTube channel of two Canadian physicians. Paul Zalzal and Brad Weening are orthopedic surgeons. But their videos cover a wide range of health topics, including many focused on nutrition. These guys present science-backed information, not fads or propaganda. When they cite research they include information re: the research protocols used and any potential biases. And their videos are the perfect length to consume with breakfast. I'm going to need help to stick with some of the action items I've outlined above. I figure watching Talking With Docs during breakfast will help to remind me of my motivations for doing this.
- Relax the restrictions when eating with friends. I'll still endeavour to make the best choices I can within the available options. But eating with others has important health benefits. The people I have opportunities to eat with don't always make choices that match with the items I've outlined above. So a balance needs to be negotiated.
Let's do this!
I totally get why you want to limit it.
Although I was fairly indulgent with my lunch.)
- some days it's impossible to look away from the political train wreck