Anyway, I want to continue to incorporate a lot of the food challenge rules in a way that it will be practical to maintain forever. Here is what I would consider to be our family eating motto....
1) 2 servings of fruit/vegetables at every meal
2) Eliminate artificial sweeteners and food dyes
- I plan to never buy food with these ingredients although I won't go crazy if
my kids get them at school or parties occasionally. I think for holidays where they are showered with candy I will let them eat 2 or 3 and toss the rest. Mean mom, I know.
3) 100% Whole Grain bread, rice, pasta, tortillas, etc.
4) Buy organic when reasonable and affordable
5) Buy local meat, produce, eggs, and honey
6) Limit fried food
- I like having chips occasionally which are fried, otherwise I could cut fried food out completely
7) Limit added salt
8) Limit store bought food to 5 ingredients or less
9) Limit sugar to dessert (1-2 servings a week)
- I am still in SHOCK at how much sugar an average American consumes. Gross! I was pleased at how easy it was to cut out/limit. Try cutting all sugar/sweeteners out for a week - easier than you might think.
I think eating healthy is SO important. I can't imagine that Americans will be able to maintain superiority over other nations in regards to innovation, economics if 30% of our nation is obese. If we, as a nation, do not take a vested interest in our own health I am certain 50+% of us will be obese in the near future.
Of course, the food challenge isn't really about weight or body image (I weigh the same now as I did 14 weeks ago). It's about health. We certainly can not control our future completely or prevent every health crisis (oh how I wish we could - thinking about you Daron) but I plan to give myself and my kids the best chance possible at living a long, healthy, productive life. Eating healthy is just one part of living a well balanced fulfilling life.
If you haven't examined your own eating habits I challenge you to do so! It is really a rewarding process.
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4 comments:
What a great idea! I love your food philosophy. Well done! :)
I'd like more detail about what "reasonable and affordable" organic food will have to be before you will consider purchasing it instead of conventional food. I'm honestly just curious about how people make food decisions. :) What makes limiting fried food more approachable than limiting pesticide consumption? What is holding you back, sticker shock? That's totally what held me back at first. :) I edged in...first dairy...then some fruits and veggies...then all of them...then grains etc...then everything. SO glad I did, I feel better about organic land management practices than I do about conventional, though of course there are mega-farms for organic foods too! And I swear the food is more nutritious and delicious--particularly carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, for some reason. That said, if I lost my job suddenly, organic food would probably be the first thing to go, so I can't say too much. ;) I wonder, have you considered adding a farmer's market or gardening item? There must be tons of markets out where you live, and a nice long growing season. :)
Good luck! You guys are awesome!
:) Liz
We drink organic milk, yogurt, and about 50% of our produce are organic. Our bread, crackers, frozen fruits are not. We have to multiple the cost adjustment by 5 instead of 1-2x which makes a difference.
The chips I like are both fried and full of pesticides. ha! That's why they are limited!
Another thought -- eliminating fried food is free. Eating all organic food is not. :)
I am impressed! I have a love for fried food, but try to avoid it as much as possible.
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