Yesterday started off fairly healthy with my usual breakfast of cereal (lame, I know, but it’s easy) and then some filling snacks. I had some fresh orange and yellows peppers with delicious smooth ranch dip (it’s like crack to me, I love it). I always thought that fresh vegetables were better for you than cooked but I wasn’t sure if that was myth or not so I decided to solve the mystery. Scientific American has an article explaining the pros and cons of cooking raw vegetables. I always thought cooking destroyed the proteins and vitamins (which is somewhat true) but boiling and steaming veggies can actually increase some of the antioxidants. The downfall is that Vitamin C, being highly unstable, breaks down when heated. Cooking helps us digest but then the heat also denatures enzymes that aid in digestion as well. So basically, there’s no one straight answer. A combination of cooked and raw fruits and vegetables is your best bet for obtaining a balance of vitamins, antioxidants, and enzymes that help your body.
I know some people think cooked vegetables taste better but I think raw can be just as tasty! (With some dip of course)
I managed to have some of them cooked veggies too! Brown rice with bell peppers and a little teriyaki, soy sauce, garlic and onion powder, honey, and sesame oil. Mmm Mmm!
Here’s where things went bad….
My mom suggested it and how am I suppose to say no to something so tasty?
Wednesday’s meals:
| Meal | Food | Calories |
| Breakfast | Cereal | 120 |
| Almond milk | 30 | |
| Snack | Peppers and ranch dip | 60 |
| Fiber One Bar (just half) | 70 | |
| Lunch | Brown rice and stir fry veggies | 170 |
| Dinner | Chinese Food | 696 |
| Total | 1146 |
Luckily with the first part of the day being so good, it didn’t push my calories over with the Chinese food.
And I went running THREE miles! There’s this route I used to always take in my parent’s neighborhood that has an intense hill. I used to run about a mile to it, then it’s a little less than a half mile down it and when I reached the bottom I would turn around and go right back up it and run back home. I did pretty well making it up most of it but had to walk the last little stretch. Then I had a to walk another block after that and stretch out but from there I was able to run all the way home! Not bad for feeling like I’m out of shape. I have a love/hate relationship with hills. I never feel like I have that good of run if there isn’t some challenge like a hill but at the same times hills just SUCK. The feeling after conquering that hill though feels pretty good.
Any body conquer some hills lately? Or accomplish anything they’re proud of?
Health My Lifestyle 