I wrote this as a journal entry but decided to post it on my blog. Its really honest, long, and mostly for me to keep a record of my eating progression. I hope that by posting it I dont sound too extreme or offend anyone but here it goes....
Almost all my life I've been a not-too-strict vegetarian (and even pretty vegan-ish) with a little hiatus during my four years at BYU.
When I was 5 years old I decided I didn't really want to eat meat, and we didn't have much at my home anyway so it wasn't a huge deal. I think I just never developed a taste for it. Plus the thought -- that it was animal flesh really bothered me. I was introduced to this idea by my great friend Brandy who was a lover of animals (she had 9 cats and 7 dogs at her little mobile home in WY) and also vegetarian though we had different reasons. I have to say as a 5 year old I was even more obstinate than now and I just wouldn't eat it (I think though hot dogs and bacon held out till I was 6 :)).
I developed even more resolved when I saw a PBS special about how they slaughter cows -- all the blood dripping off carcases really threw me for a loop!
(as a side note...I wasn't too strict. My mom makes dang good teriyaki chicken and I always loved gravy on my potatoes).
Lately, I have learned something though; you can be vegetarian or vegan but still not healthy.
In January this year, I made all sorts of new year's resolutions, and didn't put eating more healthy as one of them...but secretly I wanted to. And you know, I've spent all year researching into it! I've read the China Study and about 20 other well-researched health books, Dan and I have watched countless food documentaries, I researched all about pregnancy and food etc. We acquired a juicer, blender, and water filter to have clean water (thanks Moms and Dads :)) and I even tried raw for a while.
Just a few months ago my eating habits really changed.
Milah was born with all sorts of food allergies. She screamed for days on end when I ate dairy or beans, MSG bothers her etc. We have learned to do weekend trips with packing a ton of fruit and raw green bars and salads etc. so she isn't in pain.
A few months ago, my mom bought me a book called Eat to Live and it changed the way I think about food. I have very different motives behind eating now; sure I still don't love the taste of steak, but it is the idea of
GET THE MOST NUTRIENTS FOR EACH CALORIE.
I love love LOVE this idea! It is all about being healthy!
In my life, this idea results in me living what Dr. Fuhrman "prescribes" -- eat 1 lb of fresh vegetables a day and 1 lb cooked or raw; being 2 lbs total. And guess what? I do it almost every day without thinking about it.
Because I love the taste of greens! I love how they make me feel.
I love eating spinach, and kale, and collards, and baby bok choy, and arugula, and broccoli, and purple, white, and green asparagus, and shitake mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms, and snow pea shoots, and radish sprouts, and sunflower sprouts, and brussels sprouts, and fennel, and watercress. And I'm excited to try mustard greens and celery root and more!
I've heard people say that they eat until their nutrient needs are met rather than until they are full, and I'm starting to experience it!
So....
I wake up in the morning and drink green lemonade. Sounds good? It is! I juice a head of kale, a head of romaine, 2 apples, and a lemon. Every single day it tastes different. The sizes of each are always different so one drink is sweet, and another tart; the kale is sourced from somewhere different and the romaine is always different bitter-ness.
(If I feel like I need an extra boost I drink two of these).
And then I eat a salad with anything I want to throw into it.
I eat it in a big mixing bowl like this:
Then I'll have "Anti-Cancer Soup" a blend of greens, or a wrap, or some grain with a vegetable, stir fry vegetables, or leftovers.
Then we make a fun, fancy recipe for dinner most every night so we keep things interesting. We've especially been loving paninis lately. And we eat that with another BIG salad in a mixing bowl.
This is what we're trying tonight for our Friday night date :)
Then we always have some little dessert like an 80% cocoa chocolate bar.
I am excited to start trying blended salads (stick your salad in a blender) because salads take forever to chew until you break down the cells, and your body can't break down the food at a cellular level so it is very important to chew your food. I think I'll just eat Milah's homemade babyfood with her when she gets to that point. She can drink a juice with me in the morning, and I'll blend her salads :)
I like eating some cooked food because it makes certain vitamins and minerals accessible that aren't otherwise. One of my favorite recipes is Dr. Fuhrman's Anti-Cancer Soup because it takes all sorts of greens and you simmer them in carrot juice so you don't have to dump out the nutrients like you do if you steam the food. And then you blend 1/2 the soup so it's easier to break down. Its super yummy!
Results?...
I love not complaining to Dan and relatives all the time about how I have so many uncomfortable little things and I've been able to avoid big health issues too.
For instance, over a month ago my Dr. said I had a uterus infection and to take 3 antibiotics etc. These are bad for Milah -- they wipe out all her good flora and are passed through the breast milk. My mom pointed out that it takes over a year for your flora to return to normal after antibiotics (I had them in Jan, April, and was prescribed them again in May...what?!?!?!). I didn't want this for Milah or for myself, so I've been on a health crusade since then and I think I really am getting better!
This week we all got colds -- Milah included -- and they lasted only for 2 days!
Almost all my life I've been a not-too-strict vegetarian (and even pretty vegan-ish) with a little hiatus during my four years at BYU.
When I was 5 years old I decided I didn't really want to eat meat, and we didn't have much at my home anyway so it wasn't a huge deal. I think I just never developed a taste for it. Plus the thought -- that it was animal flesh really bothered me. I was introduced to this idea by my great friend Brandy who was a lover of animals (she had 9 cats and 7 dogs at her little mobile home in WY) and also vegetarian though we had different reasons. I have to say as a 5 year old I was even more obstinate than now and I just wouldn't eat it (I think though hot dogs and bacon held out till I was 6 :)).
I developed even more resolved when I saw a PBS special about how they slaughter cows -- all the blood dripping off carcases really threw me for a loop!
(as a side note...I wasn't too strict. My mom makes dang good teriyaki chicken and I always loved gravy on my potatoes).
Lately, I have learned something though; you can be vegetarian or vegan but still not healthy.
In January this year, I made all sorts of new year's resolutions, and didn't put eating more healthy as one of them...but secretly I wanted to. And you know, I've spent all year researching into it! I've read the China Study and about 20 other well-researched health books, Dan and I have watched countless food documentaries, I researched all about pregnancy and food etc. We acquired a juicer, blender, and water filter to have clean water (thanks Moms and Dads :)) and I even tried raw for a while.
Just a few months ago my eating habits really changed.
Milah was born with all sorts of food allergies. She screamed for days on end when I ate dairy or beans, MSG bothers her etc. We have learned to do weekend trips with packing a ton of fruit and raw green bars and salads etc. so she isn't in pain.
A few months ago, my mom bought me a book called Eat to Live and it changed the way I think about food. I have very different motives behind eating now; sure I still don't love the taste of steak, but it is the idea of
GET THE MOST NUTRIENTS FOR EACH CALORIE.
I love love LOVE this idea! It is all about being healthy!
In my life, this idea results in me living what Dr. Fuhrman "prescribes" -- eat 1 lb of fresh vegetables a day and 1 lb cooked or raw; being 2 lbs total. And guess what? I do it almost every day without thinking about it.
Because I love the taste of greens! I love how they make me feel.
I love eating spinach, and kale, and collards, and baby bok choy, and arugula, and broccoli, and purple, white, and green asparagus, and shitake mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms, and snow pea shoots, and radish sprouts, and sunflower sprouts, and brussels sprouts, and fennel, and watercress. And I'm excited to try mustard greens and celery root and more!
I've heard people say that they eat until their nutrient needs are met rather than until they are full, and I'm starting to experience it!
So....
I wake up in the morning and drink green lemonade. Sounds good? It is! I juice a head of kale, a head of romaine, 2 apples, and a lemon. Every single day it tastes different. The sizes of each are always different so one drink is sweet, and another tart; the kale is sourced from somewhere different and the romaine is always different bitter-ness.
(If I feel like I need an extra boost I drink two of these).
And then I eat a salad with anything I want to throw into it.
I eat it in a big mixing bowl like this:
Then I'll have "Anti-Cancer Soup" a blend of greens, or a wrap, or some grain with a vegetable, stir fry vegetables, or leftovers.
Then we make a fun, fancy recipe for dinner most every night so we keep things interesting. We've especially been loving paninis lately. And we eat that with another BIG salad in a mixing bowl.
This is what we're trying tonight for our Friday night date :)
Then we always have some little dessert like an 80% cocoa chocolate bar.
I am excited to start trying blended salads (stick your salad in a blender) because salads take forever to chew until you break down the cells, and your body can't break down the food at a cellular level so it is very important to chew your food. I think I'll just eat Milah's homemade babyfood with her when she gets to that point. She can drink a juice with me in the morning, and I'll blend her salads :)
I like eating some cooked food because it makes certain vitamins and minerals accessible that aren't otherwise. One of my favorite recipes is Dr. Fuhrman's Anti-Cancer Soup because it takes all sorts of greens and you simmer them in carrot juice so you don't have to dump out the nutrients like you do if you steam the food. And then you blend 1/2 the soup so it's easier to break down. Its super yummy!
Results?...
I love not complaining to Dan and relatives all the time about how I have so many uncomfortable little things and I've been able to avoid big health issues too.
For instance, over a month ago my Dr. said I had a uterus infection and to take 3 antibiotics etc. These are bad for Milah -- they wipe out all her good flora and are passed through the breast milk. My mom pointed out that it takes over a year for your flora to return to normal after antibiotics (I had them in Jan, April, and was prescribed them again in May...what?!?!?!). I didn't want this for Milah or for myself, so I've been on a health crusade since then and I think I really am getting better!
This week we all got colds -- Milah included -- and they lasted only for 2 days!
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