What to Eat?
11:15 AM
In April, my family began a 3 month trial of a nutritarian diet. Basically, a plant-based diet, largely dairy-free and primarily meat-free. We switched from skim milk to soy milk. (We tried almond milk, but it was too sweet for the kids).
Kyle and I were inspired to undertake this after reading lots of compelling information, including these books:
I have also since watched Forks Over Knives, a documentary which basically reinforced what we'd read in other places.
Our 3 month trial ended in July, but we have decided to continue eating this way. Kyle and I lost some pounds, felt SO much lighter and cleaner, and more importantly, can find no downside to this way of eating.
We've also been extremely healthy and energetic, but all those things aside, just knowing that we are filling our bodies with vital nutrients instead of packing our systems full of gunk that has the potential to cause numerous cancers, heart disease, weight problems, diabetes, and so on and so forth is enough.
Especially for our kids. And you may wonder if this means our kids will actually eat this way. And the answer is "yes, they will." My rule before all meals is "Don't say you don't like something until you've tasted it." And every single time something may not have LOOKED like something they'd eat, once they tasted it, they always cleaned their plate.
We do still use eggs occasionally. And we have yet to fully eliminate white sugar from our diet, but we have severely limited our use of it. And yes, this means lots less baking on my part. Although it's interesting that since I've stopped baking so much, the hold that the addictive combo of Butter/Sugar had over me seems to have lessened. I still occasionally want chocolate chip cookies and I will make them. But overall, I've found easier, healthier ways to satisfy my sweet tooth.
And thankfully, through a few like-minded women out there who happen to be raising their families using nutritarian lifestyles, and blog about it, I get all kinds of encouragement and reinforcement and even more important - recipes!
I have talked before about FIMBY...she's been immensely helpful in our journey. I recently purchased an e-book she wrote all about using salads as your main meals and how to create whole food salad dressing. I HIGHLY recommend that book, even if you're not following a plant-based diet. Click on the link to her blog if you're interested in her e-book.
I've also found lots of other blogs through hers, including this one, Kidoing, as well as this one who have given me inspiration for healthy cooking! I guess it's like any other thing, once you start focusing on something, your eyes suddenly begin to notice all the other people out there who share your passions and interests. And praise God for that!
As an example, I used a recipe from Kidoing this morning to make some seriously awesome pancakes. They're called Peanut Butter and Banana Hotcakes and you can find the recipe here.
These pancakes used whole wheat flour, no eggs, no sugar, no dairy...and my kids scarfed them DOWN like nobody's business. That's my goal, folks. Healthy food and happy kids.
I also recently made some Peanut Butter Cookies using this recipe. And I'll admit, I was skeptical...no eggs, no sugar, no flour...how could these possibly taste good? Trust me. Another huge success. And the interesting thing about these is that you can eat them uncooked or cooked. Kyle prefers them cooked, but I find the kids and I don't have a preference. They're just yummy!
I enjoy cooking new things. I rarely repeat something with any degree of regularity unless I'm super short on time or energy and it's a Sunday night. In that case, breakfast always sounds good. But for the most part, I like trying new things and I am happy to say that's been able to continue since I've found all these great websites!
Even if you don't think your family could go dairy-free or meat-free, I doubt any of us would argue that we couldn't put more veggies and fruits in our diet. So start there and maybe see if you could make some other switches. Eliminate sodas and foods that you know you shouldn't eat anyway...cut out processed foods that you regularly give your kids. Pay attention to ingredients. Be mindful of what you purchase. Avoid those middle aisles of the grocery store. Start with one veg meal per week and see how that goes. It's definitely a process to shift your eating this way, just as it's a process to form a lifelong habit of working out and maintaining a level of fitness. Or even tithing or having a regular prayer time or quiet time with the Lord. And it may not matter all that much to you...food may just be food.
And if that's the case, I challenge you to reconsider your stance on that. It's kinda silly.
It may seem crazy to you to eat (or not eat) so drastically. But hey, one man's crazy is another person's sane. I just made that up. But it seems true.
Good luck with your food decisions!
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