Food. I love food. And not good for you food. I prefer processed, barely recognizable food. I like theater cheese nacho's, Campbell's Tomato Soup, DOTS, Doritos....you get my point. The less it looks like something that occurs in nature, the better. I am actually a bit horrified putting that in writing, but it's true. And why am I telling you this? Because if you are like me, there could be hope.
For as long as I can remember I have always disliked vegetables. If it's green, it has only seen the inside of my body by pure accident, or politeness. When I was in my 20's I decided to become a vegetarian after watching a video I can never un-see about how animals are treated to create the mass production of the meat we buy in the supermarket. Vegetarian seemed like the only reasonable option. So now I'm a vegetarian. But wait...didn't I just say I don't eat vegetables? So how does a vegetarian become a vegetarian who doesn't eat vegetables? Well, you eat a lot of pasta, and processed "veggie" alternatives, or just plain ol' processed foods. You know, bacon that is suppose to taste like bacon, but doesn't. Ground Soy that is suppose to act and appear like ground beef or turkey, but no true meat eater would touch. Easy! But healthy? No.
Fast forward to my first pregnancy. I was in Greece when I found out we were expecting Wyatt, and about 4 days into the trip I had food issues. Here we were in a food mecca and I only wanted McDonalds chicken nuggets. No joke. By the time we were in Rome, I was grateful there was a McDonalds a block away from our hotel. True story. I ate them twice a day, at least. Needless to say, it was a rat-hole I fell into and have eaten meet ever since.
However, it hasn't always been enjoyable. I get grossed out easily at raw meat, weird "bits" I bite into will ruin my entire meal. Deli meat with those weird red marks....BLECH. You get my point. So what changed?
I was driving in the car recently, one of those, lucky to be in the car with just me and myself, when suddenly it just hit me that I wasn't happy eating the way I was. Now, granted we eat homemade most of the time and we try to make sure we get some veggies into recipes or side dishes, but in reality how I was eating and treating my body was NOT healthy. Which meant it wasn't ideal for my family either. Not only that but I wasn't where I wanted to be health-wise, weight wise, energy wise. So I started asking questions and doing some research (and still am!)
What is healthy food? There are MANY different answers to this question, and the list is about as long as the universe. So is there one right or wrong answer? Probably not. Is there one path to good health? Absolutely not. But as I was thinking about what was healthy, I went so far as to think about all the food God and good ol' Mother Nature provides us. Things that occur naturally with minimal effort. Yes, I am talking fruits and veggies. It's that simple. To test out this plan, I tried being Vegan for a whole week. And I didn't die. Was it hard? HECK YES. But what I discovered was that not only did I not die, but I had become dependent on animal products. I honestly didn't know how to cook without butter, milk, and cheese. I won't sit here and tell you it was or is easy, but I'm learning how to prepare my food differently for optimal nutrition. (I'm on week three of eating Vegan minus one incident with Costco Pizza :)
The next step I took was to do my research about where my food was coming from. Unfortunately it was worse then I imagined and only reconfirmed my resolve to stop eating animal products and overly processed foods. Check out the documentary Forks over Knives if you are interested. But be prepared, it will change how you think about food.
Okay, so if I'm not eating animal products and I'm not eating processed food what am I eating? Well, I am working towards Raw Vegan meals 90% of the time. That is my goal. The other 10% would be cooked vegan meals. So what does that mean? It means 90% of the time I am eating raw fruits and veggies in one form or another along with seeds and nuts. The other 10% is beans, root veggies that are best enjoyed cooked, legumes, vegan bread, etc. It sounds boring, but so far, it's proven to be nothing but and adventure in finding fabulous recipes that I enjoy and can trick my children into eating. I made raw vegan chocolate macaroons people! Sounds boring, tastes like chocolate heaven in your mouth!
You might also be wondering how I get all my vitamins and minerals; Surprisingly you can get all you need by eating raw, except for B-12 which I am going to get a supplement for. I am also having a hard time getting enough Iron so I will be taking one of those too until I can figure out how to incorporate more into my diet. It's a learning process :) I'm still perfecting it. And the cool thing is, I'm not alone! There are a lot of people who eat this way. There are Doctors who support and even encourage a plant based diet. There are even studies that show that this type of diet can help reverse several medical conditions including Cancer. Amazing, as if the food that grows from the Earth was designed just for us!
The best part so far is that I feel amazing. By day two I felt lighter, my stomach was flatter, I find I have more energy and have even had the extra bonus of loosing a few pounds. What's not to love?! Of course I am tempted. I am human, I have cravings. But so far, feeling so great has stopped me in my tracks and instead I look for a recipe to help me curb that craving (usually for chocolate :)
Now is this lifestyle for everyone? No. I can hear you screaming now "I CAN'T GIVE UP THE CHEESE!!!" LOL. But I would encourage you to look at what your putting into your body and ask yourself if you can do better. My guess is the answer is yes, or at least it was for me.
Because this is the internet, I do want to make sure you understand my intention in sharing this. It is not at all to judge you and your food choices, I am not shaming you, or saying my way is better. This is just my journey and I wanted to share where I come from, where I want to be, and how I'm getting there. Maybe you have had similar thoughts, maybe you wish you felt better, or maybe you just enjoy laughing at me from afar ;). No matter why you are here, I hope you enjoy!
For as long as I can remember I have always disliked vegetables. If it's green, it has only seen the inside of my body by pure accident, or politeness. When I was in my 20's I decided to become a vegetarian after watching a video I can never un-see about how animals are treated to create the mass production of the meat we buy in the supermarket. Vegetarian seemed like the only reasonable option. So now I'm a vegetarian. But wait...didn't I just say I don't eat vegetables? So how does a vegetarian become a vegetarian who doesn't eat vegetables? Well, you eat a lot of pasta, and processed "veggie" alternatives, or just plain ol' processed foods. You know, bacon that is suppose to taste like bacon, but doesn't. Ground Soy that is suppose to act and appear like ground beef or turkey, but no true meat eater would touch. Easy! But healthy? No.
Fast forward to my first pregnancy. I was in Greece when I found out we were expecting Wyatt, and about 4 days into the trip I had food issues. Here we were in a food mecca and I only wanted McDonalds chicken nuggets. No joke. By the time we were in Rome, I was grateful there was a McDonalds a block away from our hotel. True story. I ate them twice a day, at least. Needless to say, it was a rat-hole I fell into and have eaten meet ever since.
However, it hasn't always been enjoyable. I get grossed out easily at raw meat, weird "bits" I bite into will ruin my entire meal. Deli meat with those weird red marks....BLECH. You get my point. So what changed?
I was driving in the car recently, one of those, lucky to be in the car with just me and myself, when suddenly it just hit me that I wasn't happy eating the way I was. Now, granted we eat homemade most of the time and we try to make sure we get some veggies into recipes or side dishes, but in reality how I was eating and treating my body was NOT healthy. Which meant it wasn't ideal for my family either. Not only that but I wasn't where I wanted to be health-wise, weight wise, energy wise. So I started asking questions and doing some research (and still am!)
What is healthy food? There are MANY different answers to this question, and the list is about as long as the universe. So is there one right or wrong answer? Probably not. Is there one path to good health? Absolutely not. But as I was thinking about what was healthy, I went so far as to think about all the food God and good ol' Mother Nature provides us. Things that occur naturally with minimal effort. Yes, I am talking fruits and veggies. It's that simple. To test out this plan, I tried being Vegan for a whole week. And I didn't die. Was it hard? HECK YES. But what I discovered was that not only did I not die, but I had become dependent on animal products. I honestly didn't know how to cook without butter, milk, and cheese. I won't sit here and tell you it was or is easy, but I'm learning how to prepare my food differently for optimal nutrition. (I'm on week three of eating Vegan minus one incident with Costco Pizza :)
The next step I took was to do my research about where my food was coming from. Unfortunately it was worse then I imagined and only reconfirmed my resolve to stop eating animal products and overly processed foods. Check out the documentary Forks over Knives if you are interested. But be prepared, it will change how you think about food.
Okay, so if I'm not eating animal products and I'm not eating processed food what am I eating? Well, I am working towards Raw Vegan meals 90% of the time. That is my goal. The other 10% would be cooked vegan meals. So what does that mean? It means 90% of the time I am eating raw fruits and veggies in one form or another along with seeds and nuts. The other 10% is beans, root veggies that are best enjoyed cooked, legumes, vegan bread, etc. It sounds boring, but so far, it's proven to be nothing but and adventure in finding fabulous recipes that I enjoy and can trick my children into eating. I made raw vegan chocolate macaroons people! Sounds boring, tastes like chocolate heaven in your mouth!
You might also be wondering how I get all my vitamins and minerals; Surprisingly you can get all you need by eating raw, except for B-12 which I am going to get a supplement for. I am also having a hard time getting enough Iron so I will be taking one of those too until I can figure out how to incorporate more into my diet. It's a learning process :) I'm still perfecting it. And the cool thing is, I'm not alone! There are a lot of people who eat this way. There are Doctors who support and even encourage a plant based diet. There are even studies that show that this type of diet can help reverse several medical conditions including Cancer. Amazing, as if the food that grows from the Earth was designed just for us!
The best part so far is that I feel amazing. By day two I felt lighter, my stomach was flatter, I find I have more energy and have even had the extra bonus of loosing a few pounds. What's not to love?! Of course I am tempted. I am human, I have cravings. But so far, feeling so great has stopped me in my tracks and instead I look for a recipe to help me curb that craving (usually for chocolate :)
Now is this lifestyle for everyone? No. I can hear you screaming now "I CAN'T GIVE UP THE CHEESE!!!" LOL. But I would encourage you to look at what your putting into your body and ask yourself if you can do better. My guess is the answer is yes, or at least it was for me.
Because this is the internet, I do want to make sure you understand my intention in sharing this. It is not at all to judge you and your food choices, I am not shaming you, or saying my way is better. This is just my journey and I wanted to share where I come from, where I want to be, and how I'm getting there. Maybe you have had similar thoughts, maybe you wish you felt better, or maybe you just enjoy laughing at me from afar ;). No matter why you are here, I hope you enjoy!
Great blog. I'm so proud of you!
ReplyDeleteGood for you!! That's not an easy lifestyle to adopt!! And I'm super impressed that you have managed to bring your kids on board too! I can barely get mine to eat their broccoli, lol! ;) I do believe that God also put animals on the earth for us to eat as well (I mean, what other purpose does a cow really serve? ;) ), but what's unfortunate in today's world is that humans have mucked up the process. :( The organic market is big, but still not affordable for many households. Hopefully, someday that will change.
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