Lightweight Eats

For various reasons, I eat a relatively high protein diet.  It helps keep me full, which is important given my busy schedule. Also, my coach has asked me to eat plenty of protein.

It's also a diet I'm comfortable maintaining--by focusing on protein, I tend to make smarter choices. For example, I'm more likely to choose yogurt and granola for dessert than ice cream, because the yogurt helps me reach my daily protein requirement.

As I started training, I began to track my food intake as well, to help me transition to the increased activity level. As I tracked, I noticed that I was relying quite heavily on dairy to supply my protein. Of course, I was also getting protein from beans, grains and vegetables, but dairy seemed to play a disproportionally large role.

Reading the Food Revolution, I became increasingly aware of this reliance. I see eating as an entire package; chewing is just one part of the food experience. Eating also encompasses how you feel before and after you've eaten something, and how it affects your body's functioning.

Take an example. I love the experience of chewing chocolate. The flavor, the meltiness, and the way it coats every square inch of my mouth are divine. When I eat a square or two of chocolate, I also enjoy the overall experience of eating: it helps me feel satisfied at the end of a meal. I've also been known to sit and eat an entire bag of chocolate chips, which usually make me very thirsty and often somewhat irritable.

What does this have to do with eggs, you ask? Well, one of the things that makes my whole eating experience better is a variety of foods. And as I shift away from dairy products, I've been maintaining my protein intake by eating foods I didn't eat as much of before--including eggs!

Recently, I've been eating a lot more eggs. Today's lunch was a rice and veggie bowl topped with a fried egg. I've also been throwing them onto sandwiches, layered right above a bed of sprouts to absorb the drippy yolk.

Once we start menu planning again (we've been taking a break because of our vacations), I'm hoping to plan in some quiches and omelettes with dinner. If you have any other great ideas for ways to use eggs, let me know in the comments!