Here I am (with my baby) 6 months after I started eating a lot more fruits & vegetables, whole grains, raw nuts & seeds, and hardly any meat or dairy or processed foods.
And 3 months since I've been making daily green juice for my family, consisting mostly of vegetables (leafy greens, celery, cucumber, carrots, beets, asparagus, etc) and a little fruit (lemon/lime, orange, apple, or pineapple, etc), and ginger
And continuing our daily green smoothie (consisting of water, leafy greens (kale, collards, spinach, broccoli, etc), fruit (strawberries, mango, blueberries, banana, pineapple, etc), and a source of protein &/or healthy fats (ground almonds or sunflower seeds, ground flax seed, spirulina, coconut oil, etc.)
Myself:
I feel great. I love eating real, raw, & whole foods. They fill me up and I never feel gross like I used to after eating fast food, greasy food, meat, etc. My digestion seems to be at an all-time high- I feel my body is working the way it is supposed to. My body feels light and energized. I used to suffer from a frequent and excruciating random pain, and I haven't had it at all since I started doing this, which is a huge motivation to not go back to the way I was eating before. I know exercising also makes a huge difference in how I feel too. And the fact that I live across the street from a wooded trail so I can get into nature pretty much every day if I want to- that is essential for my mental well-being.
**A very surprising yet awesome side effect of my healthy eating is that I don't have to wear deodorant anymore because I have hardly any body odor! Yes, it's true. Here's how I discovered this: I had been using a natural baking soda deodorant, which I loved, but I forgot to wear it one day and was surprised at how my arm pits did not smell at all (I actually made my reluctant husband smell them to see if there was something wrong with my nose or if it was true, and he agreed with me). This was a day when I had been outside sweating a lot. So I went running the next morning, not having showered yet from the day before without deodorant. When I came back, there was a very small hint of body odor that only I would have noticed, and it didn't even smell that bad. This was amazing to me. So for about a week now, I have been deodorant-free and neither I, nor my clothes, smell at all! I even wore one of my favorite shirts again (without washing) because it didn't smell at all. Hope that wasn't TMI, but this is truly amazing to me!
Another thing is, I crave greens now- we make sure to never run out so we buy extra from the farmer's market (they have great lettuce & kale right now), and if we have more than we can eat, we will just juice it before it goes bad- problem solved! I've gotten to the point where I can eat lettuce without any dressing on it, which I never thought I could do. I think our daily juice has given me an appreciation for the taste of dark leafy greens. We have been putting progressively less fruit in, so there is a lot more of the green taste than the sweet fruit, but we all love it- even my 3 year old who is notorious for his extreme pickiness!
My current challenge is that I have major sugar cravings at night. During the day, I try to eat what I know will make my body feel good, so it's pretty easy for me to avoid sugary junk foods. But at the end of the day, when I finally get my kids to sleep, I am always craving something sweet, which usually ends up being a bowl of sugary cereal with almond milk (unsweetened though). Yes, I do buy organic cereals without any bad ingredients, but they still have a lot of that darn evaporated cane juice! And if I eat it at night, then I'll be sleeping by the time it makes my body feel bad- that is my justification. So, I'm still working on this one. I know, at least I'm not binging on brownies and cookies and ice cream (those things have lost most of their appeal because I look at them as empty calories without any true nutritional value, and I would rather have a brownie made from raw almonds and cacao powder so at least it is satisfying my craving and giving me some great nutrition- but if I had junk food sweets in the house, I'm sure I would be eating them at night! Good thing I go shopping during the day when I am thinking clearly....). Anyway, I'm trying to eat more fruit or sweet vegetables (such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, etc) to satisfy my sweet tooth during the day and see if that helps. I'll let you know how it goes.
My 3 year old:
Since we have been buying more fruits & vegetables and whole grains, and less packaged snacks, he has stopped asking for them as much (he used to constantly beg for goldfish crackers or granola bars). Instead he looks in the fridge or on the counter to find something he wants (such as an apple with sunflower seed butter, carrots & organic ketchup (weird, I know), or a bowl of brown rice with non-dairy butter and salt). He isn't getting sick every month like he used to (when his diet consisted of mostly crackers and cows milk). His eczema has pretty much disappeared (he had it really bad ever since he was a baby), and lately he always seems to have a very high level of energy- don't know if most 3 year olds are like that. This kid runs around the house, jumping down stairs, doing silly dances, and he is singing random songs at the top of his lungs probably 80% of the time. It's a bit frustrating when it's time to get dressed, brush his teeth, eat his food, go potty, etc, because he can't really do two things at once and everything ends up taking forever. But despite the constant singing and never ending burst of energy, I am happy that he is happy and well-nourished. :)
My husband:
Although he has not chosen to avoid meat & dairy as much as I have, he is still eating a lot less of it, and the quality of food he eats is a lot higher now. He has been drinking our daily green juice, smoothie, and my dinners (which don't include meat or dairy- aka Rice & Bean Enchiladas and big salad). We have replaced most of our dairy products (except for cheese he puts on his sandwiches)- so when he has cereal, he adds unsweetened almond milk instead of cows milk, uses non-dairy butter spread on his toast (sprouted whole grain bread), etc. He still eats lunch meat and cheese in a wrap most days for lunch. But the most significant change he feels has been his weight. He had been consistently weighing the same since his deployment (which was about 10 lbs more than when we got married). When we started juicing 3 months ago, he started losing weight and is now back to his pre-marriage weight (he lost about 8 lbs).
In conclusion...
Things we are in love with:
Our juicer
Our Vita-Mix
Our local farmer's market
The 89 cent bags of organic carrots from Trader Joe's (and other great deals)
Avocados
When my son says he wants more green juice :)
A fridge and counter top filled with fruits and veggies after shopping trips (the best part is knowing that we will actually be consuming it all that same week)
Whole Foods
Going running through a beautiful forest and feeling amazing afterwards
We are grateful that even though we live in a world of packaged and fast food, we can still make choices that allow us to feel great and be healthy by filling our bodies with lots and lots of fruits and vegetables. :) It truly is amazing to feel such a difference in just 6 months!
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