Wellness – The Luxi Look

By Amy Zhang February 3, 2021 in Lifestyle, Wellness 1 Comment

Everything You Need to Know Before Doing Whole30

Lots of questions on Whole30 after my lessons from my first round of Whole30 that I wanted to provide a more comprehensive post on everything you need to know before doing Whole30. As I discussed previously, I don’t think Whole30 is for everyone. If you’re considering Whole30 or have already made the decision to do so, keep reading for all the relevant info to make sure you’re prepared for the next 30 days! You’re in for an exciting journey.

Everything You Need to Know Before Doing Whole30

First things first, what is Whole30?

Whole30 is an elimination style diet founded by husband and wife duo Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. The diet emphasizes eliminating certain foods that commonly lead to certain reactions in your body, and focusing more on whole foods in their natural state. The purpose of an elimination style diet is to understand which particular foods may be leading to irritation.

While on the diet, the following foods are not allowed: sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy. For those familiar with a paleo diet, Whole30 is often described as a stricter version of paleo (although it is temporary, whereas paleo is a long term lifestyle).

The founders describe Whole30 as the following:

“You can think of the Whole30 like pushing the reset button with your health, habits, and relationship with food. For 30 days, you’ll eliminate the foods that scientific literature and our clinical experience have shown to be commonly problematic in one of four areas — cravings and habits, blood sugar regulation and hormones, digestion, and immune system, and inflammation. Over the course of 30 days, you’ll see what improves when you remove potentially problematic foods.”

The founders advocate that Whole30 can improve your energy, sleep, mood, focus, digestion, and more. Although I did personally experience many positive symptoms while on the Whole30 diet, I did also have trouble with others (which is normal).

Why do Whole30?

The reasons for doing Whole30 are, as with any diet, highly personal. Our reasons for doing the diet were to reset our bodies after a chaotic 2020, and see if any particular food groups caused reactions in our bodies. It’s pretty crazy how you don’t realize how different your body will feel after 30 days of no sugar, dairy, gluten, grains, legumes, additives, and alcohol.

Some people do it to lose weight, but that is not actually the primary intention of Whole30, as the founders advocate for 30 days of eliminating the scale as well. Many people do lose weight on Whole30, however.

How to prepare for Whole30

In an ideal world, you would not go from smashing pizzas and processed food and alcohol to Whole30 overnight. In reality, this may be the case for many. Whatever your diet and lifestyle is like prior to Whole30, in my opinion, preparation is key! If you are used to consuming a lot of junk, my number one piece of advice is to clear out your pantry and cabinets. If something is out of sight, it will be out of mind. You want to set yourself up for success! And that means no temptation, if any. On December 31st before my Whole30, I threw away all the remnants of Christmas baking, desserts, candy, carbs, and alcohol. Into the trash it went.

Instead, I filled my house with lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, and Whole30 approved snacks and condiments.

Planning my meals a week in advance, grocery shopping with a specific list (trips will be quick because you really only shop the perimeter on Whole30), and keeping my eyes on the prize (no to chocolate and my favorite snacks while shopping) made all the difference in the world. You’re not supposed to cheat – technically, if you do, you’re supposed to start over on Day 1 – eek!

You’re also not supposed to create versions of your favorite non compliant foods.

So “healthy” versions of pancakes, cookies, chips (looking at you, plantain chips), etc. are all not technically allowed on Whole30. A lot of people will have them – the rules have changed quite a bit in recent years – but I suggest doing some research and deciding what rules are most important to you to abide by.

Also, knowing my weaknesses (dessert), I tried to ease into Whole30 by having some Larabars and dried mango on hand, which I would eat sparingly. I really tried my best to limit sugar, even natural, on Whole30, so I could do the diet properly. However, I know super hardcore advocates of Whole30 say you shouldn’t have any dried fruit, so to that I say you really can’t win them all. Technically, GT’s Kombucha is Whole30 compliant, so that’s another way I would treat myself when I was really craving sweets.

I guess I didn’t technically slay my “sugar dragon,” but I did go 30+ days without added sugar, so I am very proud of myself regardless! In my post Whole30 life though, you can bet dessert will still be a part of it. BUT, I do now look at labels very closely, and try to avoid sugar as much as possible when I can, only saving it for something very special and worth it.

My favorite resources and recipes for Whole30

When it came to Whole30, I really tried to be as proactive with planning as possible. Thankfully, there are so many helpful Whole30 resources and blogs on the internet now. You never have to wonder if an ingredient or recipe is compliant. My favorite Whole30 blogs and recipes:

Nom Nom Paleo

My absolute favorite blog. Her recipes are simple, all paleo, and many have hints of Asian flavor. We loved every single recipe we tried from this blog. Our personal favorites that we make again and again: grilled green chicken, fish en papillote, Korean short ribs, egg roll in a bowl, wonton meatballs, and sheet pan sweet and spicy pork.

The Defined Dish

This hibachi style chicken with mustard sauce was AMAZING. You don’t even miss the rice. We make this recipe all the time now. We also really loved a Sunday pot roast.

40 Aprons

So many great Whole30 recipes on the blog, one of our favorite meals was this bang bang shrimp.

So Let’s Hang Out

One of our new favorite recipes from Whole30 is this crispy chicken skillet recipe with artichokes and beets. The sauce is so decadent and literally tastes like a white wine sauce. I have no idea how or why, but it’s so simple and delicious.

Some other meals we loved – steak frites, shepherd’s pie, turkey green bean basil stir fry, and easy egg frittatas with leftover veggies at the end of the week. (Warning: you might get really sick of eggs).

As far as condiments and sauces go, you can really rack up a hefty grocery bill by swapping out your existing condiments for Whole30 approved ones. The ones we used most frequently were:

Avocado oil (we used this in cooking everyday)
Olive oil (in most recipes, and we used for homemade salad dressings)
Ghee is a must
All the spices and seasonings (just make sure they don’t have additives)
Whole30 approved mustard and ketchup
Whole30 approved mayo – in my opinion, the regular Primal Mayo is overpriced and not that great. If you don’t plan on using mayo in any of your recipes, this is a skip
Dressings – I actually prefer to make my own, I found the Whole30 approved ones to be overpriced and flavorless. If you want a quick and dirty option, I really like Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing, which can be found in the refrigerated produce section
All vinegars (even red and white wine) are allowed on Whole30
Coconut milk & cream – this is the most common substitute for dairy/cream in recipes. It’s a bit of an acquired taste and can overpower certain recipes, so it’s worth experimenting with it a bit before committing to putting it in every recipe

Don’t forget the reintroduction phase

A final note on Whole30 – the reintroduction phase is as important as the diet itself, especially if it’s your first round of Whole30. If you can make time for it, definitely fit it into your schedule. Yes, it’s another 10-12 days or more of Whole30 essentially (you can add sugar and alcohol back, if that helps), but this part is key to understanding if you have any food sensitivities. I will admit, it was really hard to continue doing Whole30 after the 30 days (the name is misleading and honestly should be Whole40 so mentally you’re prepared). But if you’re committed to seeing Whole30 all the way through, you will need to make time for the reintroduction phase.

After 30 days of eating Whole30 and honestly feeling really great, I was so nervous about reintroducing foods that were previously not allowed. I think Whole30 is truthfully too restrictive, and can be very triggering for those who have experienced disordered eating. However, once you are able to move past eating Whole30 all the time and understand that you can find “food freedom” (knowing when and how to incorporate certain foods into your diet), it really is liberating and will improve your relationship with food.

Any other questions on Whole30?

By Amy Zhang January 31, 2021 in Lifestyle, Wellness 2 Comments

30 Lessons From Whole30 – My Whole30 Experience

We are officially one month into 2021, and I just finished my first round of Whole30! If you asked me a few years ago about Whole30, I would have told you it’s crazy and I’d never do it. I think I actually said something along the lines of, never in a million years. A life without gluten, grains, dairy, sugar, alcohol, legumes didn’t sound like a life worth living. No thank you. Since then, A LOT has changed (duh!). I don’t know if it was a strong desire to cleanse 2020 from my system or what, but for some reason doing Whole30 this year sounded right.

Towards the end of 2020 I started saying yes to anything and everything food and drink related. It was fun and liberating to eat literally anything I wanted. Ice cream after dinner every night? Yes, please. Wine on a weekday? Why not. Between trying all the local restaurants with a habit of over-ordering for the sake of supporting small businesses, and baking up a storm with all of the time spent at home, I felt like my taste buds and hunger cues were completely numb. All of a sudden, a major reset sounded really, really good.

If you’re not familiar with Whole30, it’s an elimination diet for 30 days (hence the name) where you eliminate all added sugar, alcohol, dairy, gluten, grains, legumes, junk food (that includes “healthier” versions of your favorite snacks and treats), and common additives (such as carrageenan, which is common in non dairy milks, MSG, soy, sulfites, and all forms of added sugar and sweetener) . If you’re doing the math in your head and thinking it sounds pretty restrictive, that’s because it is.

My Whole30 Experience

What you CAN eat: all vegetables, fruit (in moderation), seafood, unprocessed meats, nuts and seeds, eggs. Think of it as a more hardcore version of Paleo. If you’re not sure if something is compliant or not, you can quickly find the answer on Google (I did this everyday for the first few weeks).

Soo… why would anyone want to do Whole30?!

Contrary to popular belief, Whole30 is not meant to be a diet. It’s also not a lifestyle – no gluten, dairy, grains, legumes, alcohol, added sugar forever? That’s just crazy restrictive and honestly disordered eating. It’s also no fun – not advocating for drinking alcohol or eating every single meal out, but when you’re on Whole30 it’s practically impossible to have a social life.

After my first round of Whole30, I honestly feel great, and am looking forward to taking a lot of my learnings (and many new favorite recipes!) into my non Whole30 life.

Here are 30 lessons I learned from my first round of Whole30.

1. Sugar is in… literally everything.

You realize this very quickly. Most condiments, sauces, packaged foods contain sugar in some pesky form or another. Reading nutrition labels isn’t enough – sometimes if the amount of sugar is low enough, food companies can get away with saying 0g of sugar on the label. But if you look in the INGREDIENT LIST, you will find it is hiding there. SO SNEAKY. Aside from the usual suspects, look for another ending in “-ose” – a dead giveaway that SUGAR is in the product.

2. Eating out is almost impossible on Whole30.

Yes, there are some Whole30 compliant meals you can get at popular fast food restaurants (technicallyyyy you can go to Chipotle and get the cauliflower rice, and technically you can have In-n-Out protein style burgers, etc.) but you’re really encouraged to eat WHOLE FOODS and cook at home as much as possible. Part of this is because you don’t always know every single ingredient in restaurant cooked food, and most dishes tend to sneak in added sugar, salt, and butter. You’re better off cooking if you can, but life happens sometimes and you need to grab food on the go! Just be prepared to be very annoying towards your waiter if you do eat out. A lot of side salads with no dressing, and proteins grilled without any oil or butter. FUN!

3. Food and alcohol play such an integral role in our social lives.

So much of our lives, professionally and personally, revolve around dining out and drinking. I feel really conflicted on this topic. And after reading Quit Like a Woman this month, I feel like it’s a whole other conversation to have another day. I love going out to eat, trying new restaurants, and having one of my famous spicy skinny margaritas with a girlfriend (I’m very proud of them, if I do say so myself!). I don’t think that will change, but there is something to say about how our society treats people who abstain from alcohol or how your relationships seem to change when you’re not drinking (we’ve done Dry January every year the past few years, and our social calendar always feels very light).

4. You will really re-evaluate your relationship with food.

Whole30 really forced me to rethink my hunger cues and relationship with food. Was I really hungry, or was I just bored? I realized how frequently I was reaching for food over the pandemic for comfort or to cheer me up when I was having a bad day. Not saying there’s anything wrong with that – I’m all for the mindset of “if you want a cookie, have the damn cookie!” But at what point was I not even enjoying the treats, and rather just using them as a soothing mechanism to make up for a bad day?

5. It’s easier to avoid temptation than it is to resist it.

This might seem obvious, but it’s especially true when it comes to food and drink. When something is out of sight, it’s out of mind. If I had cravings at home, they quickly went away when I realized there was nothing in the pantry to satisfy them. No chocolate, baked goods, chips, etc. If I was craving something, chances were I couldn’t have it. Usually I’d have a glass of water and within 20 minutes I’d get distracted with something else. This was not the case when I went to the grocery store. Going to Trader Joe’s was an insane test of willpower. All of my favorite snacks just staring at me. I learned to get in and out of the grocery store as quickly as possible. Run the perimeters where the produce and meats/seafood are, and then GTFO!

6. Grocery shopping for Whole30 can get expensive quickly.

If you’re used to a paleo or low carb style diet, you probably already know this. A lot of my favorite affordable ingredients – oats, quinoa, rice, beans – were off the table for the month. Pretty much every meal had meat and seafood – which adds up quickly. Eggs and canned tuna are probably your cheapest sources of protein if you’re trying to save. On the other hand, if you’re used to eating out a lot and going for drinks with friends, you’ll probably actually save a lot of money over the course of the month.

7. Preparation is EVERYTHING.

Meal planning and grocery shopping for the week ahead made all the difference in the world. Because we knew we’d be cooking every meal at home for a month, we made sure to spend time over the weekend mapping out meals and buying all the ingredients we’d need for the week ahead.

8. Doing Whole30 with someone helps tremendously.

I did it with my fiancé, and I honestly don’t know if I could have done it alone. Or if I attempted it and he decided not to do it. I’d be so tempted with all of the normal food laying around. It also brought us closer together and was a fun project for the two of us : ). We had a lot of fun cooking new recipes together and running to the farmer’s market for local produce. It honestly was really sweet and special going through this experience together.

9. You might feel awful the first week.

I really didn’t expect this, but it’s pretty well documented online that the first week (or even first 10/11 days) of Whole30 sucks. You might feel groggy, have a headache, extremely cranky, moody, etc. You’d think eating whole foods in their natural state for several days, you’d feel amazing. That comes later. But the first week or two are tough. I definitely think my body was trying to tell me something about all the sugar I consumed in the month of December…

10. You might want to quit in the middle.

A lot of people lose steam. Life happens. They accidentally slip up. Finding support is so important, but if it’s not the right time, it’s okay!!! You can always try again, or you might even decide it’s not for you. Either way, it’s so important to listen to YOUR own body and recognize that everyone’s experience with Whole30 will be so different.

11. Reading labels will become second nature when you’re on Whole30.

At first, this took a long time and I had to do my research before going to the store so I knew which products would be considered Whole30 compliant. We had to completely redo our condiments in the fridge and I changed the brand of almond milk I drink. Now, when I go grocery shopping, I always read ingredient lists to see what’s in a product. I try to choose items with the fewest ingredients possible, and as little sugar as possible.

12. Variety is the spice of life – cooking Whole30 meals for 30 days doesn’t have to be boring!!

We made a point to try new recipes every week and would “treat” ourselves on the weekend with a ~fancy~ meal, like a nice steak from the local butcher shop with potatoes (yes, potatoes are allowed!), or a fish en papillote from the farmer’s market with lots of roasted veggies. What can I say, we love to eat, and make meals that didn’t feel like we were depriving ourselves.

13. With that said, I quickly realized cooking takes a LOT of time.

I’m very lucky that AJ does most of the cooking usually, but during Whole30 I made a point to take a break from work and chip in most nights. It was great quality time as well, but between the prep, actual cooking, eating, and clean up, it was so time consuming. I missed lazy nights when we would order takeout and have nothing to clean up. But it was worth it!!

14. One way to help with the prep and cooking time… make extra!

Leftovers are your friend this month. We’d usually make extra protein for dinner and then throw it over greens for a salad the next day for lunch. Since I normally have meetings for most of the day, this was a lifesaver.

15. You will get creative in the kitchen and find new recipes and hacks that make the month easier.

I’ll share my favorite Whole30 recipes in another post, but we definitely had to find ways to whip up dinner quickly some days. One sheet pan meals are absolutely clutch when life gets crazy, which over the course of 30 days, it definitely will at least once or twice.

16. Keep staples in the fridge at all times.

This will make your life easier. For AJ, it was carrots, onions, and celery – the base of most recipes (he’s such a chef… ha!). Mine – avocados, sweet potatoes (this girl CANNOT live without carbs), salad greens, eggs, canned tuna, apples, and bananas.

17. Learn to love coconut milk.

A lot of recipes call for it. For Asian recipes it’s a no brainer, but in some of the recipes we tried the taste was overpowering. I’m not the biggest coconut milk fan, so after a while we quickly got tired of it.

18. You will eat a LOT OF MEAT.

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much meat consistently. Hello, Asian here… we ate rice every single day of my childhood without fail. Pros – I felt great eating high protein. Cons – my digestion suffered. Also, Whole30 is basically the opposite of being vegetarian/vegan. Apparently there is a Whole30 “vegetarian” reset, but I need to research that more since it appears most of the protein sources available to vegetarians are off limits on Whole30. Halfway through the month, my body was really missing plant based meals.

19. You might feel the mythical “Tiger Blood” on Whole30.

Devout Whole30 fans talk about Tiger Blood, which usually hits halfway through around day 16 or so. The official Whole30 definition of Tiger Blood:

Days 16-27: Tiger Blood. Goodbye cravings, hello Tiger Blood! This must be what everyone is talking about. You’ve hit the downhill slope of your Whole30 and life is beautiful. Your energy is through the roof, you’ve kicked the cravings, you’re experimenting with new, delicious food, and you’ve finally got the time to notice that your clothes fit better, your workouts are stronger, and you are generally more awesome.

They’ve since adjusted this definition – personally, I did realize I had some increased energy, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was bouncing around like crazy. However, it was much easier to get out of bed at 6am most mornings : ).

20. You might lose weight, but you also might not.

A lot of people do lose significant amounts of weight on Whole30. Personally, I did not choose to do Whole30 for weight loss. I ate relatively clean prior to trying the diet (with the exception of the last month and a half of 2020… but I blame the pandemic ; )), and I also wasn’t really watching my portions during Whole30. I’d say overall my weight probably stayed the same, but I don’t weigh myself ever. Which is also a rule of Whole30 – no scales!

21. The forums are crazy.

I found myself Googling anything and everything the first two weeks of Whole30 see if certain foods and ingredients were allowed. I’d inadvertently stumble on Whole30 forums, and OMG… they are intense. To say the least. Read at your own peril – but in all seriousness, some people take this diet SO seriously. Even going so far as to say a minor accidental slip up on Day 20 means you have to start the diet all over again. Which I get is a rule of Whole30, but really? It just feels too strict and restrictive, and honestly unnecessary. I also learned about the term “SWYPO” – which is an acronym for sex with your pants on. Aka any food that imitates your favorite non Whole30 compliant foods. More on that below…

22. On that note, there are a lot of rules and competing views on how to do Whole30 properly.

Personally, I don’t believe in being so strict that you’re miserable. Obviously that doesn’t mean you should have a glass of wine or eat chocolate in the middle as that completely defeats the purpose. You should really follow the rules as much as possible. But I read a LOT of back and forth discussions on what was allowed or not on Whole30. A lot of debate around dried fruit, dates, homemade vegetable “chips,” plantain chips, smoothies, and even “banana ice cream.” I missed smoothies the most.

23. For my ladies – that time of the month will be really hard.

This was the hardest week for me. I was so emotional, cranky, constantly hungry, and craving everything. I did allow myself some Larabars, dried mango, and kombucha in moderation to tide me through. But all I wanted was chocolate and junk food.

24. You might accidentally cheat or break rules.

Apparently, you aren’t supposed to have anything that mimics junk food. So I guess based on these super strict rules, I did cheat by making banana ice cream, eating dates when I had crazy sugar cravings, and buying plantain chips once. I wasn’t perfect, but I made a concerted effort to do the best I could. Everything I ate for 30 days was compliant – even if die hard followers might say it was “cheating.”

25. Reintroduction might seem scary.

As the end of the 30 days approached, I felt really great. I felt like I was in a groove, and fueling my body with whole and healthy foods. The idea of reintroducing foods I had avoided for the past 3o days felt scary. I felt so good, I didn’t want to stop Whole30. But according to the founders, reintroduction is a very important part of the process!

26. Reintroduction is equally as important as the 30 days of elimination diet.

Only by reintroducing food groups do you get the full benefit of Whole30. By doing a scheduled and intentional reintroduction, you are able to understand which foods, if any, trigger a negative response in your body. After that, you can decide for yourself if you want to eliminate some groups of food entirely, or just limit them. It’s your definition of food freedom. For example, you may not feel the best after having dairy, but ice cream is one of your most favorite foods. So you might still have it from time to time, but only when it’s absolutely worth it.

27. Finishing was an accomplishment for me.

Again, I never thought I’d do Whole30, and was honestly proud that I was able to finish it. There were definitely times throughout the month I wanted to quit. I definitely had bad days when the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner or eat some form of chicken with vegetables. But I did it, and personally, I am proud of myself!

28. Whole30 might not be for you… and that’s ok!!!

A lot of people don’t love Whole30. Vegetarians, vegans, and people who dislike overly restrictive diets may not do well with Whole30. It isn’t for everyone! But it was incredibly enlightening and helpful for me. It helped me rethink my relationship with food, get in touch with my hunger cues, learn how to fuel my body the right way, and identify how my body reacts to triggering foods.

29. You’ll take lessons from Whole30 back into your normal diet.

I’m excited to have more flexibility in my diet moving forward, but my goal is to eat “Whole30 style” as much as possible. Ideally 80/20 – I know it gives me energy and keeps me clear headed. I read labels immediately, reach for protein and vegetables first, and know which food groups to limit. However, I’m excited to make smoothies, have oat milk, and an occasional cookie again : ).

30. It will change your relationship with food for the better.

Food freedom for me isn’t about restriction. It isn’t about what foods are allowed and aren’t allowed. Rather, it’s about knowing which foods leave me feeling energized and fueled, and which to choose the majority of the time. Life’s too short to deprive yourself – but making choices where it really counts makes all the difference.

Overall, I had a very positive experience with Whole30. The 30 days were definitely filled with its up and downs, but I would honestly recommend the experience to anyone looking to reset their diet and get in touch with their body. My next post will be on all the details of doing Whole30… how to prepare, what to expect, my favorite recipes, and more! I’m curious, have you ever tried Whole30? If so, what was your experience like?

By Amy Zhang January 19, 2021 in Lifestyle, Wellness 2 Comments

How to Create and Stick to a Productive Morning Routine

A confession – before this year, I never had a morning routine. By that I mean, my mornings were never intentional. I would always wake up and jump straight into my day in a frenzy. I was like a human tornado – spinning nonstop from the moment I woke up. Looking back, it was so exhausting. I don’t know how I did it – and I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m not sure if it’s the pandemic or getting older, I’ve come to appreciate calmer mornings. Like, a full on morning routine that’s drawn out and downright lazy. Nothing starts the day better, I swear.

Starting my days with intention has done wonders for my anxiety and type-A personality. Even if you’re not a “morning person,” there are so many benefits to gain from creating and sticking to a routine. You don’t have to wake up at 5am and cross everything off your to-do list by noon. But finding the time – even if it’s just 30 minutes – to start your day with intention will kickstart an entire day of good habits and mindset.

How to Create a Morning Routine

Your morning routine is for you only! It’s not a competition and there’s no such thing as an ideal routine – you do you! Don’t add or do anything that doesn’t speak to your needs. The first couple hours of your day are some of the most precious – don’t waste them on things that do not serve you.

The first thing is to set good habits.

This means going to bed and waking up at as close to the same time as possible everyday – even weekends. I told you, this gets easier as you get older. These days, I rarely stay up past 10am and am always awake by 7am at the latest. This came after years of neglecting sleep, averaging less than 6 hours of sleep a night, and consuming more caffeine than what is considered clinically healthy.

If you’re looking for some books to kick start good habits and start your morning off right, I recommend Tiny Habits and The Power of Habit.

Once you have a target time to wake up, you can estimate approximately how much time you will have before you need to officially “start your day.” If you’re concerned about not having enough time to do everything in your ideal routine, you can either *try* to wake up earlier, or narrow down your morning routine to only focus on what’s most important.

That brings me to my last point on creating your morning routine – it’s all about prioritization.

At the end of the day, there are only 24 hours in the day and only so much you can get done at once. Where having a morning routine has been incredibly beneficial for me is honing in on only what matters. Asking myself, what activities have the most positive impact on the rest of my day? Knowing that I have the most energy in the morning, what are tasks I can get done right away when I wake up to set the day up for success? What are the 3 (yes, only 3!!) most important items to cross off my to-do list today?

My Morning Routine

On a perfect day, I would have time to do all of the below in order before starting my day. Of course, it’s not always possible, as life does get in the way. But I aim to do as many of the items in my ideal morning routine as possible every day, even if it means saying no to other plans or invites. I’ve noticed a remarkable difference in my overall mood and energy levels on the days I follow my routine vs. the days I just go, go, go.

At the very least, I try to meditate and plan out my day, which takes about 20 minutes.

Meditate

Literally every self help book tells you how important meditation is. I chose to ignore this advice for years because I decided meditation just wasn’t for me. It was boring. A waste of time. I’ve changed my mind completely. After sitting through a guided meditation given by a friend recently and feeling all of my anxiety melt away, I decided to give meditation another try.

I love the Calm App, it’s well worth the $79.99 per year (which amounts to less than a quarter for every daily meditation, not to mention all of the other great content you get as well – the bedtime stories are great for helping you fall asleep). I’m not a meditation expert by ANY MEANS – my mind races most days, and sometimes all I want to do is sleep. But I have to constantly remind myself that the benefits are real, and it’s not about having a “perfect” practice, but rather showing myself compassion and self-love.

Journal

Writing out my thoughts with a pen and paper has been a very calming and grounding practice to start my day. It helps me take stock of my emotions and thoughts in a tangible way. Especially when I am feeling a particular negative emotion, I find that a few minutes of journaling typically brings clarity and perspective in a way that sitting with my thoughts alone does not.

Plan out my day

I recently bought the Day Designer Planner thanks to a recommendation from my friend Camille, which was truthfully way more than I wanted to spend on a planner, but honestly it was money well spent. I can plan out what my entire looks by, hour by hour if I’m feeling really crazy. But most importantly, it allows me to write down my entire to-do list and then prioritize the top 3 most important tasks for the day. I try to do these first and focus on them. It’s really a great planner and well worth the price if you use it everyday.

Drink warm lemon water

I try to do this first, even before coffee. Supposedly it’s good for your digestion. I love that it’s a soothing ritual to do while listening to a podcast or audiobook.

Make coffee

We try to make coffee at home most days, either pour over coffee or our own cold brew at home. The process is a bit time consuming and methodical, but a part of my morning I’ve come to really love. I usually multitask while making coffee – straightening the kitchen/living areas and then feeding our dog. By the way – these are our favorite beans EVER.

Breakfast

I’m not the biggest breakfast eater, but I am making a concerted effort to eat breakfast and fuel my body for the day. It’s definitely a habit I have to instill over time. I usually do eggs, oatmeal, or a smoothie, depending on my hunger levels and if I had time to workout.

Bonus points if I get 8 hours of sleep, do an at home workout, manage to squeeze in some reading, do my full skincare routine, make the bed, and avoid checking emails/texts/social media this entire time.

What’s your ideal morning routine?

By Amy Zhang January 12, 2021 in Lifestyle, Wellness 2 Comments

How I’m Practicing Self-Care in 2021

We’re only 12 days into 2021, and it’s already shaping up to be a crazy ride! In an effort to stay true to my resolution of practicing more self-love (and by proxy, self-care), I’ve been making a concerted effort to identify what practices in my life allow me to fill my cup, and which ones leave me drained. The past year really forced me to critically evaluate everything in my life – my choices, behaviors, mindsets, relationships – and think about the role they were playing in my health. Some of my goals for myself – to SLOW DOWN and say NO more often. After all, if you don’t take care of yourself and love yourself first, who will?

Here’s how I’m practicing self-care in 2021:

+ Establishing a morning routine

I always viewed a set morning routine as something YouTubers did, but preferred a slightly more ~unstructured~ morning to allow myself to do as I please. What I didn’t realize is how much joy having an actual morning routine can bring, if you fill it with practices that energize you. I never thought I’d be a meditation & journaling first thing in the morning kind of girl, but I tried it out at the recommendation of a few friends and what do you know, I’m sold. I downloaded Calm and bought myself a journal. And now it’s how I start every morning. I love it, but your ideal morning might look different. Try a few different routines until you find one that works for you.

+ Limiting the news and social media

To be clear, this does not mean I’m not reading any news or on social media at all. I personally think it’s important to be informed and to have a perspective on what’s going on in the world around, but I don’t feel that being up to the minute in what’s going on in the world is the best for my mental health. There are a lot of studies that show overconsumption of news and reading headlines can be detrimental to mental health, and I found that reading the news everyday was triggering a lot of negative emotions and reactions in myself. It’s also incredibly distracting and a time suck.

+ Investing in myself

Last year really put a lot of things into perspective for me. I realized at the end of the day I was investing a lot of time into events, energy into people, and money into material possessions that ultimately didn’t bring any joy or positivity into my life. At the end of the day, my close relationships, health, and career are so much more important. An act of self-care to me today isn’t rewarding myself by buying new clothes. I’d much rather save or invest the money for my future goals (and travel when we’re able to do that again). I’m also investing in my health by kicking off the year with Whole30 (a full post to come on this) and dedicating an hour everyday to move my body, even if it’s just a walk around the neighborhood.

+ Dedicated time to do nothing

I used to really look down on doing nothing. I thought if my day wasn’t meticulously scheduled out hour by hour, and if I wasn’t running around with my head cut off like a chicken, I was doing something wrong. At the end of the day my body not so gently told me to SLOW DOWN. And maybe once in a while, do nothing? So now I actually schedule blocks of time throughout the week to “do nothing” – and it’s been glorious. Some of my favorite things to do during this time? Read a book, take a bubble bath, write, journal, go outside, cook. It really is all about the simple things in life.

How are you practicing self-care this year? xx

By Amy Zhang December 12, 2020 in Lifestyle, Wellness 1 Comment

Sakara Review – My Experience with the Organic, Plant-Based Meal Plan

While I’ve always had an aversion to the words “detox” and “cleanse,” and shy away from anything related to crash diets or unsustainable eating habits. What can I say, I love to eat! But between a very busy end of the year work schedule, indulging a little too much during the month of November, and a killer Black Friday promotion, I finally convinced myself to bite the bullet and treat myself to a Sakara meal plan. I’ve tried other meal plans in the past but was drawn to Sakara’s emphasis on eating lots of plants and nutrient-rich foods.

Sakara has been on my radar for years. Touted as a luxury organic, plant-based meal plan based on a whole-food, nutrient-dense diet, Sakara is beloved by celebrities and models. I’ve seen the hype all over the internet and social media. But I wanted to try for myself and see how my body felt on plan.

I ordered the 5-day meal plan and opted for lunch and dinner from Sakara. I’m not the biggest fan of breakfast. So I made my own smoothies for breakfast everyday. I also supplemented the meals with my own snacks. But did stick to eating entirely plant-based for the week. I’m always a little apprehensive of overly glowing reviews. The skeptic in me can’t help but wonder, is it too good to be true? I wanted to share my honest review of Sakara – there was a lot that I loved about my experience! – but also share some of the potential downsides.

Sakara Review: My Experience with Sakara

Day 1

I woke up at 6am and the first 3 days of meals had already arrived on my doorstep. The meals are clearly marked with when they should be eaten and with instructions for reheating if needed. One thing I really loved about the meals is how each meal highlighted a seasonal superfood.

I unpacked my meals for Monday through Wednesday. And my immediate thoughts were – is this going to be enough food? My two meals a day also came with a daily probiotic and a satchel of detox tea for each day. I chose this plan for convenience rather than to lose weight. But at first glance I couldn’t help but think this would be a great weight loss plan if you were looking for structure and portion control. Sakara doesn’t provide calorie counts – one of their 9 Pillars of Nutrition is no calorie counting (which I love!) – and focus more on the nutrient density of their meals as opposed to calorie count.

The meal plan also suggests eliminating caffeine (in addition to gluten, dairy, sugar, and alcohol). But I still had my morning coffee everyday, along with my favorite smoothie for breakfast.

Lunch

by 11am I was ready for lunch, and had the H2O glow salad. Which was filled with bright greens and other vegetables. Although it was delicious, I was pretty hungry a few hours later and had to scarf down a Sakara energy bar.

You can’t make any changes or modifications to your first week of meals. But Sakara does have a super easy to use portal on their website where you can manage your subscription. You can change the number of days and meals you receive week to week. And also swap out 2 meals a week. In the future, I would likely assess the daily menu and substitute a different meal for the lighter salads or just know to add a snack.

By 4 pm I was starving… dinner was a Thai veggie burger salad with root vegetable fries. The meals indicate on the packaging if they should be reheated or not. I HIGHLY recommend reheating all of the dinners. I threw the burger patty and fries into the air fryer for 5 minutes which made my dinner substantially more delicious. This meal was actually so yummy. And surprisingly filling.

Day 2

I didn’t wake up super hungry. I made my coffee and had a cup of the detox tea that came with the meal plan. And I actually really loved this tea. Unlike other “detox” teas that are essentially laxatives, this one tastes good (rooibos, lemongrass, and rose) and didn’t have any of those crazy effects. I’m actually reordering a box to drink on its own afterward.

The meals this day were ok. A winter salad for lunch and “Revitalizing Risotto” for dinner. I wanted to stick to the meal plan. But as someone who is used to eating a lot more protein as opposed to grains throughout the day, I was really hungry throughout the day. I think the meals are delicious and I love how bright and colorful they are. But if you’re active and used to eating way more, it truthfully may not be enough calories.

It did feel like I was “resetting” my taste buds in a way. I found that throughout the week I felt more conscious of what was going into my body, and I wasn’t mindlessly snacking at all. If I felt hungry I would choose fruits or raw nuts as a snack, rather than chips or a cookie. It was a lot easier to say no to dessert when I had eaten so many vegetables throughout the day (and also knowing how much money I was spending on the meal plan!).

Day 3

By Wednesday I did feel less bloated, but I was also extremely hungry. Lunch was another salad, but the dinner (a corn muffin and a Southwest Sunset soup – which tasted like a vegan chili) – was my favorite meal of the week yet.

Day 4

Sakara divides their deliveries throughout the week so the food in your fridge is always fresh. Meals last for up to 3 days refrigerated, so if you happen to need to skip a meal for any reason, you can revisit it the next day. I received my second shipment for the latter half of the week by 6am again (their deliveries are between midnight and 6am) and was actually excited about the meals for the last two days. By Thursday I no longer felt super hungry throughout the day, and was really looking forward to eating the plant-based meals.

Day 5

The last day of my meal plan! My feelings towards Sakara definitely grew over the week as I came to really appreciate the variety in meals and how great I felt from eating plant-based for the week. By the end of the day, I was sad the week was over, and am looking to re-order and incorporate some Sakara meals into my regular routine.

My Honest Review of Sakara

Overall, I really liked my experience with Sakara. If you’re looking for a healthy plant-based meal plan, it’s one of the best options that are widely available on the market.

Pros:

+ Ease of use – the subscription portal on the website is SO easy to use. You can manage your calendar easily to change the number of meals and days you receive or skip weeks altogether. Their customer service is also A+.

+ Convenient – if you want to eat healthily but don’t have time to cook or want to think about what you’re eating, a meal plan is a great way to get variety and ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need. I LOVED how many greens I ate throughout the week – at least 3 cups a day – and my skin and digestion saw the benefits after the first 3 days of eating plant-based.

+ Great for detox or simply to “stay on track” – Sakara offers different levels of detox if you’re looking for a more “cleanse” like experience. I actually think the meal plan is a great way to eat healthy during the week and stay on track. In fact, Sakara actually encourages you to indulge in foods you love on the weekends, which is how I like to live my life!

+ Plant-based – if you already eat a vegan diet or want to eat a more plant-based diet, Sakara makes doing so easy and yummy. Although the meals look small at first glance, they are filled with nuts and seeds, grains, and beans to add additional bulk and protein to fill you up.

+ Diverse meals – the problem with meal prepping for one is you tend to end up eating the same thing every day. With Sakara, every day’s meals and flavors were different. So you never feel bored throughout the week. My favorite dishes were the Asian inspired flavors – the Thai and Indian meals were incredible.

Cons:

– Expensive – probably the biggest downside to Sakara, as with all high-end meal plans, is its price. It’s definitely a splurge. And something I wish I could do every day. I’ll definitely use it for a few weeks here and there when I need a reset or work is really crazy. But I will probably stick to meal planning and cooking for other weeks.

– Food quantity – although I loved most of my meals and the peace of mind that came with knowing my food was pre-portioned and filled with all of the nutrients I need, I was very hungry the first two days. If you are accustomed to eating a high protein diet, it might also be an adjustment as Sakara is much more grain and carbohydrate-heavy (as many plant-based diets are!). However, I will say it was a helpful exercise for me in recognizing hunger cues. And learning how to listen to my body when it came to food. I also felt encouraged to choose healthier options for snacks when I was hungry. And overall became more mindful of what I was eating and putting into my body.

Have you tried Sakara, or any other meal delivery services? If you’re interested in trying Sakara for the first time, you can get $50 off your first order!

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