To Blog or Not To Blog?

Not all that interested in blogging right now ... but don't want to delete mine either.

Layers of Lies

While it seems wrong to complain about losing four pounds, that’s sort of what I’m about to do.  You may already know that last week our family finished the 10 Day Pledge from 100DaysOfRealFood.  In short, it’s a commitment to eat and prepare dishes/snacks made from whole foods – only whole grains (no white or partial-white flours) and no refined sweeteners (choose honey or real maple syrup instead).  There are more details, if interested, and I’ve posted all about them previously. 

We did successfully complete the pledge, and I’ve decided to continue.  My family will still make their own “out & about” choices, but the whole foods offerings at home are here to stay.  Here’s why - - - the results are disturbing.  We are eating LESS food and are hungry LESS often, because whole foods take longer for your body to breakdown and utilize than processed/packaged foods.  Our energy levels are more constant and my sleep seems more restorative.  I’ve lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks without concern for portion size, without exercise (that WILL come), and without being hungry.  We’re eating butter on our homemade whole-grain bread, pouring half & half on our oatmeal, and making Alfredo sauce with heavy whipping cream for our brown rice pasta.  Of course, we’re eating lots of fruits & vegetables too. 

Isn’t another decade of greater obesity, higher cancer rates, more heart disease, etc. enough to convince people that something’s NOT right?  Isn’t it obvious that there are layers and layers of lies regarding nutrition in our American culture?  I suppose truths have always been out there, but - for me - they sure have been hard to find. 

Here are a few blogs/websites that have helped me sort through the mess of information. 

• Deliciously Organic
• Heavenly Homemakers
• 100 Days Of Real Food
• Real Milk

Wanting to be equipped with more knowledge, and not just my own opinions, today I started reading “Fateful Fork” (here’s a review) – (here’s the table of contents).  It’s been helpful and revealing – timeless nutrition facts that sort through fads, and expose motives of corporate profitability.  

There IS a small and growing national movement (backlash?!) towards and demand for simple whole foods, and I’m glad to finally be part of it!  My depth of understanding is still slight, but I’m confident we’ve finally found the correct path – REAL WHOLE FOODS. 

10 Day Wrap Up

Our family just completed the 10 Day Pledge from Lisa at 100 Days Of Real Food.  We only have good things to report.

• Staying full longer - So less snacking
• Nutrient & fiber rich foods take longer to digest
• More energy (Cassie & Tami)
• Less stomach issues (Cassie)
• Lost 2.5 pounds during our pledge (Tami)
• Since there was absolutely NO exercise, it must be the diet change
• Had fun cooking healthy recipes, having people rave over them, and then telling them what they're eating is HEALTHY! (Jaycie)

As stated in an earlier post, we've decided to continue our commitment to "whole food" eating.  Though I thought we were preparing & eating fairly healthy foods before, I didn't realize how often we turn to processed foods for snacks and packing lunches.  I cleaned our our pantry this week and donated multiple bags of 'convenience' and canned foods to our local food bank.  That left me with plenty of room to store my bulk whole grain purchases - which I've been shuffling from here to there, all around the other packaged foods. 

It's easy to be skeptical, but surely you've got 10 days to try it for yourself, so go ahead!!  I'll be looking forward to hearing your evaluations, and if you need any recipe recommendations, be sure to scroll down through my blog pages -- all ten days worth of menus are there.

Day 10 of 10

You've found our family in the middle of a 10 Day Pledge to "whole food" eating. I'm recording our journey here.

As our 10 Days are coming to an official end, we're looking forward to continuing it with a little wiggle room here & there for homemade junk food! 

I've found that most of our favorite recipes can be easily adapted to keep out refined sugars, fats and flours.  Laura, at Heavenly Homemakers has put together a marvelous post with lots & lots of informative links about adapting your recipes for healthy living!  And she created this handy print out to keep in your kitchen!

Tomorrow I'll post an evaluation and wrap up of our pledge. 

Wednesday's Menu
Breakfast:

• Homemade Granola
• Homemade Yogurt

Lunch:

• Leftover Salad
• Bean and/or Fish Tacos
• Both proteins are leftovers

Snacks:

• Cherries
• Pudding Popsicles

Dinner:

• Breakfast Skillet
• Ours will have a couple less ingredients