All posts by Julia Greenwald Jay, MSc, ANutr

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About Julia Greenwald Jay, MSc, ANutr

A foodie at heart and a nutritionist by trade, I love to research and discover how to declutter, clean up, and revitalize our health and environment.

No Caffeine Challenge!

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I realized I had a caffeine problem after buying caffeinated mints to take to Walt Disney World. I knew we’d be tired and sleep deprived through the trip, but caffeinated mints to stay “alert” on the spinning teacups has got to be excessive! I’ve somehow worked up my habit to four cups of coffee a day, plus some black tea (‘cuz, England?) and maybe a few extra mints to keep me going.

Caffeine in moderation is awesome. It helps you work out harder for longer, speeds up fat loss by burning fat as well as suppressing appetite, and has an inverse association with certain diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis. However, chronic overconsumption of caffeine is no bueno for your sleeping habits, and potentially can cause health problems for people with pre-existing conditions, such as renal failure.

I think the real issue for me is that I was getting panicked if I had something to do later in the day and didn’t have access to caffeine. Would I be able to get through a workout? Be sociable with friends? I needed a reset.

A few times a year, I like to go caffeine free. I feel it helps me to recalibrate and attempt to slog through whatever needs done without the handicap of caffeine. I also intend to follow up this detoxing process with a liver cleanse, which should be extra fun! Anyway, today is the first day of the caffeine withdrawal. Let the headaches begin!

DAY 1

1:17pm: So far so good. I feel a little groggy but minimal mind fog. Pretty standard anyway. No headaches yet. I hope this doesn’t mean that they’ll come with a vengeance later! I’ve had herbal tea so far just as a placebo, and I’m trying to drink a lot of water.

6:03pm: Husband says I look irritable. Not sure if that’s just my typical demeanor or due to caffeine withdrawal.

10:00pm: In bed already! Really tired.

DAY 2

11:29am: Definitely feeling a little out of it. Nothing too bad, but sluggish and slow.

5:49pm: Kill me now. Horrible headache. One of those headaches that wraps your head in a vice grip. Also, really tired even though I slept  solid 9 hours last night. Ugh.

10:53pm: Sweet Jesus I am tired. Bed time!

DAY 3

9:02am: Dayum almost 10 hours of sleep! Feeling a lot better, although still not 100%.

The Curious Cafe

The Curious Cafe

I love food. No, really. I can’t get enough of it. But with summer rapidly approaching, and women’s clothes made with the same amount of fabric of two throw pillows and a napkin, I knew I needed to slim down a little bit.

The husband and I work out several times a week at a CrossFit gym (The first rule of CrossFit is that you can’t NOT talk about CrossFit!) and the Paleo diet is pretty popular among the “bros” there. I had success losing some weight before the wedding last year by doing paleo, so I figured I would start doing it again, no problem.

Big mistake. HUGE!

I literally gained a half a pound a day with unfettered paleo. I had not a crumb of bread, no granule of sugar, and spent a fortune on all the hard-to-find paleo ingredients required to make their convoluted recipes. Almond flour alone cost £5.00 ($7+) for a dinky 250g (1.5 cups)  glorified “sachet.”

So what was I doing wrong? I began tracking all my food and  entered all the recipes I’d been making into Calorie Count’s recipe analyzer and saw my problem staring back at me: 1000 kcals a day on mixed nuts! 500 kcals a day on (expensive, raw, virgin, cold-pressed) coconut oil! 200 kcals on maple syrup?! That’s just nasty.

Me, at that moment.

Needless to say, I was one unhappy camper.

I decided I needed an overhaul of my diet, and a careful and well planned menu seemed to be the best way to do it. I started making a menu for my husband and me, and a detailed grocery list to accompany it. This would take the guesswork out of daily meal plans, allow me to develop my cooking skills, and really create some badass recipes and dishes – all while knowing I was keeping my daily caloric intake in check.

The Curious Cafe was born.

Established 4 whole weeks ago, The Curious Cafe is my attempt to design well-rounded meal plans for two people who love food and want to lean out. Every week contains a wide variety of dishes that satisfy our hunger pains and sweet tooth cravings, while still being “healthy.” I’ve lost 3lbs since I started menu planning, and still eat pretty well (I have, however, cut down on my maple syrup consumption!).

My plan going forward is to document my cooking attempts and bring you a realistic version of cooking and meal planning that are easy to follow. Most websites show you glossy photos of beautiful looking dishes, and are light on instructions or things to look out for. I aim to be open and transparent, and give you recipes that have alternative ingredients and methods, and accurate photos – making a mess can be fun!

It’s the Facebook profile picture vs. tagged photo debacle all over again.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this journey with me, and that you learn something along the way. Happy cooking!

Julia a.k.a The Curious Nutritionist 

Introduction

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Since arriving in England a little over a month ago, I’ve accomplished quite a bit. I’ve gotten over my jet lag, learned how to drive (at least as well as I do in the US, so take that with a pinch of salt), and applied for quite a few jobs and internships. While I’m confident I’ll find employment quickly, I wanted to turn my attention to something meaningful in the meantime. I decided to start a semi-professional website where I can compose and post articles of importance to me, and hopefully to all of you. I have a lot of thoughts, observations, and quandaries rattling around my brain, so this should be entertaining at the least.

I see so many conflicting health-related news articles through the media, Facebook, et cetera, that I feel confused half the time, and I know what to look out for. I hope that by doing my own research, I can assay some of these conflicting reports, and perhaps bring to your attention something that maybe you hadn’t thought about before. I promise to be as transparent as possible, and always cite my sources. As always, the foundation of my passion for nutrition and health lays with cancer and preventable medicine, and the focus of this website will reflect that.

Finally, I aspire to inspire (say that 10 times fast) all of you to make “healthier” choices. Whether it be trying out a new recipe or walking in place rather than sitting while watching The Walking Dead, small changes can add up to something big. This is my attempt to better myself and my family.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me!

Julia a.k.a. The Curious Nutritionist