Call me crazy. You may, I get it. But Andy and I have recently made a major change in our life, something we've been considering for awhile...we've cut out gluten and processed foods from our diet!
I can hear the silence...the long pause....
I get it...
Because you're probably asking...what the heck for?
Well. Over the course of our marriage we have tried to to be health concious about what we eat, and we've had spurts of improvement and spurts of downfalls. But in the last year and a half we have really taken it several steps further and the more I explore, the more I realize I can continually improve the fuel I put into my body. I've realized that it's not normal to feel sluggish, bloated, heavy and moody all the time. I lived with feeling that way for so long that it took me awhile to get a taste of how I'm really suppose to feel, and I want more! I've been wanting to do this for awhile, but have been too scared of the question you're probably asking me right now..."What will I eat?" Andy hadn't really been fully on board until recently and so when we both finally decided it was a good idea, we dove in head first.
This last summer I'd come to the realization that I had a gluten-intolerance. Not an allergy, let me make that clear. Just an intolerance. I was noticing how downright yucky I was feeling when I ate it, which was frequently because it's in most foods. So I started to explore the subject and realized how bad it is for my body. And after realizing that, I began to realize that I didn't want to just substitute everything I was eating for a different form of it...because half of those forms still weren't any better to eat...I wanted to change what I was eating all together.
So we took it a step further. And we decided not to start of slow because we'd be more tempted to give up, plus we sort of just operate well in that cold-turkey method anyway. So one night we purged our house. Gave away all of our processed food...threw things in the trash...my cupboards were bare. But it was refreshing and I was excited. And the next day we dove into a new world of food. We've been planning our meals and following a basic principle of eating good fats, carbs and protein involving whole, fresh food. Meat, vegetables and fruit, and nuts, good oils, etc. that are full of good fat. And I never would've thought that eating this way was so tasty, but it is! Vienna is loving it too, she's chowing down the food I give her without complaint.
I'm still currently and will continually educate myself on nutrition; I'm loving the information I am getting, I'm finding it very interesting the way food really affects our bodies and what our bodies should get to function healthily. The more and more I have explored healthy eating the more I come to the realization of how important it is to eat good. Food fuels us, just like sleep...we need it to survive. Food affects our mood and behavior. It affect our functionality, the way we feel, it even affects the way we think.
We are only on day 15 of our new way of eating, but I am shocked at how much I am really enjoying it. I'm not only feeling good about the things I am feeding my family, but I am loving the way that I feel. Within the first week I noticed how I wasn't feeling bloated after I ate. I have noticed how light I feel, and good. Not sluggish and heavy and irritable. I feel satisfied after eating, I have little cravings, and I have more energy and feel like my emotions are more leveled. I'm enjoying the food, trying new things to eat in ways I've never thought of before. It's kinda fun. :)
Now. I'm not going on to say that I will never eat gluten or processed food again...because, that's just not true. I do hope to make better choices when I go out to eat with friends, but in situations like that I will likely cheat. And also when we visit people. I've talked to a couple of people recently about our change and that it probably my biggest cause for writing this blog, because I really don't want people to feel like they have to worry about what they feed us when they invite us over for supper, or when we spend the weekend somewhere. Nope. I will cheat in those cases too. :) We just wanted to change the way we eat 95% of the time, at home. Our everyday routine. And probably by doing this I will make better choices when I do go out, and learn to bring more food to share!
I do have a starting off goal though that I am trying to keep. And that is to not to have any gluten for 30 days, to give my body time to adjust--just because of the sensitivity I was having to it before. I am curious to know how I will feel after eating it again.
I hope to explore more about eating and nutrition and continue to learn more and try new things and improve the things I fuel my body with. If anybody has any awesome tips or recipes to share, please do!
And please, don't let this alarm you from coming over to my house... :) I promise I'll give you tasty things to eat. :)
