I truly
believe that clean and healthy eating lets us enjoy a healthy and happy life. I know from my own experiences how fantastically true this is.
Carrying around a lot of extra weight is really hard on our bodies and our health. Having been
overweight most of my adult life, I know the struggles associated with weight
loss. I was at my heaviest in my early
forties and I hated it. Diets never
worked for me. I'd try to stick with it
and eventually give out and go back to how things used to be. Finally, I got rid of the excess weight and
have managed to maintain it for nearly ten years now.
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| Garden Salad |
Once I got
that weight off I noticed I felt so much better I couldn't believe it. I slept better and I had more energy. My aches and pains went away. Being overweight is hard on our joints, but I
no longer have that constant pain in my feet, ankles, knees and hips. My back stopped aching.
I no longer
have the trouble with swelling like I used too.
My skin is much clearer and not as dry.
I can do a lot more stuff too.
I didn't go
on a diet, but instead I simply changed my eating habits. I don't deprive myself of anything. If I want a piece of cake, I have a piece of
cake. The key is that I just don't eat the
whole cake.
I took
control of what I was putting in my mouth.
I pretty much stopped buying pre-made and over processed food. When I shop now I buy ingredients to make my
own food. Most of what I cook and bake
is from scratch instead of already made and wrapped up sitting on a shelf for
who knows how long.
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| Broccoli Beef & Steamed Rice |
I like
knowing what is in my food. I control
the salt, sugar, fiber content and flavor.
Preservative and chemical consumption has been dramatically reduce. My ingredients have names I can pronounce and
recognize.
Every day I
am working on new and better ways to feed myself and my family. I am always tweaking my recipes and modifying
them so I can reduce salt and sugar while increasing nutrients and fiber. I keep working at it.
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| Hummus on whole wheat crackers and fresh veggies |
I won't say
we never eat junk food, because that would be a lie. We just don't make it an everyday thing. Things like chips and donuts are treats
instead of the everyday norm. We don't
eat out often and I seldom buy from the grocery store deli.
I research
food, I shop around online for recipes, ideas and nutrition information, I
watch documentaries about health and how our eating habits affect that. I guess you can say I've become a bit of a
nerd about the subject.
Do you, or
have you struggled with your weight? How
are some ways you work toward a healthier lifestyle?
I'm trying to eat healthier too. You should check out the book "Wheat Belly" it's amazing how horrible wheat is for us.
ReplyDeleteTania
I'm trying to limit my starches, including bread, which I love. You know it can't be all that good for you because whenever I eat it I feel sluggish.
DeleteMy problem is I dearly love junk food
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteYou seem to be doing pretty well, but I notice that you eat a lot of rice meals. You know that is not good for you either, just like too much bread. I also wanted to know why you seem to buy the veggie trays from the store pre made. That seems to me that you are paying for convenience and not really spending your veggie budget the best you can. Vegetables are much less expensive purchased in other ways, such as farmers markets locally. Just asking since you do call yourself a thrifty mom.
ReplyDeleteThese are great questions. I serve a lot of rice because I happen to have Chinese children. They are not overweight and very healthy young ladies. The veggie trays I buy are huge and believe me I've price compared the equivalent of what a pkg of cherry tomatoes and snap peas cost plus the peppers and found those three things alone added up to more than the tray. Plus this store mails me coupons for these and I also get them frequently on markdown for only $3.99 (the same price as the peppers on their own). The farmer's market near my home tends to sell most of their items ripe to overripe and unfortunately most of the produce is not local. I find the produce at Fred Meyer lasts us much longer and I've shopped a lot of places to come to that conclusion. Hope this answers your questions. Thank you so much for asking.
DeleteSo sorry! I thought you were eating so much rice because it was cheap! Too much rice is still not good for you. I know several Chinese people who have to give up rice because it turns directly to sugar in the body. Maybe brown rice would be better? Also I don't understand your logic on the veggie trays. If you are buying them on markdown doesn't that mean that they have been sitting on the shelf for a long period of time and are getting "ripe or overripe"? I guess that you can also say that you are saving the cost of having to buy the tray for when you make something to take to a picnic or something. I notice that you re-use stuff like that. I just don't understand this post!
DeleteI guess I don't understand why you are under the impression we eat unhealthy amounts of rice, but that is fine. And I'm perfectly alright if you don't approve of our choices when it comes to food. I'm only sharing what I do with no expectation that it will please everyone. Take care and God Bless!
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