Taking my mind off the lack of news about the new job I'm up for...
To continue with the theme of my personal journey I'll tell you about a few other things I've changed in my life since I started reading naturalliving. I've started composting all our food waste to help keep it from going in a landfill, and also because the soil in our garden is pretty poor. I bought some reusable shopping bags from Reusablebags.com, so we aren't accumulating so many plastic bags. They are really cool, I like my purple one the best. I have been trying to switch us over to more organic produce as well. I've ordered a couple boxes of organic fruit and veg so far. The one I got from Riverford.co.uk this week was fantastic. Lots of stuff, and some varieties I'd never seen before, like zucchini shaped like balls. And the organic apples are really good, and I almost never eat unprocessed fruit. I'd like to switch all of our animal products (milk and meat) to organic, and preferably grass fed for the beef and milk. I read the Omnivore's Dilemma recently, which has changed how I look at food. I'm trying to eat more whole foods. More vegetables. More fruits. Less sugar, no High Fructose Corn Syrup. More organic, because it really does make a difference to the environment how it's grown. The runoff from farms that use chemical fertilizers have created a deadzone in the Gulf of Mexico the size of Delaware. And it makes a difference to me, because organic has more nutrients and less pesticide residue. Lately I've been thinking about babies. I'd like to have a baby in the not-too-distant future. And I want to raise my baby naturally. I want to breastfeed for as long as possible and use cloth diapers and use a baby sling instead of a stroller. Yeah, I've also been reading naturalfamily and getting ideas from that.
Some of these are more long-term plans than immediate concerns. I think I will have to go pretty slowly, since it won't just be me involved. And I don't want to start having to cook two separate meals each night, one for me and one for Andrew. He isn't cool with the idea of reducing the amount of meat we eat. But I've tried eating more healthy, as well as reducing the amount I eat, and I'm still gaining weight all the time. I just keep having to buy bigger and bigger jeans. And I hate how I am so unfit, and getting more so everyday. So I really need a radical change. I don't want to be a diabetic 26 year old. That scares the hell out of me, since I was pretty borderline when the Dr checked the sugars in my urine. I'm going to try to follow the plan put forth in this book, Eat to Live by Dr Joel Fuhrman, which emphasizes eating nutrient dense foods. The nutrient density is calculated by the amount of nutrients (vitamins, mineral, phytochemicals, polyphenols, fiber, etc.) per Calorie. So things like veggies, beans, legumes are all good. Meat is pretty high in calories for the nutrients you get from it, so there's not too much meat in this plan.
EDIT: I'm not trying to make anyone feel like they should change how they live with this entry. This is only about my choices and changes that I feel strongly about. People should do what they feel comfortable with.
Some of these are more long-term plans than immediate concerns. I think I will have to go pretty slowly, since it won't just be me involved. And I don't want to start having to cook two separate meals each night, one for me and one for Andrew. He isn't cool with the idea of reducing the amount of meat we eat. But I've tried eating more healthy, as well as reducing the amount I eat, and I'm still gaining weight all the time. I just keep having to buy bigger and bigger jeans. And I hate how I am so unfit, and getting more so everyday. So I really need a radical change. I don't want to be a diabetic 26 year old. That scares the hell out of me, since I was pretty borderline when the Dr checked the sugars in my urine. I'm going to try to follow the plan put forth in this book, Eat to Live by Dr Joel Fuhrman, which emphasizes eating nutrient dense foods. The nutrient density is calculated by the amount of nutrients (vitamins, mineral, phytochemicals, polyphenols, fiber, etc.) per Calorie. So things like veggies, beans, legumes are all good. Meat is pretty high in calories for the nutrients you get from it, so there's not too much meat in this plan.
EDIT: I'm not trying to make anyone feel like they should change how they live with this entry. This is only about my choices and changes that I feel strongly about. People should do what they feel comfortable with.