When deciding to start this blog I spent a lot of time contemplating exactly what approach I should take. As is typical for me I haven't decided so I'll figure it out as I go. I suppose telling you a bit about myself and my family would be a good start..
“Hi. My name is Elly and I am ...over-eater, poor choice maker, and extremely stubborn. Join my family and I as we continue our journey to healthier living. Several years ago I became very ill and no matter what the doctors did or prescribed I was not getting any better. We finally decided to flush the multitude of pills and shaky advice and take matters into our own hands. This has proven to be a monumental and enlightening experience thus far and I imagine it will continue to be.
The first step we took after a lot of research was to start juicing vegetables and fruits. Having watched several videos and read tons of articles we felt this was a good place to begin. We had found clear links between juicing and Ulcerative Colitis which is what I had been formally diagnosed with along with a previous diagnosis of Chronic Migraine Disease. I was skeptical but hopeful. Within a matter of days of beginning our juicing regimen I was already starting to feel better and the constant diarrhea I battled had seemed to ebb. We have continued juicing though not everyday to the great benefit of both of us(my husband J and I), the kids are still not really on board with the whole juicing thing. I will admit that I hated juicing at first. We were doing a mixture of cabbage, carrots, spinach and the odd apple here and there. Not the best tasting but after the first initial gags I got really into it. We still do a base of the cabbage, carrots and spinach but have found that you can juice almost any fruit or vegetable with vary degrees of tastiness. I do not recommend collard greens for instance... NASTY. (note collard greens are actually better for you cooked, something about the heat releasing enzymes.) Cucumbers and celery are both wonderful in juice lending a delightful fresh taste.
Our next step and this was a hard one for my husband and again the kids ARE NOT on board with this one at all..We gave up meat. This was easy for me as I have never been a big fan of flesh. There is something about the texture of animal flesh in my mouth that just makes me skin crawl. I had eaten meat sporadically since I was 11. When I say sporadically I mean once or twice a year if that, though I will admit a fondness for extra crispy bacon sandwiches. J however had been a carnivore his whole life and it took him watching Food Inc. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tf822vzJ7g ) to decide that maybe I have had something here for all these years. (Silly boy, the wife is always right). My darling husband has quickly embraced the vegetarian lifestyle and I am very proud of him. I had always noticed when I ate meat that I felt sick after-wards. My stomach would be rock hard and the pain sometimes unbearable, not to mention the serious bathroom issues I would experience for the next few days. I would find myself lethargic and cranky to boot. Now J is noticing the same things when he has the rare moment of weakness. We are sold on abolishing meat from our diets and I know that my two sons Z and E will eventually embrace our choices too or they will move out so they can eat what they want.(they are 19 and 20 so its about time anyway).
The latest step we have taken is to cut out dairy.. This has been very difficult for me. I am a milk and cheese connoisseur. I fought this change tooth and nail. We had several “heated” discussions on the subject, in which I vowed I would DIE before I gave up my dairy. After months of J sending me links, constantly hounding me and poison comments I was worn out. I agreed to try it for a week. Thinking to myself how smug I was going to be when I didn’t see any difference in my health (still having issues but no where near as bad as they had been). I was not prepared for the drastic changes. I have more energy, less headaches and best of all the constant pain that I have endured for years and years has all but stopped. (when I eat things I shouldn’t I still have quite a bit of pain- again stubborn) I have even tested the theory several times with the same result each time. I feel better when I am not having milk. We are still eating cheese but very little and are researching alternatives for butter. Surprisingly during this transition I have discovered there is something tastier than cows milk and that is rice milk. YUMMY
So that brings you up to date. My intention with this blog is to share our journey as we as a family try to make better choices for our bodies and our lives. My hope is that our story will inspire even one person to join us in healthy eating and living choices.
Peace
E
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