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A Day of Intuitive Eating (#3)

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As I mentioned a little while back, I am trying to “relearn” how to eat by following a more intuitive eating style.  Some days I have been doing great with intuitive eating, while others have been rather challenging.  I do think that I have adopted several great intuitive eating practices, but I still have plenty to continue working on.

Today I am taking you through another day of intuitive eats.  Check out what I ate and what my thought processes were behind each decision.

A Day of Intuitive Eating (#3)

Intuitive BreakfastI woke up around 8:30, at which point I took my morning medications and supplements.  I was not fully hungry for breakfast until around 9:30.  I had an intense craving for a breakfast sandwich.  I also was really craving vegetables.  I went with both and ate a bit of a random breakfast.  The breakfast sandwich consisted of two slices of toasted gluten-free bread, strawberry jam, a slice of vegan Field Roast Chao cheese, and a fried egg.  On the side I chose a small bowl of green peas.  Peas sound delicious to me no matter what time of day it is.

Intuitive Day LunchMy hunger started kicking in again around noon.  I whipped up a couple of deconstructed bean and veggie enchiladas, which I will be sharing with all of you soon!  I need to be better prepared on blog photography days because I was just hungry enough once the meal was ready, but starving by the time I was finished photographing it.

Normally I would have made myself three tostada shells, but I decided to start with two and see how I felt after that.  Sure enough, two was the perfect amount.  I was full, but not overly stuffed like I normally might have been.

Intuitive Day SmoothieAfter my 1:15 p.m. late lunch, I was not hungry again until close to 4:00.  I was craving something cold, yet sweet, so I whipped up a green smoothie.  In the mix was unsweetened vanilla coconut milk, flax oil, chocolate Vega One, frozen banana, frozen zucchini, frozen grapes, and tons of fresh spinach.  As always, it was refreshing and delicious.  I drank this slowly alongside a big canister of water.  It took me about 30 minutes to make it all the way through the mason jar, and I enjoyed drinking it slowly instead of chugging it like I sometimes do.

Veestro Quinoa BurgerDinner did not happen until about 7:30.  I normally try to have dinner on the table by 7:00, but I wanted to listen to my body and only eat when it was ready.  This ended up being the perfect time.  I ate a quinoa veggie burger from Veestro, a company that I will talk more about in a future post.  I served it on a bed of baby kale and spinach with tomatoes and mustard on top.  I also listened to what I was truly craving for a side to my burger, and french fries won out!  They were perfectly crispy and really hit the spot.  This burger was huge, and I honestly probably could have stopped eating with a few bites left.  Instead, I cleaned my plate.  I think fully listening to my “fullness signals” is the biggest thing I need to work on with intuitive eating.

Intuitive Day Cereal with FruitI ate a small snack around 9:30 because I was hungry before bed.  It took me awhile to really choose what I was craving.  I thought about popcorn, but decided that I was only thinking of that out of habit.  I thought about nut butter on a rice cake, but again… that is just a habit.  When I looked in my pantry, I found the winner: Erewhon honey crispy brown rice cereal with mixed berries topped with a little unsweetened vanilla coconut milk and fresh cantaloupe.  It seems like a bit of an odd combo, but it is what I was craving.  It was delicious and definitely something that I will likely snack on again.

After several days of intuitive eating, I have determined that I am getting pretty good at understanding my body and giving it what it is craving.  I have also been doing a pretty good job of eating when I feel hungry.  Some things that I need to work on are stopping when I am full and eating without distractions.  I’ll get there… baby steps!

Are you an “intuitive” eater, or do you eat when/what you are “supposed to?”

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{ 28 comments… add one }
  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine April 21, 2015, 8:24 am
    I love that you ate peas for breakfast :) So intuitive!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 8:33 am
      I'm a pea lover through and through... so I pretty much crave them at any time of day ;)
  • Sam @ PancakeWarriors April 21, 2015, 9:43 am
    I'm also trying to break the routine eating as well. It's been tough, since in the beginning I really don't know what I want!! This was inspiring :) Thanks for sharing Sam @ PancakeWarriors recently posted...Espresso Cacao Cashew Almond ButterMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 12:08 pm
      I'm glad you find it inspiring. I can say first hand that eating intuitively is NOT easy. But baby steps are important.. right? :)
  • Missy April 21, 2015, 10:08 am
    Intuitive eating is a weird concept to me. I "get" it - because I've had food issues most of my life. I know what it's like to NOT be "intuitive"...etc. Yet, when we "try" to be intuitive or "practice" being intuitive... how is that intuitive? LOL You know what I mean? I think a lot of people (ahem*me*) want to stop dieting and being crazy about food... so then then go on the "Intuitive Eating Diet" and get crazy about intuitively eating food, you know? Sometimes you just want to stuff your face. And it's OK. And you move on. Or you meet friends for dinner early even though your not hungry. And who cares? That's the point I want to get to. PS- I bring this up just for the sake of discussion, I am not projecting ANY of this on you -- everyone's different. (0: Also, now I am craving peas.
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 12:10 pm
      I definitely understand what you are saying, but I do not think that intuitive eating comes naturally for a lot of people. As a result, I think it is something that many people have to relearn how to do. I, for one, can tell you that I completely forgot how to be an intuitive eater. Therefore, I am trying to be mindful of doing that. I think the more that I "practice" doing it, the more it will just become second nature and will then truly be intuitive. Hopefully that makes some sense.. ;) P.S. YAY for peas!!
  • Jess @hellotofit April 21, 2015, 10:10 am
    Your meals look beautiful! Loving the jam with the egg and cheese - salty sweet ;). I've been trying to eat more intuitively and have less desserts/white starches. I ended up having some white bread and cake last week, but overall feel so much better! Hope you have a great day :) Jess @hellotofit recently posted...Link Love #14 and a smokey bacon pizzetteMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 12:12 pm
      I think that is such an impotant point, Jess! From time to time it is okay to eat those foods that we normally don't eat as often simply because we are craving/want them! If it is something that we just do on occasion then it doesn't have to be made into a huge ordeal. Good for you for honoring what your body wanted :)
  • GiGi Eats April 21, 2015, 2:24 pm
    I know when my stomach is going to get hungry, it's on quite the routine. And I eat when I am hungry for sure. Sometimes it takes be a bit to STOP eating, but for the most part, I can do it ;) GiGi Eats recently posted...Wine and Onesies Make The Perfect PairingMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 2:28 pm
      I think stopping when you are full is the HARDEST part! I grew up wanting to "clean my plate," and stopping that habit has been difficult. I try to remind myself that I can always eat the leftovers if I am hungry later!
  • Ashley April 21, 2015, 2:55 pm
    First, I just love how much you love peas! It always makes me smile. And two, I cannot wait for those deconstructed enchiladas!! I really need to be better at listening to my body with hunger cues - I feel like I'm on such auto-pilot a lot of the time ... and the eating in front of the TV just really needs to stop! Ashley recently posted...Creamy Sweet Potato and Black Bean Pasta SkilletMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 3:32 pm
      Not eating in front of the TV/computer/phone/etc. is SO hard!! Sometimes I feel like I need to lock myself in a closet just to avoid them ;)
  • Alexis @ Hummusapien April 21, 2015, 2:58 pm
    What an interesting post!! I really, really, REALLY relate to this post on so many different levels. A lot of what I eat is out of habit. Like I finish dinner and have three snacks just because I want to keep eating different flavors and textures, not because I actually need more food. I also ALWAYS chug my smoothies and then I'm like ummmm what's for breakfast?! LOLZ.
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 3:34 pm
      YES!! I have ALWAYS been a snacker. And while I totally still love snacking and WILL continue to do it, I am trying to be more mindful of it. I have found that a lot of the times I choose to snack on foods because it is "time" or it is "what I always do" and not always because I am actually hungry/craving it. And yes.. smoothies are so darn delicious that it is hard not to chug them. Maybe that is why when I drink them early in the day I always have to follow them up with "second breakfast!" ;)
  • Marissa April 21, 2015, 3:35 pm
    Great post. I tend to eat when I need to...I try and have some structure, to try and make sure that I don't eat too late! Marissa recently posted...Road Trip: Two Months in AdvanceMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 4:02 pm
      It is definitely tough finding a balance between eating when you are hungry/not eating too late. I deal with acid reflux and, as a result, it is not good for me to eat late. Even still, I have a hard time saying no to food if I am TRULY hungry!
  • Jaime April 21, 2015, 5:41 pm
    This is something that I still want to try. =) I'll need to stock up with plenty of healthy things so it's not all just chocolate, haha. Jaime recently posted...Nominated for a Liebster Award!My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 8:14 pm
      That is definitely really helpful. If you have lots of healthy and delicious food all ready, you will be more likely to crave and eat them! Setting yourself up for success is key... but allowing yourself to indulge now and then is important! :)
  • Jaelan April 21, 2015, 7:58 pm
    I've been trying to start eating this way, too. I'm doing fairly well. I'm also working on portion control. Jaelan recently posted...Pastels Make Springtime Go ‘RoundMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2015, 8:19 pm
      Good for you, Jaelan! That is great to hear! Good luck to you on your intuitive eating journey :)
  • Emily April 21, 2015, 8:45 pm
    I loved this. It showed that with a day of intuitive eating, you eat whatever your body needs. It's amazing how our bodies were designed to know just what we need when we need it. So, if we aren't hungry till 10 AM, it's okay. We don't have to stuff ourselves, but if one day we're starving, but we didn't 'workout' that's okay too, cause obviously, the body needs it. Lately I've been trying to vary the menu and try new things instead of getting stuck in a rut. It's actually quite fun. Emily recently posted...Tuesday Runner Confessions.My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2015, 11:06 am
      Yes! Our bodies are quite smart and we need to give them more credit :)
  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul April 21, 2015, 9:55 pm
    I'm pretty sure I'm the opposite of an intuitive eater! :( So many yummy eats! Way to go on listening to your body!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2015, 11:07 am
      You could totally do it, Erin!! It is not easy, but practice makes progress!
  • Ariana April 21, 2015, 11:50 pm
    Sounds like a delicious day of food! I go back and forth between eating intuitively and tracking my food. I was eating whatever I felt like (within reason, of course) for about a year and a half, but in March I started training for a triathlon so I'm trying to find a balance between eating enough to fuel my activities, but not so much that I feel uncomfortable in a bikini when I'm on the beach in Maui next month ;) Ariana recently posted...Post-Workout Coffee FrappMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2015, 11:32 am
      It can be tough to find that balance, can't it? But once you do and are in a happy place with your body and what YOUR body needs, that is a great thing! :)
  • Miss Polkadot April 22, 2015, 6:51 am
    Well, you already know - or I guess you might remember? - I'm right there with you on re-learning to eat intuitively/'normal'. I can definitely relate to the routines where we just grab a certain something because we're used to it - not because we were actually hungry. Those little bites here and there right after meals usually throw me off as they easily turn into snacking my way to the next proper meal. Miss Polkadot recently posted...Vegetarian Tortilla BakeMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2015, 11:34 am
      Yes! It is amazing how much we are creatures of habit. I often envy children and their instinct nature to simple eat when they are hungry. I hope to be back to that place someday!
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