Everyone has dreams of eating better and being healthier, but a lot of times it ends up like a 'diet' and is abandoned after a few weeks (especially after a few slip-ups). Full disclosure, we are definitely guilty of this. We try to eat 'healthy', but it doesn't always stick. We found a local 'farm' that is really close to us and went a few times, but haven't been back since. My husband is usually the driving force behind the health-kick, but seeing as I am the grocery shopper and cooker, I don't always have him poking and prodding me. However, there are a few things we have changed in the past year that HAVE stuck.
1. Organic milk: Some question the value of organic foods, but you just can't wash milk like you can fruits and veggies. (Plus the idea of hormones and antibiotics in my milk is gross.) It has gone so well that we will be doing only organic dairy now, too. It's a little harder for me to find, so I feel some research coming on!
2. Organic chicken and eggs: Again, the unnecessary hormones and antibiotics. We buy free range whenever we can find it, but cage free is a close second (yes, there is a difference). Sounds weird, but I like the animals I eat to be happy before they hit the chopping block.
Speaking of organic, did you know there are different levels of a product being considered 'Organic'? Good to know.
3. Grass-fed beef: Again, and again, and again, hormones and antibiotics. All cows start on grass, but most cows are put on a grain diet the last part of their 'life' to fatten them up quicker along with hormones and antibiotics. But, really, cows were created to eat grass. At least, that's what I believe. Now grass-fed beef is much harder to find, but I have seen it creep into my local Kroger (VERY slowly). We have been purchasing our grass-fed beef from Sprouts. (We FINALLY got our own just this week. THANK YOU!! I don't have to drive 25 minutes to get to my nearest Sprouts now.) They have ground beef on sale once a month so we stock up on that then. I was also VERY excited to see "all natural" (be careful of this label) free-range turkey there.
***If you LOVE your Diet Coke, I suggest skipping this one***
4. Artificial sweeteners: Okay, so since I'm pregnant I am not supposed to do artificial sweeteners anyway, BUT, I won't even after sister is born. A friend of mine at MOPS completely opened my eyes to the absolute grossness of artificial sweeteners. Most are FDA approved and not viewed as dangerous, but I find it really disgusting how they are made. My father-in-law has steered clear of them since I brought it all up.
Even after these changes, we were still not eating what I would consider 'really good' foods. So I've been reading a lot about healthy eating lately and hearing a lot about it from Wes (he has a co-worker that's really big into Paleo, so he sees it in action first-hand. If you haven't heard of it, check it out). After researching the Paleo diet, I decided it wasn't for us. (Mainly the no dairy. I LOVE my milk and cheese.) Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is good, but I needed more. So I somehow ran into this site and was very interested.
We were having a conversation about health and diets with my father-in-law last week which brought up the serious desire to do something different. There are lots of different 'healthy diets' out there, but they are more of a short-term fix, not a life change. We were specifically discussing Mediterranean, Paleo, low-fat, and Vegan. While these diets may have their benefits, my newly found knowledge had me convinced that people would be a lot healthier if they just went back to the basics and cut out all processed foods. I mean, have you REALLY looked at the ingredient list of a boxed product at the grocery store?
Ok, maybe you have. But have you looked up what any of those "confrabrolate glycolinate" ingredients are or how they're made?
After letting Wes do some reading up on my new passion, he agreed to support me in this unprocessed approach to food.
I will totally admit I was terrified and excited at the same time. This would require a LOT of planning and discipline to do. EEK!! I'm sure I'll thank Lisa later for the idea...
So in an effort to keep my family accountable, I will be documenting our journey to better eating.
Up next, unprocessed baby steps.
Enjoy!
The Turners
No comments:
Post a Comment