This year I am setting out on a journey to really understand what food I am consuming to identify if I am getting the appropriate nutrients my body needs. But how can I know what nutrients and in what amounts my body needs?
The USDA posts guidelines for how much of each nutrient we should be getting on a daily basis, these are called RDAs or recommended daily allowance <add more here>. Since it is often not practical to identify exactly what you are consuming, it is often suggested to eat a variety of healthy foods and by default you should be getting pretty close to the recommended amounts. But what I am curious about is how close I am actually getting. Is there a nutrient that I happen to hardly ever consume despite eating a healthy diet?
What if during a busy time of my life my day consisted of a protein bar for breakfast, pop-tarts from the vending machine for lunch, and ordering a pizza for dinner but then another day when I had a chance to plan ahead and prep my meals, the day consisted of chia seed pudding topped with fresh fruit and granola for breakfast, a hearty salad for lunch, and chicken breast with roasted vegetables for dinner. How different do those days look when compared side by side?
For a lot of my life, I have struggled with digestive issues like so many others. Although I have not been successfully able to pinpoint anything in particular to be the cause of my issues, I have had success just focusing on making better choices when it comes to eating which has made me increasingly interested in the effect that diet can have on your overall well-being. I am currently expecting my second child, so I especially want to focus on eating right to give myself and my baby the nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy. There are specific focuses I have right now like consuming foods higher in fiber and magnesium to aid in digestion, but how much vitamin D am I getting? Calcium? What percent of my consumption is from supplements versus from whole foods?
I will be tracking my own data to identify trends and areas I can improve upon. For me this is all about learning both more about myself and the food choices available to satisfy what my body needs to thrive.