Tracy Bush is the founder/President of Nutrimom® , Inc., a consulting business that specializes in food allergies and helps to provide guidance and support for anyone that has been diagnosed with food allergies. A regular contributor to Smart LifeBites, Tracy also offers a wide variety of ways to help expand the public’s awareness on allergy-friendly products. Her website is AllergyPhoods.com
Meet: Tracy
1. What do you eat for breakfast? Lunch and dinner on a typical day?
Breakfast ALWAYS includes a protein, usually chicken sausage, avocado or SunButter on apple slices. Lunch and dinner can vary depending on the seasons but I tend to make hearty, comfort foods the most, but in a lighter version substituting healthier meats and adding pureed vegetables into anything that I can. Meals such as chili, baked pasta, chicken casserole are warming, winter foods while the sunnier weather is all about seasonal fruits and vegetables and more protein.
2. Are you an omnivore? vegetarian? vegan? If you happen to be passionate about a particular diet, please explain why. Â
I am definitely an omnivore. I have a secret wish to try to be vegetarian, but my body seems to feel better with protein sources that are not just plant-based. I try to stick to a gluten-free and (mostly) dairy-free diet as I have noticed that these foods tend to cause flare ups of my unusual symptoms. They are not life-threatening but can certainly be debilitating if I do not eat well.
3. What’s your favorite junk food, and how much of it is currently stashed in your freezer/pantry?
I don’t tend to snack a lot, I am more of a grazer with meal items vs. snack items. I do love chocolate so I always have some type of Enjoy Life Foods chocolate since it is free of the top 8 allergens and delicious.
4. Do you have any rituals you use to try to resist binging on too much sugar and/or fat, such as hiding them or simply not buying them?
Yes- if it’s in the house, I will eat it just being honest. This being said, I feel it is important to treat yourself once in a while so if I am going to have something that I like, I try to keep a smaller amount of it or bring it to share with other people so I know I won’t eat all of it myself. Another thing that I do is to give my body some of what it is craving but in a different form. Very often, if we crave cheese, we are actually craving protein so I will eat protein instead of cheese.
5.What’s your favorite workout and why?
I will be honest and say that in the winter months, I am terrible about exercise because the cold turns me into a hermit under a fuzzy blanket. I find the best way to stay motivated when I do exercise is to begin earlier in the day before my brain is awake enough to realize that I am exercising. If I wait until I wake up, I usually don’t do it. My favorite motivation is walking and listening to my iPod so I can exercise while also using that as downtime to destress and enjoy my surroundings outdoors. I am not big on gyms: I will take sunlight, birds and fresh air any day over an indoor line of treadmills.
6. Advice for people trying to eat healthier? Or parents trying to cope providing for a child with food allergies?
For those trying to eat healthier as well as parents who have a child with food allergies, start with what your favorite foods are and rethink the ingredients. If we feel deprived, we will crave it even more. There are so many amazing products and ingredients available that it’s almost impossible not to be able to find a similar recipe for what you would like to eat safely. Also, be patient with yourself. Not all meals will taste amazing and not all days will be filled with perfect eating habits and I believe in not eating perfectly ALL of the time because it’s simply not realistic.