Saturday, June 2, 2012
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Moving forward, one step at a time...
I decided that I was going to take a few steps backward (something a hiker hates to do) and revisit a lifestyle I lived a decade ago. I was a vegetarian, not vegan as I did consume dairy and eggs. Other then that I was pretty strict. I do not wish to live and eat that strict again but I do feel that my dietary intake has gone out of control. Animal is consumed in large multiple amounts on a daily basis. Which is very evident when I look at my waist line, however, it goes deeper then that. I have had a "clogged" feeling of late.
By clogged I don't mean irregular. Maybe polluted is a better word to describe it. You know when you feel like your skin is not clean, that the veins in your body are pumping in a sluggish manner. Just the feeling that you are not the efficient living organism that God intended you to be.
Therefore, I have decided to just cut back and alternate between veggie meals and animal meals. I figure that animal, be it meat, fowl, fish eaten once a day, maybe less is okay. What I really want to do is increase the amount of vegetables and fruit back into my diet as a main course. I have always loved them but in the past few years they have been more on the sideline. Other then that I will incorporate the use of grains such as bulgur, wheatberry, brown rice, quinoa and the likes to comprise feeling meals. A grain salad with some dried fruit and crunchy veggies thrown in has a very filling and satisfy effect on the palate.
I have also dug into the cabinet and dusted off the old Mr. Juiceman. Juice that you make yourself and can drink immediately without all the preservatives and processing is so much tastier not to mention healthier then bottled or canned. In just the few days that I have been back on the "juice" I have begun to feel it's effects.
It was a bit of an investment to make some of these changes. I looked through the pantry and pulled out all the processed crap food that has managed to seep in. It is easy and convenient, takes less time to cook but really other then making your stomach feel full does it have any real value?? Mostly not. I also pulled out the white flour products, I have been better with this but there is still white rice and pasta that needed to go.
Some of these foods were rescued as my husband is not willing to make the changes I am and he still intends to consume them. I can not push my ways on him so we have separate pantry areas, as we did back in the days when I was a veghead and he was not, we can do it. The items he does not want will go to the food bank where the shelves are pretty bare and they will take whatever they can get. I suppose that those that do not have the luxury to pick and choose will be happy with my discards and the food that it allows them.
The trip to Whole Foods to stock the pantry back up with the items I am now suggesting was also a big hit to the pocketbook. That said, not feeling well, whether it be psychological or physical always cost. You either spend at the doctor's office or at the store buying products that you think will make you feel better. So I am okay with the investment.
Today I feel strong in my convictions to carry out this regime. I will address it like a long hike. I have purchased the right products (gear, so to speak) and will use it wisely and just take it one step at a time. I know that every New Year resolutions are made and by Valentine's they are a thing of the past. I am not looking at this as a resolution more as some lifestyle changes, a journey that can bring me to a happier healthier place. I've been there before and I know I felt 100 percent better.
I have other changes I want to make in my life that have to do with health in the way of a more active life. Yes, I am a hiker and that is a very active part of my life. Unfortunately when I am not hiking I am not as active as I need to be. Hopefully that too in on an upswing and change is a comin'!! I don't want to overwhelm myself so I'll work on the food issues first and perhaps that will bring on such a sense of well being that the exercise and movement will just naturally follow.
There are financial habits I want to address and cleanse but that is another blog in and of itself. :)
Peace, health and happiness in all you do...
By clogged I don't mean irregular. Maybe polluted is a better word to describe it. You know when you feel like your skin is not clean, that the veins in your body are pumping in a sluggish manner. Just the feeling that you are not the efficient living organism that God intended you to be.
Therefore, I have decided to just cut back and alternate between veggie meals and animal meals. I figure that animal, be it meat, fowl, fish eaten once a day, maybe less is okay. What I really want to do is increase the amount of vegetables and fruit back into my diet as a main course. I have always loved them but in the past few years they have been more on the sideline. Other then that I will incorporate the use of grains such as bulgur, wheatberry, brown rice, quinoa and the likes to comprise feeling meals. A grain salad with some dried fruit and crunchy veggies thrown in has a very filling and satisfy effect on the palate.
I have also dug into the cabinet and dusted off the old Mr. Juiceman. Juice that you make yourself and can drink immediately without all the preservatives and processing is so much tastier not to mention healthier then bottled or canned. In just the few days that I have been back on the "juice" I have begun to feel it's effects.
It was a bit of an investment to make some of these changes. I looked through the pantry and pulled out all the processed crap food that has managed to seep in. It is easy and convenient, takes less time to cook but really other then making your stomach feel full does it have any real value?? Mostly not. I also pulled out the white flour products, I have been better with this but there is still white rice and pasta that needed to go.
Some of these foods were rescued as my husband is not willing to make the changes I am and he still intends to consume them. I can not push my ways on him so we have separate pantry areas, as we did back in the days when I was a veghead and he was not, we can do it. The items he does not want will go to the food bank where the shelves are pretty bare and they will take whatever they can get. I suppose that those that do not have the luxury to pick and choose will be happy with my discards and the food that it allows them.
The trip to Whole Foods to stock the pantry back up with the items I am now suggesting was also a big hit to the pocketbook. That said, not feeling well, whether it be psychological or physical always cost. You either spend at the doctor's office or at the store buying products that you think will make you feel better. So I am okay with the investment.
Today I feel strong in my convictions to carry out this regime. I will address it like a long hike. I have purchased the right products (gear, so to speak) and will use it wisely and just take it one step at a time. I know that every New Year resolutions are made and by Valentine's they are a thing of the past. I am not looking at this as a resolution more as some lifestyle changes, a journey that can bring me to a happier healthier place. I've been there before and I know I felt 100 percent better.
I have other changes I want to make in my life that have to do with health in the way of a more active life. Yes, I am a hiker and that is a very active part of my life. Unfortunately when I am not hiking I am not as active as I need to be. Hopefully that too in on an upswing and change is a comin'!! I don't want to overwhelm myself so I'll work on the food issues first and perhaps that will bring on such a sense of well being that the exercise and movement will just naturally follow.
There are financial habits I want to address and cleanse but that is another blog in and of itself. :)
Peace, health and happiness in all you do...
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