Friday Drop: Emotional Hunger

Quiche, BBQ Bowls, Meatless Mediterranean Tacos, and Protein Snacks

Check out part 1 (physical hunger) here.

Emotional Hunger

Friendly reminder: Rehab is a great time to learn to listen to the signals your body communicates with; pain, tightness, etc. Your hunger and cravings (or lack thereof) and the voice in your head that responds to those cues are also fantastic conversations to bring more awareness to.

Did you know there are four types of hunger to consider?

1. Physical Hunger

2. Emotional Hunger

3. Taste Hunger

4. Practical Hunger

A Hard Truth

Emotional hunger gets a bad rap as something to be avoided completely. Instead, think of emotional hunger as an alert system. Sometimes craving come in search of a solution to numb or suppress a feeling: boredom, anxiety, loneliness, sadness, grief, etc. If you cannot identify the emotion to then work through it, no amount of food or snacking will satisfy the emotional craving you have.

If you believe you struggle with emotional hunger, these are the main steps to think about.

1. Can you identify the specific emotion you are struggling with?

2. Can you develop a larger toolbox to work through that emotion? (Not around.)

Food is absolutely allowed to be a tool in that tool box. It is not allowed to be the only tool.

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Today’s Drop is brought to you by:

Most athletes think recovery is about doing more—more discipline, more control, more “perfect” eating.

But what I see every day is something different.

Athletes who feel disconnected from their body.
Who second-guess their hunger.
Who are trying to “eat well” but still feel stuck, frustrated, or behind.

If you’re ready for more support (and to stop doing this alone), subscribe to 1:1 below.

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Breakfast:

Easy Higher Protein Quiche

If you’d like to prep an easy breakfast option this week, this is a great recipe. Each slice only has 15g of protein, so pair it with an extra egg or two on the side, greek yogurt, or a glass of milk.

From Brittany at Eating Bird Food

If you’re looking for a non-prep quiche-like option, I like Private Selection’s egg white frittatas. Any frozen egg bites work, too!

Lunch:

BBQ Bowls

Ingredients:

• Shredded chicken (store bought or prepared at home)

• Roasted potatoes (frozen to microwave works if you’re looking for no-cook options)

• Corn (again, frozen works!)

• Pickles and/or Pickled Onions

• Slaw or Shredded Cabbage

• BBQ Sauce

Image from Delish

Dinner:

Sheet Pan Mediterranean Tacos from dinner, sorted

The general rules with my recipe try outs for you all are

1. Can I (not a great chef) make it tasty?

2. Can I potentially make this on crutches or with one arm behind my back?

3. Can I make this recipe even easier for you all?

And the answer is a resounding yes to all three for this one.

Here’s what I’d adjust it for you:

1. Mix in tofu crumbles or shredded chicken to add a bit more leucine-focused protein to this. (Not sure what that means? Check out the performance plates post.)

2. Buy store-bought pesto, and use plain greek yogurt or sour cream as topping if you don’t want to make that either.

3. I didn’t have a masher, so I just stirred everything together and thought the taste and texture was great. You can definitely make this recipe in one bowl for less clean up.

4. Double the amount of filling (plus your extra protein). Make the tacos you’d like to eat today as directed. Roll the rest of the filling into burritos, wrap tightly in foil, and store in the freezer as an easy option for later or as a way to prep this recipe pre-op.

Overall, loved this one. You know I’m always looking for ways to help you all get more beans and fiber in. I love that we can get a few different veggies than normal, have a meatless option,

Snack Spotlight:

An awesome subscriber asked for more protein snack ideas this week, and I decided to share with you all, too.

Which one would you go for?!

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Last but not least, your prompt for this week:

What emotion do you think drives your emotional hunger?

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