Lady Cat Lady

I went to therapy to help heal my relationship with food. One of the biggest things that helped me heal that relationship was when my therapist told me to stop assigning moral value to food and labeling it “good” and “bad.”

Food is just that—food. It’s a thing. There is no morality in food. We have to assign that morality for it to exist.

By assigning some foods you may enjoy as “bad,” it can lead to a shame loop. That shame loop can cause you to eat more of something for which you aren’t necessarily hungry. It’s creating a negative feedback loop in your brain that can cause you to eat more of something that I classify as “brain food.”

For a reminder: “Brain Food” makes your brain happy—things like sugar and chocolate. “Body Food” makes your body happy—things like lean protein, healthy fats, and fiber.

Changing the way you look at food can help you overcome that shame loop that can occur.

This is how it worked in my brain:

Let me just have one piece of cake. Rather than limiting myself to one piece of cake a week like I would today (the freezer is my friend), I would be ashamed of myself for eating that cake. Then I would eat more cake because I felt like, “Why not? I’ve already eaten the cake.”

Break that cycle of shame by no longer assigning moral value to food. Eat more “body food” and less “brain food,” and you’ll be fine.

Ways to Vary Your Dishes

My diet may sound boring. I rely on sauces and seasonings to change flavors. These additions make the dishes different.

Whatever search engine you choose, type in “Low calorie, low cholesterol sauce recipes.” Find some you like and keep them on hand in your refrigerator. I usually have three in there. I enjoy flavor variety. When one runs out, I look for a new one to try.

When I cook chicken, it’s usually chicken breasts roasted in the oven with a little olive oil—high protein, low fat. What I do is cut them all in half and cook a large batch, seasoning each piece differently. One with just salt and pepper, another with Italian-type flavors, another using taco seasoning flavors like garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. One with a teriyaki glaze, another with lemon pepper. You get the drift. I keep them in containers in the fridge. Nick and I grab what we want when we want. I freeze what doesn’t get eaten within three days.

I do the same with almost all proteins and vegetables. Cook a large batch, season each protein or section of the sheet pan of veggies differently.

When you roast veggies, make sure you do it on a sheet pan in one layer. You want them tender crisp with a little browning. Try a little freshly grated garlic on them—I love it.

I have a “thing” for fresh green beans that have been roasted in a 400-degree oven with a little bit of olive oil until they’re crisp tender and lightly browned, then tossed in low-sodium soy sauce and freshly grated garlic. I can eat them cold from the fridge and be perfectly happy with them as a snack.

Snack Ideas

I forgot about my tortilla chip and salsa addiction in the last post. Buy low-sodium tortilla chips (thinner the better) and “fresh salsa” that’s usually found in the cooler section of deli. It’s so much better than the jar stuff. Or guacamole, if you like avocados. I’m not the biggest fan. Tortilla chips have no cholesterol plus fiber.

Frozen French Fries cooked in Air Fryer or Oven: Buy whatever kind you like—I like straight cut. Fifteen of those in the air fryer or oven with no oil have no cholesterol and are 100 calories. Use different kinds of seasonings to change the flavor. (If you cook them a few minutes longer than the package says, they’ll get crispier. Or if you’re like me and are super impatient, put them in while the oven is preheating and cook them at the correct temp as long as the package says. 😆)

Ranch Chicken Salad (wrap in whole wheat tortilla with lettuce or scoop with lightly salted tortilla chips):

Take a serving or two of a rotisserie chicken. You can use the other parts to make chicken soup, as a lunch or dinner option a few days, and/or freeze parts of it. Or, depending on how many servings you want, you can also do a chicken breast or a can of chicken. Shred it up.

Now chop up some vegetables and throw them in there. Use whatever you have—it’s not important that it’s a specific vegetable or even raw. Eat what you like.

Remember the blended canned beans from the last post? First, before you blend, drain and rinse them. You can use a bit of water at a time while blending to get them to a smooth consistency. Also, you don’t have to add an entire can of blended beans to a dish at one time. Keep some in the fridge in a container.

Add a dollop or two of blended beans to this, depending on your serving size.

Mix some nonfat Greek yogurt in there. (I like Fage. I think the texture is better, and I use 2% nowadays that I’m not looking to lose weight. If you want to go hardcore, do the nonfat.) Add to whatever creaminess level you prefer.

Packet ranch dressing mix—start with a small amount, add more to your taste.

You can make this buffalo chicken by omitting the ranch dressing and adding Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

You can make it honey dijon by adding honey and dijon mustard to your taste instead of ranch dressing mix or hot sauce.

You can also switch it out for any other seasoning or herbs you like.

You’re getting a ton of protein, fiber, and it tastes good.

P.S. I use a food processor to chop my veggies for this—they don’t need to be perfect, and it’s so much faster. You can use a shredder for most sturdy vegetables. Also, an electric hand mixer works remarkably well at shredding chicken.

P.P.S. If you’re going to use a “wetter” vegetable like tomatoes or cucumbers, cut out the seeds of the cucumber and the innards of the tomato first. Only use the “meaty parts.” This way your salad/dip doesn’t get overly wet over time. I feed most vegetable scraps to the chickens, but I also put some in a freezer bag in the freezer and use them to make all kinds of stock for soups and gravies.

Egg Bites:

Spray grease or use silicone cupcake liners in cupcake pans. Put some cut-up or shredded veggies and cheese (use what you have) into the bottoms of those. Now scramble some eggs with some salt, pepper, and herbs of your choosing. Pour that about 2/3 up on each cupcake thing, covering the veggies and cheese. Use the back of a spoon, butter knife, or chopstick to distribute the cheese and veggies better. Bake in a 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes until eggs are set.

These freeze beautifully for two months. Reheat in microwave for about 90 seconds, depending on your microwave.

Dessert

If you absolutely love your sweets and don’t want to give them up, don’t! Eat less of them by adding to them.

I know you may be sick of hearing about nonfat Greek yogurt, but it does help you feel full.

Do you want a piece of cake? Eat a smaller piece than usual with some yogurt. Put some berries and/or other fruit with it. (Frozen fruit is cheaper—I just defrost some when I eat with yogurt.)

You want cookies? Eat a cookie with some yogurt. Add some melted dark chocolate to the yogurt if you want it to be more decadent.

Frozen things like ice cream? Eat a scoop. Add nuts and berries and/or other fruits on top. This helps fill you up so you want less ice cream.

Candy? Eat half of what you usually would with nuts and/or popcorn.

Easy Healthy Desserts

Make a cheater apple dessert by coring a full apple. Now chop up some nuts, add some quick oats, a little honey or even brown sugar, a tiny bit of healthy fat such as olive, rapeseed, or avocado oil, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix it all together in a bowl. Fill the cored apples with that mixture. Put it on a microwave-safe plate or dish in the microwave for three and a half to four minutes until tender. Now top it with some nonfat whipped cream, or don’t—up to you.

Take a 15 oz can of peaches, add about a tablespoon of cornstarch and half a teaspoon of cinnamon to the liquid. Pour all that into an appropriate-size casserole dish. Top with chopped nuts, quick oats, a little honey or brown sugar, healthy fat, nutmeg, and cinnamon mixed together in a bowl. Put it in a 375-degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pan. Liquid should be bubbling.

Are the above two things exactly what you want? Probably not, but they’re tasty and you won’t feel denied dessert. You’re less likely to want to eat more brain food than your brain actually needs to be happy. Bonus that you’re eating food that’s good for your body, too.

Mindful Eating

Much of what I’ve done is learn to eat much slower and pay attention to the signals my body is giving me while I eat so I don’t overdo it. If I’m going to “mindlessly” eat in front of the TV or anything, I always choose something light such as grapes, melon, apples, nuts, or popcorn popped on the stovetop with olive oil. I buy nutritional yeast to sprinkle on my popcorn—it gives it a cheesy flavor. (No fat, no cholesterol, no sodium, a little protein, and a good amount of Vitamin B12.)

Many of us have battled our weight for years. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. You all are good cooks—I know you are. Think of creative ways to change the things you like to eat just a little bit.