A few weeks ago my family and I enjoyed a fantastic family trip to Vancouver and Whistler. Canada is one special place! Besides those friendly Canadians and spectacular nature with beautiful waterways all around, there was lots of delicious seafood and local produce to enjoy. We indulged in all of that. But, we also indulged in all the bread, alcohol, and treats – that’s part of vacation fun!
As much as I love being away with my favorite people, we all enjoy coming home to our space that we love so much, and getting back to routine- whatever that means during the final days of summer!
Before we returned home, my husband and I decided we needed a little reset in our diet. And, as fate would have it, look what landed on my doorstep that I forgot I had pre-ordered months ago!
In our family, we are generally very healthy eaters, eating the majority of food cooked at home and with care to feed ourselves a balanced diet. But, lately I’ve personally had lots of aches and pains, not to mention chronic tennis elbow for over a year (which I’ve now learned isn’t even inflammation and just a damaged tendon in my elbow that needs some repair.) But being 42 years old and waking up achy and not feeling my best despite a pretty balanced diet and lifestyle- anyone in the same boat?! I decided to tackle a few issues to improve my overall health. Nothing extreme, but it was time to make a few tweaks to feel as healthy as possible (new mattress/pillow coming soon, removing a few toxins in our environment, etc.) Three kids who aren’t slowing down anytime soon means mama cannot slow down anytime soon! And for me, extra coffee to get through the day just isn’t an acceptable solution.
Enter our 5 day Post-Vacay Reset… these “rules” are loosely based on an anti-inflammatory/Mediterranean diet with the intent to not only decrease/cut out inflammatory foods but to increase the amount of anti-inflammatory foods in our daily diet. I wrote these rules on our last (rainy!) day of vacation and dragged my family to Costco straight from the airport (yes, I did this) followed by a solid trip the next morning to the local farmer’s market. In the time it took my family to put away the Costco haul, I had a delicious healthy dinner on the table (grilled wild salmon, brown rice + quinoa, and roasted broccoli).
The “Rules”
NO to…
White stuff (four, rice, potatoes)
Meat/poultry
Refined oils and sugars
MINIMAL…
Dairy (only using Greek yogurt as a protein source for smoothies and overnight oats)
Alcohol (glass of red wine)
YES to…
Lots of whole fruits and veggies
Juicing
Eggs
Seafood (mainly wild salmon, wild canned tuna, shrimp)
Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil
Nuts and seeds
Whole grains (oats, farro, brown rice, quinoa)
Touch of…
Honey/Maple syrup
*used organic when possible and available
Don’t you love a plan that has more “yes” instead of “no”? I have to say that after 5 days of an eating reset, my husband and I both felt better. We continue to enjoy this plan as a base for eating most meals, every day. The exception is that life sometimes includes a few treats and that is something we will continue to enjoy. We’ve added back organic chicken a few times a week, allowing for an increase of healthy protein as we ramp up our workouts.
Next post… the meal plan.
Cheers to healthy eating!
Christina