walking, talking cliche

So there I was in the Whole Foods in my yoga clothes, asking the nice man to please pack my groceries in my organic cotton reusable shopping bag. This was after I had carefully read the nutritional label on every single item I put into my cart. I don't like to say anything, but it is just possible that I may be turning into one of those people I hate.

But, no, lemme tell you about at least some of the label-reading. Ever since I have been doing (what is for me, but probably not for those of you who are actually in good shape) hardcore cardio, I have found that I do best if I have something light with a few carbs and some protein before I work out. This is especially true when I go to the gym right from work, since I haven't probably eaten much and if I have, it's been hours before. What I've been doing in this situation is stopping at the CVS and buying one of those foil packages of mixed nuts or almonds, and eating some on the way to the Y. While this is perfect on the macronutrient level, have you ever actually read one of those packages? Each one is three servings and about 550 calories. So if you eat the whole thing, forget about "light." And if you eat one third, you are left with an un-reclosable package of nuts in your bag and the whole thing is a mess. Well, I figured I would take a new approach and buy a couple of those protein bars to keep in my office for days I was going to run after work.

Whole Foods has A LOT of different protein bars. And almost all of them contain fucking soy protein. Are you kidding me? I am very anti-soy, since I've read a bunch of stuff suggesting it's really not good for you. First of all, there are a bunch of studies coming out now saying it's not good for your thyroid, especially in people whose thyroids are already compromised. I forced The Benevolent L to read a couple links on this because she is hypothyroid and she eats gluten-free soy products and the occasional (excuse me, but gross) tofu meal. Turns out (and this is a point in my favor if you think this is just another one of my crackpot ideas) her mother has already been on her case about this. So, ha! I also stay away from soy because it's estrogenic, which is why they're always pushing it for middle-aged women. However, ever since my mom's gynecologist told me when she was dying that her endometrial cancer (which my grandmother also had had) was linked with excess estrogen in the body, and thus with obesity (since obese women have more stored estrogen), I have been resolute in keeping my weight to a reasonable level, not eating soy, and determining I will get my uterus yanked the first time anyone offers to do it for me.

After reading 30 different energy bar labels, like the annoying cliche I am, I broke down and bought a couple of Lara Bars, which are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, and kosher. Take that! anyone on a special diet. They also only have like 6 grams of protein, but whatever. I was sick of trying to weigh the options and I'm sick of finding fuzzy stray almonds in my bag. We'll see how this works out.

xoxo