Forget the Food

I have a really pretty friend inside and out who looks like she still did in high school with lots of babies and one set of twins. She has never seemed to be interested in diets and food. Although we have never talked about nutrition or weight, we have talked about parenting quite a bit. She is a precious mother. I remember once she was talking about "working" as a stay-at-home mom, and she said, "Most days I even forget to eat."

That has always stayed with me because forgetting to eat is not exactly a habit of mine. Lately, I've experienced this a little more. What I love about her eating habits is that she is not insecure about her weight or food. She's just a good mama who gets so busy that she forgets to eat because food is not on her mind all the time.

I'm all for eating, but I am even more for freedom from thinking about food.

PS....FLOG. I did terrible today. Absolutely terrible. I totally stepped off the trail then decided to take a nose dive off a cliff. I'm not even sure if I've landed yet. But you know what? I do know that I am righteous and what I've "done" today does not define me. I will trust him to pick me up and plant my feet on higher ground. I don't have to climb back up myself. He's got me there. "The righteous fall.." for sure, but they can get back just because they know they are righteous. (Admitting that to the world helped me recognize my freedom. Feels good after being in bondage to old habits today.)

Nutritional Nugget: Tryptophan

(Homer ate too much turkey.)

Have you ever heard that?...that turkey makes you sleepy? Tryptophan is considered the culprit behind the snoozes on Thanksgiving day. Tryptophan is an amino acid. That means it is a link in protein chains. It is a dandy little nutrient. Our bodies are able to convert tryptophan to the B vitamin Niacin. How cool is that? But it is also used to make a neurotransmitter called serotonin which helps to regulate appetite, sleep, and mood. Increasing a diet with tryptophan will increase serotonin levels in our body. Don't let that be an excuse to stuff yourself after you stuff the turkey. Tryptophan is high in a variety of foods, but really the tryptophan in turkey is about the same in all poultry. Milk, Seeds, egg whites, and red meats are also good sources per protein gram of tryptophan. Eating a balanced diet with good variety still remains the best way to get all the stuff you need for health.