I feel like some of my recent posts have been negative. I don't mean to be negative but changing is a struggle. So many things are frustrating and challenging and I can only express what I'm feeling at the time. I'm actually super excited. I am seeing some differences in my body especially with how my clothes fit. I also have much higher energy and my lung capacity is much improved. I have asthma and each time I have an episode of bronchitis, I can feel that my lung capacity has diminished to some degree. I was getting worried to the point of being ready to call the doctor and talk to her about it. BUT, since I started this journey, I can definitely feel the difference and that pleases me to no end. No asthma attacks and I can take a really deep breath without any hitches.
I have to say a big struggle is getting the nutrition piece right. I'm working on that right now and I'm committed to eating healthier. There's just so much information and so many different opinions out there. Low fat, low carb; low calorie; high protein; vegan/vegetarian; caveman; points... so many choices. How do you find what works for you? And, if you're trying to cut out many of the chemicals in your system and don't necessarily believe fat and cholesterol are bad (depends on the type and source), how do you coordinate those views with many of the mainstream views out there for healthy eating? I know the things that I shouldn't eat (my opinion) and I am avoiding those most of the time. I also know that a balanced diet (healthy eating) should include protein, fruits and vegetables and carbs. I should focus on eating nutritious foods. But that doesn't mean my food can't taste good. Many people equate nutritious with wheat grass and tofu, but it's far from that. I'm learning how to prepare nutritious meals that taste great. And, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I have not been the one to eat veggies and fruit. Meat and potatoes baby. Meat and potatoes LOL. BUT, I'm evolving. I go to the grocery store now and laugh because what I used to hear from health "nuts" was that everything I needed was on the inside walls of the store - produce, meat, dairy are all generally around the walls of a store with all the processed stuff being in the aisles. I now mainly stay on the outside and not in the aisles. Not that I don't ever eat anything like snacks or sauces or other processed foods, like bread and pasta. I've just learned to limit them.
It's also important to watch portion sizes (because I really can eat a lot). I never understood the recommendation of 3 meals and 2 snacks a day until recently. I always said that I couldn't do it. I wasn't hungry in between meals... well, it's because my main meals were too big! When I started eating healthier, I found that after a few hours, I'd be ready for a small snack (fruit and nuts, veggies and peanut butter, etc). I feel energized throughout the day and I'm guessing my blood sugar level is staying pretty consistent throughout the day.
Health is a journey that needs to begin when you are very young. Often times it doesn't or it gets lost in our day to day grind, like mine did. On top of that, as we get older our metabolism changes and all the "bad" stuff we eat catches up with us. And, OMG, when I say bad stuff, I really do mean it. I saw someone's comment recently about ammonia in the ground beef served at McDonalds. With all that I've been reading, I'm not surprised, but of course I had to do some research. Learned a LOT and let's just say, I don't plan on eating a fast food burger anytime soon... the scary part is that the comment was true, but even scarier is that the USDA says its ok. It's common industry practice to use ammonia to kill certain bacteria and make the "meat" used in commercial ground beef safe for human consumption. That comment is scary in and of itself. Goodness! How do we know what's safe and what's not... if you're interested, this is one page that I found useful among many others that said the same thing:
http://www.lazy69ranch.com/news.html
Again, moderation is key. I'm not going to have a McDonald's burger anytime soon (or any other FF burger for that matter) BUT, that doesn't mean I'll never have one again. After all, I will need some ammonia to go with my acrylamide (in french fries).
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