We did it!
30 days without animal products, white flour or white sugar. Go us! 🙂
It wasn’t easy, but it really wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be either. I highly recommend you give it a try. Even just for a week or 10 days. It was extremely eye opening.
So, now what? I’ve done a lot of reading, thinking, and discussing with my husband and sister where to go from here. Here are the new guidelines we’ve decided to follow.
1. Eat REAL food.
When you start carefully reading labels it honestly gets a little scary. Even the most basic packaged items are so full of artificial junk, preservatives, and un-pronouncable ingredients it is ridiculous!
A perfect example is seemingly healthy whole wheat bread. Here is the ingredient list from the 9 grain bread we buy from Bountiful Baskets…Organic Whole Grain Wheat Flour,Water,Honey,Rye Flakes,Barley,Oats,Vital Wheat Gluten,Cracked Wheat,Corn,Rye,Millet,Flaxseed,Sea Salt, Yeast.
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Now, check out this list from Oroweat ‘s 100% Whole Wheat Bread…WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, SUGAR, WHEAT GLUTEN, YEAST, RAISIN JUICE CONCENTRATE, WHEAT BRAN, MOLASSES, SOYBEAN OIL, SALT, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (PRESERVATIVE), CALCIUM SULFATE, DATEM, GRAIN VINEGAR, CITRIC ACID, SOY LECITHIN, WHEY, NONFAT MILK
I’m telling you, as soon as you start reading labels carefully it is frustrating! Why, oh why, do they add all that other junk?!
Anyway, we’ve decided to stick to a 90/10 rule. 90% of what we eat is minimally processed, “real” food. My favorite website on this topic is called 100 Days of Real Food. She even lays out some rules for eating real food and some tips for avoiding the processed junk HERE.
2. Limit meat to twice a week.
I feel like we, especially the kids, need the B12 you get only from meat. We’ve also reintroduced dairy and eggs. Again, I don’t want my children missing any of the vital vitamins and minerals you get from animal products. I add meat to meals in small quantities now though. It definitely isn’t the star of the show anymore.
3. Make your own junk food.
In the book “In Defense of Food” Michael Pollan says, “eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” Having to make your own chocolate chip cookies from scratch instead of just pulling out a bag of Chips Ahoy means you’ll automatically eat them less often. Plus, you’ll at least be avoiding all the high fructose corn syrup and other artificial additives.
This has been a big one in our house as I’ve been looking to satisfy the kids’ junk food cravings in a healthier way. We’ve made some delicious fruit sorbet, dried fruit and fruit leather and I’ve even started making homemade whole wheat “pop tarts” on Saturday mornings. Yum!
I had no idea when we started our 30 day “Forks Over Knives” challenge that it would completely change the way we eat. It’s a little more work and I’m definitely still learning as we go, but I love knowing I’m making healthier choices for me and especially for my family. 🙂
I don’t understand why you want to limit meat to twice a week? My understanding is meat, good lean meat such as chicken, turkey, and fish provide needed protein so that you aren’t eating eight times a day. What is your reasoning?
Good question! 🙂 I’m not a nutritionist or an expert, but I’m definitely more than willing to explain why we’ve decided to eat the way we do.
I’m not sure if you read my earlier post, but what got us started eating differently to begin with was a documentary called “Forks Over Knives.” One of the main points of the show is that, “degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole-foods, plant-based diet.”
The doctors that made the documentary recommend cutting out animal products completely, which we did for 30 days. In the end though, I just felt like adding back in animal products in lesser quantities worked better for our family.
I also read a book by Michael Pollan called “In Defense of Food” and love his statement, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
So, to make a long answer short, my reasoning was simply to be healthier. Both my husband and I agree that we feel better eating this way. It has also been great for his blood pressure and cholesterol numbers (which used to be high for his age).
As far as eating protein to help you feel full, I’ve found that eating mostly whole foods – fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc. (i.e. high in fiber) accomplishes the same thing. And, I feel like I get plenty of protein from non-meat sources like dairy, nuts, beans and seeds.
I hope that answers your question! 🙂
WOW! That was even longer than I thought! Sorry for the novel. 🙂