And here we are again, What I Ate Wednesday.

Saturday I attended the Integrative Healthcare Symposium here in NYC. I only attended in the morning but got so much out of the sessions I attended. First up was dietitian Ashley Koff’s presentation on ways to help patients manage PMS by focusing on digestive health throughout the month. This was so up my alley! Menstrual issues are a huge part of what I work on with clients in my private practice, and I loved hearing about some others ways to address hormonal shifts that occur throughout the month. I loved that a lot of the same suggestions were applicable to patients going through menopause as well, since that’s something that also comes up.

I also sat in on a talk about fibromyalgia diagnosis, as it’s something I encounter sometimes at the hospital and don’t know nearly enough about. I think my curiosity can be traced back to the summer I was 24 and felt like I was falling apart. My then-boyfriend told me, “You’d better not come home with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or whatever” when I told him I was going to see a doctor about feeling brittle, run-down and depressed. Turned out I was just deficient in vitamin B-12 because I’d been trying to follow his vegetarian diet, but that is neither here nor there.

The last session I attended Saturday morning was a great panel discussion on digital healthcare and how practitioners can utilize technology to improve the care we give. There was also some talk about issues that have as yet to be worked out, such as privacy related to electronic health records.

As far as food goes (this is What I Ate Wednesday, after all), I did not sleep well the night before and since I was also still getting over my cold, felt really disconnected from my hunger on and off throughout the day.

Breakfast: It was a good thing I’d made these yogurt-based overnight oats the day before, otherwise, I’m not sure breakfast would have happened, especially since it was not even 7 a.m. when I realized I had to eat and get out the door. Fortunately, I made it through the whole morning of lectures. Only two big-ass cups of black coffee were required ; )

Lunch: By the time I got home around 1:00, I was finally aware of being hungry—terribly hungry. I threw together a quick salad with leftover roasted veggies and grabbed some red lentil soup from the freezer. 10 minutes later: lunch. A tablespoon of hemp seeds on top of the soup added extra protein. I also had a square of dark chocolate. 

Fortunately, my post-lunch nap refreshed me without spacing me out too too much, and I actually crossed some stuff off the old to-do list.

Snack: Even though it was snowing, the only thing that was appealing when I finally realized I was shaky-hungry was a green smoothie. It’s amazing how being sick, tired, and/or stressed messes with your appetite. This hit all the right notes, though. I kept it simple with coconut milk, protein powder, half a frozen banana, kale, cinnamon, and ice. A little garnish of roasted coconut chips made it pretty. 

Dinner: I kind of laughed at myself as I was throwing dinner together because it’s exactly the kind of thing I’m always telling clients to do with leftovers. This was leftover pulled pork from a local BBQ place. I doctored it up with steamed kale and a sweet potato. There was, like, a teaspoon left of the BBQ sauce (heavy on the vinegar I think—it was awesome), and you better believe I enjoyed every little drop. 

Snack: I was still a little hungry before bed, so I had a sliced banana with some peanut butter and a few chocolate chips (~1 tsp). Perfection. 

I like to think the mix of potassium, magnesium, and tryptophan in there helped me sleep. It might have also been the NyQuil…I do love some aspects of Western medicine.

Do you doctor up leftovers? 

Today’s WIAW is being hosted by Goldilocks Fit. Hop on over to see more from other bloggers.