Two Weeks of Healthy Eating

It has been two weeks since my husband and I spent the entire day watching a marathon of food documentaries. Those documentaries changed the way we view food and our relationship with it.

Two weeks later we are still discovering new foods and experimenting with how to prepare them. Our juicer is getting a workout like it never got before and I’ve rediscovered my love for cooking. Healthy eating has become more of a priority.

Here are a few other things we noticed:

1. We’re a little thinner. Combined we lost a total of 11 pounds.
2. More energetic. I’ve all but given up on drinking coffee. No need for it. I wake up with energy and the energy lasts throughout the day.
3. We need supplements. Even though we are eating healthy, it is almost impossible to get our necessary daily requirement of vitamins and minerals from food alone so we now take vitamin supplements (especially vitamin C, B and E).
4. Diminished mucus. My husband suffers from sinus issues. His sinus issues and mucus production has decreased by about 50%.
5. Improved sleep. Neither of us had problems sleeping before, but we seem to get a more restful sleep and awaken feeling well rested and refreshed.

Here are the biggest challenges I’ve encountered since altering my eating:

1. Figuring out how to cook certain produce (if I’m really stumped, I toss it in the juicer and drink it).
2. Teens. When my daughter has her friends over, I’m a little stumped as to the healthy snacks to offer. There are always plenty of fruits and nuts, but kids have grown accustomed to the processed after school snacks or nuggets and French fries. Healthy eating is not a priority for them. Although I do make a pretty mean batch of organic fries and have been known to whip up a tasty rendition of nuggets, doing so with free-range chickens is cost prohibitive. I’ve got to put on my thinking cap to come up with healthy yet cost-effective after school snacks for hungry teens.
3. The last challenge, which isn’t really a challenge, is to get out of the kitchen. Once I get a handle on the foods and how to prepare some of them, I’ll create some things in large batches to freeze for later. I’ve rediscovered my love for cooking, but too much of a good thing gets old fast.

Healthy Eating – Staying Motivated

Aside from the health, energy and weight improvements, I find that reading and watching food documentaries keep me motivated. If you have viewed the DVDs listed on the About page, here are a few more you should check out to keep you going:

• King Corn
• Vanishing of the Bees