WHAT'S GRETCHEN EATING TODAY?

Often, people seeking to adopt a healthier eating style become frustrated at first. It seems to them that everything desireable is a "no" and all the "yes" foods are boring or unappetizing. I am always being asked, "Well, what do YOU eat?"

So here you'll find what I eat from day to day. This is what GRETCHEN likes and chooses to eat. Sometimes I eat the same things over and over because I have a lot of it on hand and/or because that's just what I'm into at the moment. My lack of creativity is usually due to time constraints and the fact that what I cook for myself I often am the only one in my household who eats it. Gourmet cooking for one is not going to be an everyday thing for me! I am a real person; what I eat is not always perfect. I do sometimes bow to availability, cost, convenience, or desire. Furthermore, I am a very on-the-go person and am not always where I need to be when I need to be to prepare and eat what I've intended, so I have to make last minute adjustments. You may not find my eating style appealing at all, and that's okay. It is here merely as an example of Natural Nutrition put into practice in real life.

Well, I'm back from a long leave of absence. I went back to school for a while, had all kinds of personal drama, married, and moved. Hopefully I am now ready to return to normal life. Thank you for your patience.

As of September 2002, I reintroduced some meat back into my diet and so am not currently practicing a vegetarian eating style. I am, however, interested in returning to vegetarianism. I'm just not sure when.

Little Tyler is now nearly 3 years old and is still breastfeeding! Since none of his other family members are committed to healthy eating (or even interested, for that matter), his eating habits are kind of a mish-mash of mine and the SAD (Standard American Diet). His favorite foods are hot dogs, pizza, tacos, teriyaki chicken, and candy, but he does usually or often accept my healthy versions of these foods. For instance, I buy nitrate/nitrite-free hot dogs and make teriyaki chicken using whole brown rice and organic chicken.

So here's Ty's menu, too!

Also, I fill my menu as I go throughout the day. Where you see only vitamins listed does not mean that is all I ate! It just means I haven't filled in that meal yet.

My preference is organic foods; many of the foods named here (not necessarily specified) are organic depending on quality, price and availability.

NAF = no added fat (not necessarily FF, but no added oil, butter, etc.)
NF = non-fat FF = fat-free VLF = very low-fat (only a trace)
LF = low-fat RF = reduced-fat NRS = no refined sugar
WW = whole wheat PWG = partially whole-grain
WG = whole-grain (mixed flours or grains)
ND = non-dairy TBA = to be announced

If I made it from scratch, you can assume WG and NRS unless otherwise noted!

FRIDAY

8:30 A.M. breakfast
oatmeal w/ banana, 1 T. chopped walnuts, and vanilla soy milk

Little Tyler:   oatmeal w/banana, splash of pure maple syrup, splash of vanilla soy milk; breast milk

12:30 P.M. lunch
leftover Ramen Salad (cabbage, green onions, steamed brown rice ramen noodles, almonds, sesame seeds, brown rice vinegar and oil dressing)
teriyaki chicken w/ brown and wild rice
Little Tyler:   teriyaki chicken, brown and wild rice, 1 bite Ramen Salad
4:00 P.M.   afternoon snack
apple
Little Tyler:   apple. breast milk

6:30 P.M.   dinner
baked potato w/ steamed broccoli & cauliflower, cocktail sauce, sprinkle of Cheddar cheese, dollop RF sour cream
Little Tyler:   (went to daddy's house)

9:30 P.M. late night snack

Little Tyler: breast milk

at bedtime

incidentals
NF dairy white chocolate latté (from a latte stand)
5 candied espresso beans
6 Oreos ( Whoops! Got kinda carried away!)
Fuze (juice-like beverage w/only 10 calories)

THURSDAY

8:30 A.M. breakfast
freshly extracted carrot/kale juice
1/2 whole grain bagel w/Adams peanut butter and 100% fruit spread

Little Tyler:   1 sip carrot/kale juice; 1/2 whole grain bagel w/Adams peanut butter; breast milk

12:30 P.M. lunch
Ramen Salad (cabbage, green onions, steamed brown rice ramen noodles, almonds, sesame seeds, brown rice vinegar and oil dressing)
Little Tyler:   1/2 peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat: breast milk (Tyler is sick today)
4:00 P.M.   afternoon snack
banana
Little Tyler:   banana, breast milk

6:00 P.M.   dinner
leftover pasta w/marinara (Newman's);   sprinkle of fresh Parmesan
broiled asparagus w/olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Little Tyler:   hamburger pie (hamburger, tomato soup, green beans, and mashed potatoes), 1 bite asparagus, 2 bites of a roll

9:30 P.M. late night snack
baked tortilla chips (Guiltless Gourmet)
garlic salsa (Rojo's)
Little Tyler: breast milk

incidentals
white chocolate latté (vanilla Soy Dream)
1 Oreo cookie
5 candied espresso beans
1 apple chip (store sample)

WEDNESDAY

8:30 A.M. breakfast
banana

Little Tyler:   1 slice whole grain toast w/Adam's peanut butter; breast milk

12:30 P.M. lunch
taco salad (mixed greens, grated carrot, green onion, FF refried beans w/green chilies, taco sauce,     RF sour cream, sprinkling of Cheddar cheese)
1 whole wheat tortilla
Little Tyler:   taco salad w/1 tortilla; grape juice; breast milk
4:00 P.M.   afternoon snack
apple
Little Tyler: apple slices; breast milk

5:30 P.M.   dinner
teriyaki chicken
brown rice & wild rice
Ramen Salad (cabbage, green onions, steamed brown rice ramen noodles, almonds, sesame seeds, brown rice vinegar and oil dressing
Little Tyler:   teriyaki chicken, brown rice; he wouldn't eat the Ramen Salad; breast milk

9:30 P.M. late night snack
raw vegetables
LF ranch dip (made w/LF sour cream and soy milk)
Little Tyler: breast milk

at bedtime
Wasabi peas

incidentals
chocolate rice milk latté (Rice Dream)
5 candied espresso beans

* And remember to drink 64 ounces of fresh pure water a day, *
*** more if you're athletic ***

NATURAL NUTRITION DIRECTORY