We did it. After years of talking about it and knowing it was truly the thing we should do, talking ourselves out of it countless times, deciding to try but only halfheartedly, we really did it this time. For real. We cleaned out the pantry, started over again with whole foods (no processed sugar, white flour, white rice, prepackaged meals, cake mixes, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)
It was just time.
Two cancer scares were two too many, and while our lives are in God's hands, it is, at the same time, up to us to be good stewards of the bodies he has given us. We decided the best way to do that would be to adopt a whole foods outlook on life.
We are no longer just dangling our feet in the water, we dove in head first. There are so many approaches to food it's been hard to know which is the best for us. My sister-in-law prescribes to a low fat vegan diet that has been a huge part in rediscovering what it means to be healthy for her. Others say that meat and oils are good for you, providing protein and fat soluble vitamins you can't get elsewhere. Some say to run screaming from gluten while others say a grain-based diet is the way to go. What to do? We decided to consider our particular needs (Flyboy has diabetes, I have chronic allergies and sinus issues) and our need to find something we can stick with (Flyboy is a carnivore and has quite the sweet tooth). Taking something from several approaches, we decided to cut back on meat and oils, not worry about gluten right now (we're eating lots of whole grain stuff) and cut the dairy altogether. Sugar/brown sugar/Splenda - it's all out, replaced by the sparing usage of agave nectar or raw honey. No artificial anything. Organic, as much as we can find and afford.
So...how does one go about making such a major diet change? Lots of reading and research! I'm trying new recipes and trying my best to make it interesting. It has to taste good and be satisfying in order to stick with it. This we know. There are certain things that are particularly challenging to find healthy replacements for when you've eaten them all your life. Like pancake syrup. The regular syrup on the shelf is nothing but sugar and chemicals. Artificial maple flavoring. Artificial color. While real maple syrup is natural, it's loaded with sugar, making it a big no-no for diabetics. I found an alternative! Yesterday for breakfast, we had french toast made from whole grain bread with this fruity topping:
Whir in the food processor until smooth: 1 c applesauce and 1 banana, cut in chunks. Spoon over pancakes, french toast, or feed it to a baby straight away.
That's it! It's just that simple! And it was packed with palate satisfying flavor! We didn't miss the fake maple syrup one little bit!
Stay tuned for more new whole food discoveries on this schizophrenic little piece of real estate (is it an empty nest blog? is it a devotional blog? is it a genealogy blog? is it a food blog? aaaagh!!!).
Until next time,
Carol
