For the past several years, my Mom and Dad have been going through their own journey of health/wellness (Aren't they cute? High school sweethearts). They are both pretty young (not even 50 yet!) and in good physical condition, but they seem to have come to realization that remaining in good condition over the next 50 years is going to take some serious conscientiousness on their part. They have done a lot of thinking and researching and are making some really wise choices about their diet and activities. I'm proud of them! Our family has unavoidably been quite influenced by their journey, and we've decided we are ready to begin making some changes--particularly in the way we eat. Now, a disclaimer: I am not a crazy health freak. I have never actually shopped at a Whole Foods Market (though I do plan on visiting one in the next week or so) and I don't buy organic, with the exception of meat and milk. The intention of this blog is not to take a stand or challenge anyone--though if you feel challenged, I do absolutely encourage you to start digging for information as we have--rather, the intention of this blog is for my own personal exploration to discover what is best for me and my family. The views expressed here are fledgling at best; we have a lot to learn!
We've made a few very hesitant decisions so far:
1. We will eat meatless meals with simple ingredients. We haven't really defined a time period for this, but I'm thinking 2011 would be a good start. I'm really hesitant with the term vegetarian. I don't really know what it means, and it has honestly had a negative connotation in my mind for so long that I'm wary of it. Just being truthful.
2. We will make sure that 51% of each of our meals is composed of fresh, raw veggies. We're also going to try to stick with seasonal fruits and veggies when possible. This may prove to be difficult!
3. We will buy organic when possible. One of my hang-ups about buying organic so far has been the price difference--which honestly still makes me cringe--but we feel like it's a good investment for the health of our family.
4. We will drink more water each day.
1 January 2011, lunch--carrots; apple slices; edamame; Red Onion, Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza. The Goat Cheese Pizza only rated 3 out of 5 stars on the Cooking Light website, but we LOVED it! I made the crust super thin and used 1.5 cups of mozzarella and 4 oz of goat cheese, then sprinkled parsley flakes on top. Yum!
Michael shows Laila how to eat edamame. She loved squishing the soybeans out of the pod, but when we told her she had to actually eat the beans, she pronounced them "shucky."
You might be wondering: How did such a sweet, innocent, omnivorous family turn down THIS path?? I could go on again about reasons; instead, I'll invite you to begin reading where we started: Christianity Today's "A Feast Fit for a King" and related article "The Grim Realities of Factory Farms."
We don't really know where this is going to lead us just yet, and we know for certain we don't have all the answers, but we're excited about the path ahead. It all boils down to the fact that we are tired of being sick and tired. We want to live long, healthy lives.
In the year 2084, I will be 100 years old. Not such a bad time to die.
2 comments:
Interesting thoughts, Becca. It encouraged me enough to once again be healthy...I'm looking at this as a process for me...much like a smoker's process to quit smoking. They say it takes can take up to 7 times before you actually quit. It may take me up to 7 times before I develop lifelong patterns of eating well and exercising. I'm just going to look at each try as a step to me doing this forever.
Tonight, I made my menu and bought all my groceries. It always makes me feel good when I know that I have a plan for when I get hungry or when I want a snack. I like knowing I have multiple healthy options to not feel guilty about.
I'm useing a sample menu from savingdinner.com. If this goes well, I may subscribe! You know how I hate planning this stuff!
It seems as though you have but a lot of thought into these concepts...or as least enough to actually make the decision. On the price difference on the organic: if you aren't eating meat,then you will have more to spend on organic, right? :D
So far, I like the new blog :D Thanks for sharing!
I'll second that - thanks for sharing the info! I've always preffered vegetables over meat and buying organic when I could afford it, but I haven't made the jump to a meatless diet.
Zack has been strongly considering it for a while now too. Thank you for the additional resources and a like-minded, intentional viewpoint.
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