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Real Life Eats When You’re Sick

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Today I am sharing how real life eats look when you feel like complete crap.  As I mentioned last week, I was diagnosed with mono while on my honeymoon, and have been experiencing symptoms for about three weeks now.  Crazy, right?

Unfortunately, one of the symptoms that I have been oh-so-lucky (<–totally facetious) to display is nausea.  When it was at its worst, I was eating very little because absolutely nothing sounded appetizing.  And while the nausea is mostly gone now, I am still having a lot of strange food cravings and aversions.  Basically, almost anything considered “healthy” does not sound at all appealing.

But guess what?  That’s life.  So I am taking this opportunity to show you that a healthy life doesn’t mean a perfect life, and eating patterns will ebb and flow.

I’ve been keeping things gluten-free since that is really important to me, but other than that, I have generally been eating what my body has been craving.  That has meant some dairy, grains, legumes, soy, and nightshades.  And while I’m quite certain these won’t stick around for good, I feel okay about these choices.  Hey, a girl has gotta eat!

I’m linking up with What I Ate Wednesday for the first time in a while, too!

Real Life Eats When You’re Sick

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comMy eats for the day actually began at about 3 a.m.  I had woken up running a fever and knew I needed to get some Tylenol in me.  I don’t like taking medicine on an empty stomach, so I paired it with a raspberry Outshine bar (the only thing that sounded good at the time).

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comOnce I was awake, I was awake.  The weird thing with mono is that you will have days that you are exhausted and sleep 10 to 11 hours at night, plus naps.  Then there are other days when you simply cannot get to sleep even though you feel tired.  These days are my least favorite.  So from 3 a.m. until 6 a.m., I laid awake, tossing and turning.  I finally decided to get up and eat something since my stomach was growling.  I chose corn Chex, regular Cheerios, and Honey Nut Cheerios (all gluten-free) with unsweetened almond milk.  It apparently did the trick because I was able to fall back asleep until around 9 a.m.

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comSince I ate breakfast so early, breakfast #2 had to happen to keep me going until lunch.  This is a totally random combination, but it was actually the first “real food” that I craved once my nausea started improving.  We are talking gluten-free crackers topped with organic provolone cheese, deli turkey, and french onion dip.  The french onion dip is what really did it for me!

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comOn this day, I ate a later lunch around 1:30.  This was probably the first “semi-healthy” meal that sounded good to me.  I made mini taco pizzas with white corn tortillas, a grass-fed beef/refried bean/salsa/pizza sauce combo, lettuce, green onions, and guacamole.  It definitely hit the spot.

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comSince I have started having an appetite again, I think my body has been trying to make up for my non-food days because I have been extra hungry.  This has meant quite a bit of snacking.  One of my favorites has been these SnickerDoodle Annie’s bunnies.  I have also been loving the cocoa and vanilla variety, too!

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comI was so excited that my dinner finally included something green.  I balanced out a couple of slices of gluten-free sausage pizza with a salad.  My salad was dressed with ranch dressing from Briannas (which I kind of love).

Real Life Eats When You're Sick | cleaneatingveggiegirl.comAnd since ice cream is essentially a requirement when you’re sick, I finished out my night with a bowl of chocolate ice cream that I also topped with some M&M’s.  It was pretty great.

A day of not perfect eats, and that’s a-okay!

How real life sick day eats look! #healthyliving #balance #sickday Click To Tweet
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{ 15 comments… add one }
  • Sarah @ BucketListTummy June 8, 2016, 9:42 am
    Those actually look like pretty good sick day eats - I'm glad you were able to stomach so much. I think little pieces of pizza can be good! Pizza and ice cream when sick can do miracles :) Sarah @ BucketListTummy recently posted...When Your Weekend Meals Differ From Your Weekly MealsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 8, 2016, 12:04 pm
      I SO agree! And you should have seen some of the days prior to this particular day... so this was an accomplishment!
  • Cora June 8, 2016, 4:54 pm
    Snickerdoodle animal crackers!! Must find! Also - type types of pizza in one day is a pure winner for me. Pizza and ice cream should be the medicine for all sicknesses. Sure hope you start to feel better soon - mono symptoms do not sound fun :(
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 8, 2016, 5:38 pm
      Thank you, Cora! I am slowly but surely getting back on track with feeling good. And yes... you must find those animal crackers. Though I will warn you, they are addicting!
  • Leslee @ Her Happy Balance June 8, 2016, 5:44 pm
    Feel better soon, lady! I had mono unknowingly on a Fourth of July vacation and had to come home early to die lol. Looking back on it, I can't believe how sick I was. You eat whatever you want. It's so hard when all you feel like doing is sleeping. So ice cream all the way. Leslee @ Her Happy Balance recently posted...Friday Favorites!My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 8, 2016, 7:38 pm
      Yes... feeling like death is definitely an accurate description!! ;)
  • Morgan June 8, 2016, 7:26 pm
    Ick, feel better soon! I'm not gonna lie - I was reading this and kept getting PTSD like flashbacks to morning sickness with my pregnancies, ha! Hopefully you're out of the worst of it, though! Morgan recently posted...What I Ate Wednesday: Super Quick MealsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 8, 2016, 7:39 pm
      The entire time I was experiencing the worst part of the nausea I kept thinking, "this must be what pregnancy feels like." Something to look forward to! ;)
  • Kristy @ Southern In Law June 8, 2016, 11:31 pm
    Nooo! I'm sorry to hear you're still not feeling good, girl! I had mono for four YEARS but I didn't really get any symptoms other than being really tired and getting every illness that passed me. I found that I'd be fine for a while and then hit with what we called the "fatigue bus" where I knew I just needed to rest and give my body some time. I think your eats were perfect for how you were feeling because you listened to what your body was telling you! Kristy @ Southern In Law recently posted...Recipe: Apple Crumble Oatmeal for OneMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 9, 2016, 9:51 am
      Oh my goodness, that sounds awful. I pray that doesn't happen to me!!
  • Miss Polkadot June 9, 2016, 10:28 am
    Oh no! You're the second person - on social media - I see getting mononucleosis and from what the other girl described it sounded really awful. I'm keeping my fingers crossed you'll recover soon! That aside your day of food actually sounds pretty good. Especially combined with the fact that you're not stressing about eating food you usually don't incorporate into your diet anymore. Miss Polkadot recently posted...No-bake Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate Fudge BarsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 9, 2016, 12:28 pm
      Yes, it has been good to not stress about it! And how weird that mono is suddenly popping up all over. I honestly never expected to get it this "late" in life!
  • Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table June 11, 2016, 4:21 pm
    Awwwwww... I hope you're feeling better soon! Mono is the worst - my baby sister had it and she could hardly function. Get lots of rest and drink lots of water! Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted...Healthy Walnut Pavlova with Blueberry Sauce [Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free]My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl June 12, 2016, 8:32 am
      It is definitely NOT fun! Luckily, I feel like I am finally on the mend (knock on wood) and starting to feel like myself again :)
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