Confession: I feel a bit like a hypocrite.

What’s up?

This morning (and last night), I was struggling with my whole freaking out a bit over the nutrition output I got for my attempt at granola bars.

If I split them into nine bars (that gives hefty servings, which is what I wanted)…

but that’s just part of the story…I’m also getting fibre, a good dose of healthy fats, and vitamins/minerals.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 9
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories		255.5
Total Fat		10.0 g
	Saturated Fat	1.4 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	2.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	6.0 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		7.6 mg
Potassium		405.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate		49.8 g
	Dietary Fiber	5.6 g
	Sugars	25.5 g
Protein		5.7 g

Vitamin A	0.0 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	4.0 %
Vitamin C	1.1 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	15.3 %
Calcium	7.0 %
Copper	24.2 %
Folate	5.2 %
Iron	14.9 %
Magnesium	25.9 %
Manganese	72.0 %
Niacin	4.1 %
Pantothenic Acid	2.9 %
Phosphorus	21.6 %
Riboflavin	8.1 %
Selenium	1.5 %
Thiamin	12.0 %
Zinc	10.0 %

And they’re made from scratch, which we know is in line with how I’d like to eat more.

So in other words, I was being a bit silly when I got into the “I shouldn’t be eating this” vs. “I’ll just have a taste” vs. “I should stop” thinking that always ends up in eating without thinking and usually means overeating mindlessly. Ironic since I listened to Jillian Michaels’ latest podcast and she talked about eating more mindfully…and I was like “THIS IS SO TRUE”…but then went and fell into the old habit of telling myself I shouldn’t be having something…eating them right out of the pan. So not ideal.

So, about the “hypocritical part”.

After telling a friend today that I thought it was weird that she chose sugar free ketchup with fake sweeteners in it and telling her when she said “It’s better that sugar” that there is nothing wrong with sugar (I may or may not have crossed the line and said “fake crap is better?” — and I don’t condone attacking friends’ dietary choices and I hope my girl reads this and knows I’m feeling like an arse) I realized I should probably live my word…

Cuz to be honest, sugar is okay. At what point did we decide that low sugar and adding fake things to fill up the space was better? I am going to listen to the message from Saturday instead–that we should focus on getting enough good in during the day and the whole idea of using food as fuel–and am forgiving myself for momentarily getting confused…cuz in what way is a Clif bar or a granola bar filled with heavily processed ingredients better than the real deal–something I made from scratch?

Ingredients in a clif bar, fyi:

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Soy Flour, Organic Roasted Soybeans), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Dried Cane Syrup), Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Peanut Butter (Organic Peanuts, Salt), Chocolate Chips (Dried Cane Syrup, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract), Peanut Flour, Peanuts, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Apple Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Psyllium, Organic Milled Flaxseed), Organic Date Paste, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.

…are not much different than my mix: some chocolate, some sugar, some fat, some carbs. But I made mine from scratch, got to add the tastes I want, and spent way less money. So to NOT eat them would be really dumb, don’t ya think? And then to go and rant about how we should eat real food, not be scared of carbs, and  have sugar in our diets, especially as athletes…well, I better get on that whole practising what you preach stuff, don’t you think?

So I had it with my morning, pre swim snack AND in my breakfast, which means I am owning this and reclaiming the recipe/healthy outlook I know is right.

greek yogurt with crumbled granola

Perfect fuel for ~2500m of awesome-ness, for the record!

kamut flakes,granola, banana, and soy milk

Sense: slapped into myself!

Now it’s time for a full day of class, Gazette, physio, meetings, and teaching spin tonight! Bring. it. on.

What’s one thing you practice but don’t preach?
Do you have a busy week ahead?