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The Paleo Running Momma

Run Fast, Eat Clean, Live Messy!

We Are Not What We Eat – WIAW

Token window-seat coffee selfie
Token window-seat coffee selfie

Happy Wednesday to everyone!!  I’m a lunatic this week as we all know since I’ve been shouting it from the rooftops of the internet and blah blah marathon-on-Sunday blah blah.  Well this post is not about that.  And don’t worry, you’re going to get to see and read in great oversharing detail everything I ate lst Sunday – but first – a little note on “we are what we eat” or, rather, “we are NOT what we eat.”

Thanks for the WIAW link-up Jenn!  May we all eat and be as we please.

wiawphotobuttonI joke with myself about my real name and blog name becoming synonymous lately.  With all the blogs I comment on as “Michele @ paleorunningmomma” I sometimes forget that I’m really just Michele and that Paleo Running Momma is just the name of my blog.  At the time I started the blog, I created this name impulsively based on the subjects I planned to cover without thinking about any identity implications for myself.  I’m fine with this and actually find it funny to call myself by my blog name, but it DOES get me thinking about how what and how we eat can get all tangled up with our identities.

Here are some examples of what I mean:  “Team fill-in-the-blank-with-“scandalous”-food-of-choice” or any group who’s members are at least somewhat defining themselves through a food they choose to eat or not eat.   Team white rice and white potatoes come to mind, which I guess I’m a member of.   “Paleo” “Vegan” “Vegetarian” “Healthy Eater” “Gluten Free” and there are just a ton of other categories someone might identify with based on what they eat. Except sometimes it goes further than just being WHAT THEY EAT.  Sometimes, and ESPECIALLY if you write a blog related to food or healthy living and it’s in the darn blog name (guilty) it becomes WHO YOU ARE.   But it isn’t who you are.  We are not defined by what we eat or do not eat or how much we eat or how we eat.  Period.

I am kind of a rule following type and I’ve noticed that putting “paleo” in my blog name sometimes leads to me asking silly questions in my head.   Like, “should I comment that the recipe looks delicious even though it’s not paleo?” or “can I still be friends with someone if they eat gluten-filled cookies?” See how ridiculous that sounds?  Just for the record these were never SERIOUS questions I asked myself, but rather some vague uncertainty about where my “brand” ends and where I begin.  It’s like I’m unsure if I can just be Michele instead of ALWAYS the Paleo Running Momma.  Because Michele actually thinks some pasta recipes look pretty darn tasty.  Let’s remember that Michele ate pasta for 30 years before discovering Paleo.

Okay done with the weird 3rd person speech.  Just wanted to throw the topic out there to get your thoughts on it.  And now, here’s everything I ate in a day, specifically last Sunday.

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Breakfast!  I am loving my new pans.  Nothing like sliding a hash onto a plate in one swoop, eggs and all.  This is Japanese sweet potatoes sausage, and collards fried in Leaf Lard from Fatworks (their link is on the right sidebar, awesome stuff!) topped with 2 eggs.  I cooked the eggs right in the skillet with the hash, lowered the heat and covered until the whites set.  Delicious!

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I made homemade chicken salad for lunch, which is a definite favorite for my whole family.  I use cooked chicken breasts, usually sauteed in some type of fat and then cooled, chopped, and mixed with my homemade mayo and other goodies if I have them on hand.  This time it was green onions.  Put some of this over spinach, grape tomatoes and avocados.

imageFor an afternoon snack I heated up leftovers.  This is 2 small turkey meatballs and some white sweet potato fries.  Also had water, not pictured.

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And then I made cookies!  The recipe for these will be up this Friday.  I didn’t eat one of these until before bed, but while I was making them I had about a tablespoon-ish of the uncooked dough.  You don’t want to put your cookies in the oven if the dough tastes like crap, that would be a mistake and a waste.  These are cranberry chocolate chip.

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That’s my Instagram filter making this photo look super orange.  For dinner I made a grassfed-beef burger (okay 5 of them, but one for me) and homemade plantain chips made with thinly sliced green plantains fried in coconut oil.  Also made chipotle mayo to top our burgers made from the leftover mayo in our chicken salad.  Chipotle mayo is definitely one of our favorite flavored dips!  Served this over a bit of baby spinach and BOOM.  Good stuff right there.

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My after dinner/before bed snack was a sliced banana with some strawberries and finally one of those cookies I’d made earlier.  We plowed through this batch and my kids have already requested another.  Not sure if they’re just that good or if my kids are cookie deprived.  Probably somewhere in between 🙂

After my snack I had chamomile tea, which I’ve been having almost every night.  No picture since I must have put my phone to bed at that point.  I usually put my phone to bed right along with the kids.

Do you ever feel like your food choices, preferences, or dietary restrictions mingle with your identity?  How do you reconcile this?  Do you think it’s okay for bloggers to not BE their blog/brand all the time?

 

 

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Reader Reviews & Comments

  1. I used to make really good chicken salad! I used my Pampered Chef chopper to chop it all up. I almost forget I used to be a Pampered Chef lol. My blog name doesn’t have my diet preferences listed so I guess I never really thought about it? It takes time to read through my blog to really notice I am a vegetarian I think.

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  2. I could see how that could be tricky especially with having “paleo” in your blog name. But like you said, just because you eat paleo doesn’t mean you can’t think other stuff doesn’t look good! Those cookies sound perfect and I can wait for the recipe!

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  3. oh woman, i so agree. WE are not defined by what we DON’t eat. I comment on gluten filled goodness recipes. To each their own. paleo, vegan, whatever. Our food choices change but we should never judge. which is why i love you! p.s. i need that mayo!

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  4. Agreed!! I eat mostly paleo throughout the week, but on the weekend i’ll have a pizza and beer. Sometimes I wonder if my readers will be confused by me posting a gluten-free recipe one day and a picture of me eating a giant pizza with #alltheglutens the next, and they probably are, but that’s just how I roll!

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    • I think we just have to be ourselves as long as we’re not hurting anyone! I would think MOST people understand that we are all more than the food we talk about 🙂

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  5. I feel the same way with the weird vagueness! Like, I will always look at any recipe that looks amazing even if I can’t eat it..or wouldn’t. I even pin them (if they can be adapted…which most everything can!). I think what everyone has to offer is an art form fitness to food and if I think it’s cool, then who cares!

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    • So true! And glad to get your perspective since you have foods you avoid as well. And that’s a good point about substituting in a great recipe. It’s rare that it can’t be done.

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  7. You nailed it in this post. The one reason I like your blog is because you are a straight shooter–no BS or sugar coating. You are honest and say it like it is served up with a good side of wittiness. You have made it very clear that you eat what makes you feel good. You suffered enough years and have figured out your body’s diet needs. It’s great through your blog you share this on going information with others. Plus, all us runners like sharing our running thoughts, fears, goals and training. You can blah, blah all you want it is your blog and we are all interested in and excited for you with your upcoming day. It’s freezing out, but warming up for the weekend. BTW, just interested, what is your take on white rice and white potatoes?

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    • Thanks! I eat white potatoes usually once per week, roasted like most of my other veggies. I eat white rice probably 1 x month and that works for me. It’s not my favorite, but I prefer it over cauli rice for sure. I think these foods are fine for people who aren’t looking to lose weight, don’t have blood sugar issues and especially if you’re running a lot.

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  8. I think not wanting to be labeled a this or as that is part of the reason I went with Suzlyfe for my blog. Sure it is a little juvenile, but it is my life and all of the change and evolution that goes along with it!

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    • Good point! I wouldn’t change my blog name now, and anyone who spends a few minutes on my site sees it’s not ALL paleo and running talk all the time. There’s a lot of “me” in here too.

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  9. I agree! That’s one of the reasons I didn’t put the words “celiac” or “gluten free” in my blog name. I didn’t want to be defined by those labels because in real life, I’m not. Like you said, there’s so much more to who we are as people and what we eat is not a defining factor. It’s only in the blog world that this has become common, because who in real life introduces themselves as “Emily the gluten-free girl” ???

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  10. When I was a vegetarian I felt like it was what identified me. Everyone knew I was a vegetarian. I recently decided to start eating meat again and the hardest part was losing the label. I had to remind myself that I am not defined by what I do or don’t eat. It became more important to me to be known as a healthy eater than to be put into a category.

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    • I think vegetarian and even more so vegan wind up being labels that “stick” on someone’s identity especially because they often are tied to ethics and personal values. So that’s a big thing to shed when changing how you eat! Good point for everyone to remember.

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  11. I am what I am and my blog is what it is. I don’t look at my blog or ME as a “brand”. I am a person. Sure I eat healthy most of the time and encourage/help others to do the same… but I also talk about how much I love Apple Pie Blizzards from DQ! And that is okay. I feel like people would call BULLSHIT on me if I didn’t share that part of me.

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    • You are definitely YOU on your blog, through and through, and that’s a great thing! It’s much more helpful for readers to get a sense of the whole person behind the blog, rather than an identity caught up in just one part of someone’s life. It is tough to find a balance for that on a blog but I think it’s possible and you do a great job.

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  12. You’re so right on with this. I don’t want to be defined by anything that’s outside of things like integrity, compassion, traits like that. Not food, not CrossFit, not engineering, nothing that puts me in a box. It’s hard sometimes because when you meet new people, generally the question “what do you do?” comes up and how we answer that often frames our entire being to that person. I don’t know a better way to answer that question, and if you do let me know! I am glad I don’t have to always do Fran, according to my blog name. =)

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    • I don’t have an answer either. I wind up telling people things that make me feel not like “me” but I agree that it’s tough to express yourself without putting yourself in a category. I like your blog name because although it references CrossFit, it also hints that there’s more to you!

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  13. While I don’t think my identity is tied up with my blog name necessarily, I do find myself feeling the need to take a picture of a bagel or broccoli related dish if I see one, just to relate it. And I feel like I’m ALWAYS telling people, “no, it’s not a food blog!”.

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    • That’s funny that you think of taking pictures of bagels! And of course I take tons of pictures of paleo food and running, but I guess that was the point. I think we can be ourselves and ALSO blog about a certain lifestyle. It doesn’t have to define us! And the people/readers who matter will see it doesn’t.

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  14. People call me Spoons, but I guess that doesn’t really have anything to do with a certain dietary camp. I do wonder what would happen if I was to be caught with a fork in hand, though. Scandalous 😉

    In all seriousness, though, I very much agree with what your’e saying here. We aren’t defined by our food choices, especially because those aren’t set in stone and can change drastically over the years. I leave the same kind of comments on vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, pale, and everythingarian blogs — I’m there for the people not the food!

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    • Haha! I thought you only ate with spoons, what’s all this fork business??

      And I completely agree with reading/commenting for the people, rather than the food. While at first I had to think it over, clearly I realized that if I enjoy a blog and think a recipe looks great, then certainly I should speak up and say so! And as Rebecca said, most everything can be adapted for people’s individual needs anyway.

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  15. Oh we are so much alike! I talk about myself in the 3rd person all the time. I also think some of that is training madness. Don’t worry it will all be over with soon. And as far as the recipes, I’m having an identify crisis too. While I’m following a mostly paleo diet, I don’t want that to define my blog because I know it’s not for everyone.

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    • Yes the madness is almost over! Glad you could relate to the food/identity thing, and hopefully you can look at it differently now. No need for crisis, just keep being you and making great food, regardless of what type it is 🙂

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  17. I actually like it when a blogger shares their eats that may not be as strict as they usually identify themselves with, only because it seems more human. For example, I used to follow this other female paleo blog but the tone is if it’s not 100% paleo, it’s bad. welp, that kinda doesn’t work for me 100% of the time, and i hate to feel bad about that, so i have stopped reading that blog as much – and that led to me finding yours and sticking with it because of this: you make me feel like i have permision to be human and 100% myself, all the flaws and whatevers. it’s okay if i eat a snickers, you don’t seem to condemn people about it but you do inspire people through your own posts, which are pretty much awesome 100% to me. if i were to blog i’d hate to brand myself aside from just loving veggies, which i do!!! so if i get called a veg head, then cool. i am! everything else is just a bonus, as long as i get my veggies i’m good by me 🙂

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    • So glad my blog can be that way for you, because that’s the point! Anyway, I also read paleo blogs when starting out and got a little bit caught up in the paleo/not paleo thing and then realized it was dumb, that I wasn’t thinking for myself, and at that point I decided to figure out what foods really worked for ME and what didn’t. The blog hopefully is a reflection of my whole life and not just the running and food. Appreciate your feedback on this!

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  18. I think this is a common way to feel if you’re passionate about your health and your specific “diet” whether it’s paleo, vegetarian, vegan, whatever. I’ve been guilty of feeling the same way both as a vegetarian and now eating paleo. But I will say that when I was a vegetarian, I was fully aware that I loved the taste of steak even if I wasn’t eating it. (How did I go 6 years without steak?? I eat it every week to make up for it.) Now eating paleo 80% of the time, I am still fully aware that pasta, muffins, BREAD, etc are all delicious as well. And I’m allowed to have them sometimes if I want. All it does is change the instagram from #paleo to #notpaleo 🙂 And no one ever really has anything negative to say about it, so I’m done beating myself up if I want to stray from paleo and enjoy something.

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    • I love the point about changing the instagram! I eat ice cream sometimes and it’s not paleo. I WISH I could eat bagels without getting sick but that unfortunately is not worth it, or is any gluten stuff really. And 6 years without steak is SAD, but I might say 6 years without pizza is sad too! I agree that many people who align their eating with one diet probably feel this way, regardless of if they blog.

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  20. I totally think it’s okay for bloggers to not “be” their brand all the time. Sometimes, you just want to not think about it and enjoy life in all of its deliciousness, and that’s cool. I still think of myself as paleo foodie even though most of what I’ve been eating has been most decidedly conventional lately. But that’s a lifestyle choice I am consciously making and am exploring right now. That doesn’t have to define me as a person or a blogger. You can’t be perfect and be a human at the same time.

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    • That’s right, human means we don’t always follow any one set of rules for very long before the waters shift. I agree that bloggers should be who they are, and not ALWAYS feel confined to the walls of their internet space!

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  21. An interesting thought on the everlasting „you are what you eat“ saying. My short reply: I absolutely agree you are NOT what you eat. Now the longer one: No matter if we’re following a certain diet or even if our blog’s name gives it away there’s no reason why we shouldn’t leave approving comments on food not “suitable” for our diet. Case in point: I don’t even think about gushing over baked goods that contain eggs or pretty desserts made with gelatin both of which I don’t eat. However, there’s one exception: you won’t hear me oooh and aah over plates filled with meat. That’s simply because my reasons for being vegetarian are ethical so it wouldn’t be in line with my beliefs. Taking your food as an example I could still tell you that breakfast potatoes sound pretty good to me and cookies. No matter what diet we can all bond over cookies. (:

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    • Totally bond with people over cookies! And cookies can usually be adapted to suit anyone’s preferences 🙂 And where ethics comes in around vegan/vegetarian I can see this subject get trickier, and in that case avoiding saying something is great makes sense, because that would NOT be in line with who you are and your values. Great point!

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  23. I don’t blog, and definitely don’t have a brand, but still understand the “you are (or aren’t) what you eat” dilemma. At work, I’m viewed as the “healthy eater/ paleo girl”, which can be good and bad. I’ll admit, it does keep me on the healthy track sometimes, but then if I “stray” I can also be seen as a hypocrite.
    I believe that we all need to make choices that are right for ourselves at the time. As long as a person (blogger, foodie or other) isn’t preachy about their food choices, then it should be no big deal if the enjoy a slice of pizza or pasta dish 🙂
    Also, Lindsey sees nothing wring with speaking in the third person 😉

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    • I think it’s the same thing at work – you’re “known” for eating a certain way and people will possibly define you by that, and there’s a little bit of pressure, even though it shouldn’t mean anything! And if someone is very preachy then I guess they are really putting that pressure on themselves. And it would be silly to say that we literally don’t think pizza looks good anymore, at all 🙂

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  24. Great points! I think we are all guilty of balancing what we think/feel versus what we think people want us to think/feel. Being able to be who you are without questioning why is the daily journey I go on. It’s all about being confident in who you are and comfortable with your decisions.

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    • Confident and comfortable in your decisions – absolutely! For me, I still struggle with it a bit, but I realize it’s not worth worrying too much about what other people expect me to do.

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  25. As always, your food really looks delicious! I can’t decide which meal sounds tastier 🙂 I also look forward to your cookies recipe 🙂

    I spent some time thinking about whether it’s weird that I comment on people’s non-paleo foods, and then I thought whatever – it looks yummy so why not say something. I also get a lot of food-inspiration from non-paleo blogs/books/chefs so I tell myself not to get so bothered by it haha. I also swao some ingredients in non-paleo recipes to fit my lifestyle and it works (in my mind).

    Again, love your food 🙂

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    • Agree with all of it, and like a couple of people said, most recipes can be adapted to paleo or gluten free and so if something looks great, there’s no sense in ignoring it just because it’s not in line with what we eat most of the time. And thanks! Your food always looks great!

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  26. I don’t feel being a primal-paleo eater is part of my identity, just like I don’t think being someone’s wife is either. it is a big part of my life though. I include it in my Twitter and Instagram bios to give people an idea of what my feed will be about. I think it’s perfectly fine to like or comment on non-paleo food photos: you’ll know through experience that none of us are 100% paleo all the time. We’re not paleo perfect, and that’s okay. Even some of the biggest paleo bloggers (Nom Nom Paleo, Stupid Easy Paleo, the Domestic Man) write about eating non-paleo food.

    I have had someone comment on me liking a photo on Instagram of a Scottish fry-up with baked beans and potato scones, saying that they’d never think I’d ‘like’ their photo; I just wrote that I’m still allowed to think all food looks good, even if I choose not to eat it. Which is true. What gets me most is the question “Are you allowed to eat __________?” Of course I am! But if it’s not within a primal template, I choose not to eat it because of how it will make my body feel afterwards. I do have the occasional cheat treat, when the food is made with good quality ingredients at either a good restaurant, when we’re on a holiday (can’t pass on opportunities) or if it’s homemade. Some foods are worth it, others simply are not.

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    • Yup, that is such a good attitude and totally makes sense. Just because we choose to eat a certain way most of the time to feel our best, doesn’t mean we can approve of other great meals that don’t fall into a category. I also appreciate the paleo bloggers who don’t come off as being 100% paleo all the time.

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  27. I love and respect all the foods, even the ones I don’t eat. I’m actually a vegetarian although I hope that’s not super obvious on the blog. For me, it’s really about a love for food. If you love your turkey meatballs, I say get you some and make those the best damn turkey meatballs ever. Maybe throw them on a hoagie roll, topped with marina sauce and cheese and you’ve got yourself a turkey sub. Mmm, now that sounds good, right?!

    Reply

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