Monday, May 14, 2012

As opposed to tater tot casserole?: How our diets stack up--a real look at our nutrient intake

I'm getting my PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Sometimes I feel like that means I can't be angry or have conflict. But someone said something to me a few days ago that got me rip roaring mad. So mad that I barely could respond. So mad that I carried it around with me for days.

I know. . . you are thinking, "for the love of gosh woman, tell us what happened." The same thing that happens to Vegan moms everyday. Someone asked me about what my kids are eating. But without telling you who it was because that would be rude. This person does not eat healthy and is very close to my family. This person never questioned me when I fed the kids a SAD (Standard American Diet).

Here is the conversation:

Person: "Are you making sure you monitor what the kids eat to make sure they are getting adequate nutrition?"
Me: "Yes."
Person: "I'm serious. It is really important. I mean. Really. I mean. IMPORTANT, Heather."
Me: "I am."
Person: "Quit just saying that. You know are you making sure the food they eat is healthy?"
Me: "As opposed to what? Tater tot casserole?" (Tater tot casserole is something this person would feed the children)
Then with a straight face, the person said, "Yes."

I was so mad, I actually considered taking my kids to have a blood test. Not a part of their annual physical blood test, but just a, "I'll show you blood test." Then I realized that was crazy. I also realized that the anger was unhealthy. But I also realized, that I needed someway to say, "look, this is what it was before, and this is what it is now."

While all this was going on, I was just going on with my life. Two funny things happened. My daughter was required for school last year to keep a food journal for one day. Over the weekend I was frantically searching for something in the office, and I stumbled on this journal. It gave me a laugh. Then I switched from tracking my food in Livestrong to tracking it in Cron-O-meter because Cron-O-meter shows you all the vitamins.

Then it hit me. I tracked my food for years, and I have a one day food entry from a typical day from my kids. So this is what I did. I picked a day, at random from one of my "healthy" times when I was working out and eating what I considered super healthy. I am going to compare that day (April 10, 2011) with what I ate today, a normal, not trying to be healthy just eating the usual day, (May 14, 2012).

And I am going to compare what my kid wrote in her food journal which I think is from February of 2011 to what she ate today (May 14, 2012). I am going to give you the exact numbers and screen shots so you can see how we measure up. And if we fall short.

Let me add one other caveat. I add one tablespoon of nutritional yeast to their rice every night. I don't eat the rice. That is why some of their numbers are so high and mine aren't.

Here is a screenshot of the read outs for the kids' day on their SAD diet (it cut off the bottom but you can see all the important stuff):


Here it is for the Vegan day:



Side By Side:



Here is the screenshot of my day on the SAD diet:



Here it is for the Vegan Day:


Side By Side:
























The BAD:
You will notice on my side by side there is a column labeled, the bad. this is a column of what I ate on a normal day when I was just eating. Like travel days. Or days when I didn't feel like cooking. It is a breakfast burrito, Cesar salad, burrito, crunch wrap, soda, and a candy bar. Yep, I ate like that. 


Things of note:
So, I am not going to detail everything we eat everyday. This isn't a food journal. But I did detail it in my food journal; and if people doubt me, I guess I will post my food journal. I would like to note a few things, First off, on the good things, when the SAD diet wins, it barely wins. Second, on many things, I couldn't mark them 100%, but they were really close!
Note: Please note that on the SAD diet there is a cholesterol intake. On my Vegan diet, there is not. Also, check out that fat. Not only that, but on my vegan diet, that fat is coming from things like avocado. Yummy.
I also already noted about the nutritional yeast. I love it. It is really easy to throw in rice or beans or anything really. It has a nutty flavor. Some people say it tastes like cheese, but I don't think so. I think it tastes like salty bread crumbs a little bit, but they dissolve. It is a good flavoring. Not only that but it is packed full of B vitamins and protein.
One thing I found surprising is how yucky my kids' breakfast is! I don't know why, but I guess I just wasn't paying that much attention to it even though I thought I was. We wake up super early, and I suppose it just didn't get the attention it deserved. Now it is. We have already talked about it (on the way to hockey). We came up with an action plan, and we have solutions. Breakfast tomorrow will be jam packed with calories, protein, vitamins, and yummy stuff to help their little brains work!
I was also surprised to see that we now get MORE, yep, MORE iron, calcium, and vitamin D than they got on their SAD diet. I guess I was programmed not to think that. They did fall below the recommended value for calcium, but I am working to address that (hello breakfast).
I was a little sad to see they didn't get 100% of the recommended value of protein. But 98% is pretty darn close! Not only that, but I am working on solutions to address it. After all, their eating habits can't go from cookies and string cheese to fruit and nut butter overnight. It is something they are getting used to (especially that little one).
Things of note about me:
I didn't really exercise today (10 minutes of yoga doesn't count), so 1100 calories is probably enough. But I honestly feel like I would pop if I ate one more thing! I just can't eat this much freaking food. I got a lot of protein, so I need to get my kids up to that level, but they won't eat the dang beans and rice mix that I like. Ahhh... look at that sodium level (34%), that is pretty cool! I mean, I can't believe it isn't through the roof. It actually is probably higher because I think I sprinkled a little on my beans, but it isn't what it used to be.
Supplements:
Anyway, I know that a lot of Vegans say you don't have to supplement. I agree. But, I feel that we are still transitioning for the most part. I'm still trying to figure it all out some days. Especially with the kids. I am not willing to risk it. So, the girls do take a multi vitamin. It is a high quality multi vitamin. It is NOT, however, included in this chart. These charts are only our food. I am sure even if it isn't being 100% absorbed that it is filling in the gaps. I may not have them take it forever, but I will continue having them take it for now.
When we lived in Georgia, every year at their physical, the doctor checked them for anemia and a few other things. This year, I am going to ask him to throw in B12 and a few other things. But I am going to wait to their regularly scheduled check-up.
They play hockey, they swim, the run, the laugh, they play. They are happy, they are smart, they are healthy. They are beautiful with lovely hair and skin and smiles. I think we are doing just fine, and I think this is the proof in the pudding that we are doing better than when we were SAD.

1 comment:

Carole said...

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