Project October; The food chapter..

So, its officially October. I decided on a whim at the end of September that October was going to be my month of change. No Stoptober, no sober October, but Project October instead.

Today I'll talk you through the food chapter of my #projectoctober. I have a funny relationship with food. It isn't a bad one per se, I'm not one of those who eats a million takeaways, crisps and shit and complains I'm fat but don't know why, but I know I could eat better. Leaner. I sat down and decided what changes to my diet I was going to make. Each person would differ. Some might decide to abandon all carbs, others to ditch meat for a month perhaps. These are my changes. I wouldn't think for a moment to try and force them on others.

• Planning; I cannot stress how much this helps me. And how important it is as it will be the one thing that keeps me fromk drifting too far off course. I sat down on Sunday and drew up my menu, my shopping list and even dotted in random things like breakfast and snacks. I am normally the kind who wakes and goes "Meh, simple and quck" and it can lead to me beiong a bit of a tit and choosing something I can eat on the run whoc can lead to my poor diabetes going "Seriously?! what the fuck woman". Those moments need to stop and this way I have no excuse. I have a wonderful library of books to hand, plus the actual library and the internet. This means my diet wont feature the same 4-6 meals which leads to boredom and it going awry at the first hurdle.

• Portion control; Such a simple thing that we all slip up on. I actually measured out my porridge the other day and was surprised at how much 30g dried actually is. I struggled to eat it all, yet you can show me a steak and I'll sod the recommended size. I'm paying attention to what is the recommended portion in carbs and fats and in some cases feel cheated, in others feel utterly spoilt. I'm not exactly starving to death here. 

• Increase the use of wholemeal/wholegrain carbs; I don't gorge on the things, but I do eat carbs. I mean, you won;t find me eating a whole loaf of toast (unless I am beyond pissed off my nut and ravenous, but I haven't been seen doing that for a decade now..) but I am a fan of a lovely toasted product with butter. So, out has gone the typical white bread for me, and in comes malted seeded stuffs. I prefer multiseed as it takes longer to break down and I always feel more satisfied on it. When it comes to pasta, I am doing a simple swap with the healthier stuffs, slowing the sugar spikes that white pasta can bring. My rice is no longer just simple white basmati. Wholegrain rice and wild rice has been added to the mix. I'm a rebel, me.

• Increase Pulses, whole grains in diet; Hello Kidney beans! Bonjour flageolets! It's autumn, the soups and stews are appearing. I may as well make full use of this and add a few different legumes to bulk out dishes and keep me fuller. I quite like trying new things and adapting recipes, and this way I can do so without causing too much damage to the waistline.

• Decrease the naughties; I won't lie. I have a thing for the decadent side of food. I love a good quality chocolate bar, a freshly baked good (be it by my own hands or others) and can be tempted by the sweeter side of life. I don't go mental and eat a 500g bar in a sitting, but I can demolish marshmallows if left top my own devices. So, out of sight, out of mind. The fizzy drinks have been swapped with green tea based cold drinks, the coffee is decreased and the herbal teas upped. The sweet craving? Frozen grapes are my solution, plus the odd nectarine. Fruit is seriously high in natural sugars, so can lead to my diabetes kicking up a fuss, so my fruit intake has often been limited due to this. It's all about balance.

I'm not going to bore any readers and list everything I've done on this front, but this way I can look back and see what I chose to do, and it gives anyone else an idea of possible things. My ProjectOctober is my way of taking things and making them better for me. On the food front, I've actually had some fun this week, and at the weekend I plan to be a photo bore and bomb you with some things I have made this week. As you do.