The Whack-A-Mole Game

Finding balance for healthy eating is a constant whack-a-mole game.

• We need to eat carbs, but not too much, and not the wrong kind. 
• We need to have the right amount of protein.
• We need to drink water every day.  Not too much, not too little.
• Fiber.  Oh, how we need fiber. Soluble, insoluble.  Which is which? Which did I just eat?
• Fat fat fat.  Good fat.  Not trans fat.  Not saturated fat.  Not hydrogenated stuff.  Olive oil, coconut oil, flax - we need those omegas and essential oils.  But just a dab'll do ya. Polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated. Plain ole unsaturated. But fat is a lot of calories, so to make a daily calorie limit, something else is going to have to go.  We can't skip those essential oils.
• We need to have our "percent daily values" of calcium every day.
• It's all a juggling act getting enough of what we need without going over.

Tracking on My Fitness Pal has been so helpful in this regard.  For starters, I added calcium to the list of nutrients that it tracks, because it really is so critical for me. I had the baby factory removed in 2001, so I'm technically post-menopausal and in dire need of calcium.

As you can see below, this week I had some days that fell pretty short in the calcium department:

Add in calcium on some of those days and I might go even further over in protein.  It's a juggling act, for sure.

I have done some research on ways to increase my calcium and will share that in another blog post.  There are many other options besides milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products.  Of course they are loaded with calcium and I do like them.  But sometimes they don't fit my plan.

The more practice we get with planning variety, and the more educated we become about what ingredients and nutrients are in our food, the better control we have over the balance.  And once we get the food running on auto pilot, have no fear, something else, like exercise, will pop up in need of our attention in this great whack-a-mole game of life.

:-)

Carly
"I am fit, active, healthy, and enjoying life."