Well.... I'm not really going to write about that boring stuff... but I am going to tell you a story about my family and how switching to a healthy diet changed us in as little as a month.
It's all very complicated to me- GMO's, and Organic foods. The USDA... all these labels to read, and the articles that constantly contradict themselves. I've decided to take it all with a grain of salt.
I was raised on McDonald's, Steak and Potatoes, Celeste Frozen Pizza, and Cheese Dogs. Most of the year ,when I'm not hugely pregnant I am around 115-120 lbs and 5'4" tall. I have a consistent blood pressure of 120/60, and I will throw up easily after running an 8 minute mile. I don't work out. I don't sit on my ass either.
Extreme anything to me is what classifies someone as "nuts".... anything that is consistent is "anal" and anything that is done in moderation, or proportionally is "normal". The minute you try to stick to a schedule that is impossible- sets you up for failure. It's ok to slip up on exercise, food or substances- all in moderation right?. I think that is the best way to do things. Guilty pleasures are the best!
With that said....
I took my family from eating the cheapest generic food found in the supermarket and switched our grocery list to all organic generic food. The change increased our shopping bill to about $20 more, and took away most of our unhealthy options. For instance, there is no organic chef b'yourdee. (or however you spell that slop in a can). My four year old was not happy. Yet, You can find Amy's organic mac and cheese, and let me point out that it tastes way better, but is about $1 more than craft mac and cheese. (The yellow color in the cheese is really bad for you in that stuff. I read an article on it, and talked to a neighbor that had a kid allergic to it. It's like Yellow number 5 in Mountain Dew. Bad stuff. Nasty)
This started because my husband started having stomach issues. I also just watched a quick video about a mom (who was a commercial nutritionist) made a video and petitioned against GMOS companies because her child had an allergic reaction and almost died from eating Eggo Waffles- (poster child for GMO foods). I started to research Gmo's, which was trumped by Organic foods, because if it's Organic, then it can't have Gmo's in it. The government is also against labeling GMOs Food. So you don't really know what you are consuming. But, at least with organic you have a better idea of what is it, where it came from, and how it was grown or butchered.
Long story short. My husband has broken his femur, had knee surgery, passed kidney stones, and has even been punched in the face- and yet the stomach pain he was in was worse then all of these things. He went to the Emergency Room, and sat for three hours waiting...they never took him. He came home and wallowed in agony on and off for the next three weeks. The doctor blamed it on acid reflux. Which was wrong. This had something to do with his diet, and his stress levels. He had Irritable Bowel Syndrome like symptoms. Most of those are caused from diet, and apparently pesticides and chemicals in food will trigger this response in people with IBS. I could fix the diet problems. It took about a week of eating all organic foods for him to start feeling better. Gradually his skin went from grey to pink. His energy levels went back to normal, and his stress went down after we moved. I know for a fact he is sensitive to chemicals and round up because if he eats fruit sprayed with weed and bug killer his lips swell up. The fruit has to be washed or peeled to avoid swelling.
Next are the kids. My four year old and two year old were hyper, had no attention span, and would easily crash off of any high fructose corn syrup... or foods that had abnormal amounts of colored die in it. We found that they sat down for longer periods of time when we went out to eat, they were better behaved, and would quietly play with each other for longer periods of time. They also had less stinky poops. You are welcome for that small fact. Gross I know... but you can tell a lot about your health from your poop. Did you know that a healthy poop should sink, not float? And you should poop at least once a day- (although it can be perfectly normal if you don't).
Then there is my health. I am 34 weeks pregnant, and my blood pressure is 120/60 I weigh 140 lbs and I'm all belly with some added love handle and butt. It is very hard to keep my cravings at bay. I want SUGAR and SALT all the time. I want strawberry ice cream, whip cream, and chocolate sauce at least three times a day. But Instead, I will eat an Amy's organic bean burrito. On Friday's we have pizza take out. Pizza is my all time favorite food. It is the only day of the week that we really go nuts on junk. On Saturday mornings we normally go out for breakfast at the diner. I will get French Toast and share it with James, and Watts will get Oatmeal and fruit. My husband will get eggs and sausage. I get the short stack being two pieces of toast. James eats most of it. Luckily I don't have much stomach space, so I can only eat half of a slice of french toast. I drink coffee, even though that is considered a no no. I don't care. A small cup won't kill us. About twice a week I will even indulge in one beer, or a glass of white wine. Again. I don't care, and really it is just hurting my soul since I want to drink the entire bottle, and the entire case of beer but can't... so it's just waving bacon in front of a dog, but it does take a stressful day and make it go away. I also have terrible urges to smoke... I just want a cigarette all the time. I know they will taste bad, and they are terrible... and I will stink from it....but I have nothing to release my stress... I haven't quite figured that out yet. I force my husband to wiggle my toes at night or massage my hands to release some of the hard day of raising two boys under the age of four while being very pregnant. The all organic diet has also helped with some of my terrible cravings, and mood swings. Did you know that pregnant ladies are full of hormones? Hormone rages come easily, but a healthy diet counteracts that. I also lost weight... mostly bloat. The first week of the organic diet I went from 142lbs to 138. Now I am putting on a good pound a week in a healthier way.
Anyway, organic just means that no chemicals, or hormones were used, and maybe the animals were treated better. It depends. I don't know about you... but who wants to eat something that has been sprayed with round up weed killer? I don't. Who wants to eat a chicken that stood in it's own poop and was kept in a dark cage with a million other sick chickens? I don't. Who wants to eat a cow that was dragged through it's neighbors poop before being slaughtered? I don't. Who wants to eat animals that are pumped full of hormones and drugs? Nope not me.
Anyway, this is a long rant... would you expect anything less of my writings? Like I said I love my junk, and it took a long time to find foods that didn't suck. Kashi Cereal SUCKS. Don't buy it. I rather suck on chalk then eat that stuff. Cascadia Farms cereals are delightful. Here are a few other things I found on my explorations through the organic aisle of mystery food.
WONDERFUL HEALTHY FOODS TO TRY THAT TASTE AMAZING:
The best thing I have discovered in the organic section is COCONUT OIL!
Buy it.
Substitute it with Vegetable Oil whenever you can. It goes better in sweet stuff....
I broke down yesterday and made dark chocolate brownies with walnuts. The recipe called for 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons water and one egg. I used coconut oil instead, and added more water to get the texture correct. Best brownies ever! The coconut oil leaves a coconut taste to whatever you cook it with.
I tried sauteing my asparagus in it instead of olive oil... and it was weird. Asparagus shouldn't taste like a cookie.
Anyway, I am slowly discovering that healthy food doesn't have to suck.
I substitute sugar with organic honey. I like wild flower the best.
And I hate drinking water, so I drink seltzer. plain or tangerine... I also will add fresh grape fruit juice to plain seltzer or apple juice and it is lovely.
I like purple cabbage instead of shredded green cabbage. Add a teaspoon of Cole slaw dressing and it is delightful with any kind of meat.
I found out that the darker the inside of a fruit or vegetable means that there is more nutritional content to it. So a pink grapefruit would have more content than an apple. Purple vegetables have more nutritional stuff in it than their paler counterparts. Of course.... I read this in an article, and you can't believe everything you read. I'm sure someone will counteract that topic in a few months.
I love Salmon. It has DHA in it, which makes you smart. I need as much of that as possible, plus it's great for Ava inside my belly. She will be smart too.
Morning Star Veggie Burgers, and fake ground beef are very tasty. A wonderful substitute for hormone meat.
The boys love Morning Star Corn Dogs. I hate corn dogs... so I can't be a good judge.
I also have started buying real loafs of bread that actually will go moldy after a week if not eaten. Mold... good indicator that your food is real. Take it as a compliment... don't be grossed out. If it went moldy, buy some more. That right there was real.
Leave a McDonald's cheeseburger in your car... it will look the same in 5 years.
Not real.
Ok that was my rant for the day. Feel free to tell me more about the stuff you love in organic land. I'm afraid of most of the stuff I see in there.
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| YUM! Morning Star Burgers and Products are my fast food. Pop it in the microwave and eat. |
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| Breakfast of Champions! |
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| My new "wheres waldo" game in the super market. Look for this label, and you are good to go. |
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| You can even put it on your skin, or eat it by the spoonful. This stuff is awesome! |
