Over the past few years I have tried to learn everything I can about food and nutrition. I even got a bachelors degree in nutrition science! This has been kind of a curse for me. I feel like I never have enough knowledge and that I need to keep learning before taking any big steps. In the last two weeks alone I have picked up 5 books from the library about weight loss, sugar free diets, and the real food diet. I am currently reading two. I am reading The Shift by Tory Johnson and 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake. I am loving both books and plan to do a review on them once I am done. There are things in each book that is starting to get my brain and appetite to work together.
In her book, Tory Johnson talks about what food was like when she was growing up and how it set her up for what she ate as an adult. That really made me think, what am I teaching my kids about eating? With how our diet is now what food choices will my children make when they get older. It is up to me as a parent to guide my children in the right direction and hopefully when they are old enough to choose for themselves they will look at what I taught them and choose healthy foods. It makes sense to me and I want to give my children the best start that they can get.
When I started reading Lisa Leake's book I saw similarities in how she grew up and how I grew up. My mom wasn't a fan of cooking and would often turn to frozen or canned food to make dinner. She also didn't lead by example, she never ate her vegetables. She has since been cooking a lot more, and while she doesn't do much with vegetables she makes sure there is at least a salad with your meat. I am very proud of my mom and how she is seeing food differently. Seeing someone who grew up like me make such a dramatic change gives me hope that I can change our eating habits too.
So what has all this reading done for me? It has shown me that not only is it possible to change the way I eat, it has also shown me that with careful planning I can do it and create a healthier family. That brings me back to how I think food and health are linked. I have been told by people who have depression and anxiety that they changed their diets and nothing changed. Does that mean when it didn't work they gave up and went back to their old eating habits? I believe that it can work but I also believe that when changing your diet it isn't a short term change. I believe it is a lifestyle change. A diet is not a quick fix where you lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks and go right back to your old ways of eating. A "diet" is the food you eat not the foods you restrict to lose weight!
With this in mind I have decided to take on the 100 Days of Real Food Challenge. Not only does Lisa's book have awesome and simple recipes but she also have a great website for more resources. It's kind of scary to think of changing something that has brought me such comfort for so long, but when I think of how I feel now and how I can feel, it encourages me! I am not restricting myself but instead I am making my own foods rather than relying on manufacturing companies to make them for me. Join me for this challenge so that we can all encourage each other. Comment below if you are up for the challenge! Also check back in for recipes, healthy tips, and meal planning.
Tonight's dinner: Clean eating pizza with steamed broccoli on the side. Whole wheat pizza dough, roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh sausage.
For more information on 100 Days of Real Food check out 100daysofrealfood.com
For more information on The Shift visit shiftwithtory.com
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