Two Weeks of Life Changing Actions

I suppose I should stop calling the change in eating an "experiment" because we are not experimenting. We are actually DOING it and have no plans to stop. I've decided to call our decision to eat real food our "Life Changing Actions".

Finding real foods is still challenging but it just requires a little more research and the willingness to go where the food is.

I will say I was quite shocked at the prices at Whole Foods (and the maddening crowd). A friend said someone he knows calls it "Whole Paycheck" and I have to agree with that description. However, our Whole Foods carries grass-fed beef from Georgia (as opposed to Australia or Uruguay). I bought a large rib eye and a shoulder roast. I also picked up a large wild-caught tuna steak and some yummy sauce. I found whole milk kefir, too, as well, as whipped organic butter. We tried some caseless organic sausages that were very flavorful while having a short ingredient list on the package. So, I bought 2 beef items, 1 tuna steak, 3 dairy products, 2 packages of sausage, and a jar of store-brand organic peanut butter for $80. Yep, EIGHTY BUCKS.

Hubby grilled the rib eye last night and it was DEVINE! Tuna steak is marinating in the yummy sauce for tonight. The whole milk kefir is extremely tangy and so good with fruit and sprinkling of turbinado sugar. The organic peanut butter has a wonderful nutty flavor and is not oily.

So, for $80, I don't think I wasted any money. I do have to wonder how people with less monetary resources could afford to eat "real food" when the overly processed stuff is so much cheaper?

My husband and I stopped at Kroger on our way home last night and we both noticed the processed food-laden cart of the lady in front of us. We watched as the cashier scanned yogurts, packaged mass-produced meats, pre-made cookie dough, and other "middle of the store" items. Later we discussed how we both noticed what she was buying and how we used to have the same items in our cart.

It really does not take long for your body to go back to real foods. I would argue that our bodies crave real foods and we don't realize it. We eat more and more of the processed stuff because our bodies are craving the nutrients the collective "we" don't get from food any longer.

We, as a couple, are eating less food. We are eating smaller portions. We are eating a greater variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats. Despite the smaller portions, we are not hungry. We are putting good food in our bodies and our bodies are responding in kind.

My desire for snacks - especially sugary snacks - had diminished. My desire for sodas is gone. My desire for a big, greasy hamburger is gone. In fact, the thought of my formerly-beloved Sonic burger makes me feel a little queasy. Processed items that once seemed delicious are lacking now.

I have lost 7 pounds since we started this new eating lifestyle. I have not counted a calorie, worried about a carbohydrate, thought about sodium or fat content. It's not that those things are not important, but 100 years ago the nutritional breakdown of the foods people ate were not commonly known and people simply didn't worry about it. People lived healthy lives and eat healthy foods without knowing the nutritional breakdown of what they were eating.

I have started planning for a vegetable garden. I will plant blueberries and blackberries this year so I can have my own fruit in a few years. I am contemplating dwarf apple trees. I am still sourcing local grass-fed beef.

The change is really not that difficult. It is more a change in how we think about what we eat and where that food comes from and what has been done to it before it gets to us. Pretty simple stuff, really. Basic and simple.

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." - Michael Pollan