I figured that I’d get my long swim in today so I started the day with two bananas to power up! I generally just have one, but today I doubled up in anticipation for my workout…
…but then I twisted my ankle. 😦
I don’t even have a cool story! I decided to take a quick impromptu walk down to the post office to mail something off to my parents, and on the way back I stumbled into this weird street pothole-like dip in the sidewalk. I am accustomed to rolling my ankle here and there and bouncing back immediately without too much pain, but this time it’s sore. REALLY SORE.
I went home immediately and iced and began loading up on some anti-inflammatories, mainly green tea and dried cherries.
To keep me from walking around my apartment all day I decided to work from the kitchen. It kept me in proximity of all my food and my freezer. I’ve been icing it quite a bit as well. Oddly enough I got more done by working out of the kitchen! For a late breakfast I had an egg-white and spinach omelette.
Got a bit snacky during my design work so I popped open two things of dried seaweed. It’s roasted and seasoned very lightly with sea salt. (Indulgence…but at 30 calories a pop.)
Then got wildly hungry but was too lazy to make any real food, so I sliced open a few oranges to stave it off.
I was on my way out the door for an event and was hungry, so I stashed some nuts and dried cherries for the road. A few minutes later it was cancelled so I only ended up eating about a quarter of it.
…And then I headed over to a mexican restaurant. Not paleo by any means! I’ve really been feeling like acidic food the last few days. I’ve been mostly craving tomatoes and chilis. I originally felt like wolfing down two shrimp and cheese enchiladas and a whole plate of rice and beans! After 17 days of paleo it felt like it would hit the spot immediately! However, if I was going to cheat, I had to do it reasonably, so I limited myself to a few chips for the salsa dip.
Instead of ordering the heart attack enchiladas, I went for “the works” veggie burrito. Inside was lettuce, tomato, beans (not paleo), rice (not paleo), guacamole, and pico di gallo. The burrito itself was topped with ranchero sauce, cheeeeeeeeeese (so much cheese, not paleo) and of course was wrapped in a giant flour tortilla (not paleo).
I was a good girl and ate the burrito with my fork and knife, cutting away at the cheese and tortilla love to reveal the veggies, rice, and beans inside. I ate all of it and enjoyed every single bite. I left most of the tortilla off though since I didn’t want to fall into a deep slumber immediately after. I nibbled here and there on the tortilla and cheesy goodness, enough for me to stave off another craving for awhile.
What was most interesting about this experience was how unsettled I felt immediately after eating this and in the hours after. My stomach felt weird. I felt lethargic, like a grease-haze was being cast upon me. I could feel little pangs here and there in my stomach. Was it worth it?
All in all I’m proud of myself for not overdoing it at the mexican restaurant. I could’ve gone crazy and ordered like, fifty enchiladas and followed that with a few margaritas, but I didn’t. I made a judgement call and did my best given my cravings and the food in front of me. Sometimes it’s not about willpower but about making the right decisions in the face of uncertainty…or, in this case, enchiladas!
I’d be curious to do some research and find out if there are any other foods that are anti-inflammatory and can help with my ankle. Any ideas out there?
Amara in Training 