My Progress

First off, I just want to say that I am in the midst of the holidays. And I'm not perfect. There are a ton of treats around me, inviting me to eat them. But I am proud to say that I have had only about 3 cookies total! I am trying really hard to not gorge on junk, but I admit, I have slipped. I had three slices of pie, yikes! Oh well, it's the holidays right? At least it once was apple...

I am currently reading Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman, which I mentioned in the last post. I am working on changing my eating habits. The diet plan is based mostly on fruits and vegetables and whole grains, so I have been trying to stay away from meat and animal products as well as sweets. I know I can't commit to this diet completely until after the holidays are over (and I'm back at home), but I like doing this little preview. 

Because of this, I am starting to drink milk a lot less. Of course the hubby noticed. If you don't know him and his family, they are all MILK FREAKS! They drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And for snacks. And with dessert. And sometimes just for the heck of it. I don't think I will ever get Brian to understand this aspect of the diet. He pretty much thinks I am sinning by not drinking it with meals. He thinks I'm killing myself slowly. We have both done research and we both stand firm on our sides of the fence. Is there no reconciliation?? We'll have to discuss this further in a later post.

Now that I have cut back on milk, what do I drink at meal times?? I tried drinking 100% apple juice. I figure it's a fruit right? Actually, it's not. I got to the section where it says that juice contains hardly any of the nutrients that the actual fruit contains, plus each cup contains 28 grams of sugar (that's more than a Hershey's candy bar!). It's kind of like the Elder Oaks' concept of "good, better, best": apple pie is good, apple juice is better, but an apple is best. I have learned my lesson!

On another related note, in doing this psudo-diet, I actually prevented myself from getting food poisoning! I guess our Christmas ham was laced with something (or was left out too long?). And since I was trying to not eat as much meat, I hardly had any of it. Well, within a day or so, EVERYONE was throwing up (...or worse...) but me! It was crazy. We narrowed it down to be one of the sweets, the eggs that we used for pancake (which I didn't eat), or the ham, all of which we threw away.

I guess this diet is good for something!

Review: "Food, Inc"

A few nights ago, I watched Food, Inc, a 2008 documentary about America's food industry, following the path of food: from farmers to the grocery store. It explores meat production and farming and how it's been largely industrialized, creating an unsustainable system, both environmentally and economically. There were lots of interesting points made in this documentary (did you know that cattle flatulence is causing global warming??). I won't give away any more spoilers, you'll just have to watch the movie (it's currently a "Watch Instantly" movie on Netflix).

I liked how it ended on a positive note. Ordinary people can change the system, not just the big corporations. When you're at the grocery store, buy local produce. Look for things organic foods. Every time we buy, we "vote" for those items. So the store will keep supplying the good stuff if we are buying it. 

Or better yet, shop the farmers market. Then you are giving money straight to the growers. Did you know that (at least here in LA) you can use food stamps at farmers markets? Not to mention the markets here are open ALL YEAR ROUND! In Pasadena there are markets on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings. And it's rare when you can't find exactly what you need because food is always in season here. Plus there are booths for honey, eggs, beef and chicken, breads, jerkey, jams, cider, even sweets. There's no reason to be buying junk and processed foods (though you might need some Ranch to go with all your new veggies) when you can get it fresher for cheap (or comparable to the store). Plus it's a fun place to take the kids and enjoy all the free samples.

Watch the movie and get inspired. And stop buying junk!

Am I a Nutritarian??

My friend Rachel gave me a link to this site which is all about healthy eating. The author, Dr. Fuhrman, who has an entire nutritional system and books on the subject, describes a nutritarian as "a person who strives for more micronutrients per calorie in their diet-style."

He continues, "It is not sufficient to merely avoid fats, consume foods with a low glycemic index, lower the intake of animal products, or eat a diet of mostly raw foods. A truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich..."

As you can see in the his food pyramid, a nutritarian's diet is somewhat different from the traditional American diet. I like how the emphasis is on produce. It's kind of like Vegan, but not so harsh because you can still have some meat. Fuhrman also promotes a "Heath Equation" of Health = Nutrition/Calories (H=N/C), the more nutrients you can get in fewer calories, the healthier diet you'll have.

I like this diet for several reasons. First, it follows the Word of Wisdom: it's high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes and slimmer on the meats and processed foods. Second, it promotes general good health. According to Fuhrman, it can reverse disease, make vitamin supplements unnecessary, and help you control cholesterol and sugar and other unhealthy stuff. And third, more people could follow this diet easily (like the hubby) than Vegan. He wouldn't go without meat!

Opinions?

To read more about this diet or to buy his book, please visit the website!

Review: My Sugar-Free Week

I did it! I went a whole week without any sugar (well as close to it as I could get)! I did have some syrup on pancakes on the second day because I totally spaced that it was a sugar! And I had just a microscopic piece of toffee on the last day. There were so many times when I wanted to go in the kitchen and gorge on sweets (especially this season when everyone keeps giving us goodies), but I stayed strong and didn't budge. I even had to pass up a few sweet parts of a few meals (French toast, whipped cream, etc). Yes, I ate food that had some sugar in it (the most sugar content was in cornbread). Sugar is everywhere, I had no choice! Plus, some foods (like the cornbread) aren't a "sweet." So as long as I am eating responsibly, I'm ok.

How did I survive? Fruit. Every time I had a sweet tooth I would pop the grapes or eat an apple. And I would allow myself some 100% fruit juice, as long as sugar wasn't added. I also got fuller at mealtimes so I wouldn't go wandering in the kitchen a half hour later. And drinking more water helps fight off sugar cravings as well.

I did find myself eating more popcorn than usual (if you don't know me, I am a total popcorn binge eater!). I also ate other sugar-free snack foods (Cheezits, and....out of the blue....a bag of chips) right before flying out to Boston yesterday (because we ran out of fresh food).

So in review, I don't know if completely cutting out the sweets was as beneficial to me as I thought it would be. I kind of made up for the junk in other forms. Albeit, I did have more fruits and veggies this week because I had to be creative at meal times. LESSON: keep your house stocked with fresh fruits and veggies for quick snacks to eat instead of junk.

Will I continue on with this no-sweets diet? I will try! But I can't guarantee it, since it's the holidays. There are too many cookies and treats around! I will go more hardcore with it in January.

Current Read: "Skinny B**** Bun in the Oven"

This past week, I got hold of a diet book called Skinny B**** Bun in the Oven, written by ex-models Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. They also have other books with similar titles (Skinny B****, Skinny B**** in the Kitchen and Skinny Bastards [for guys]). I started reading it because we will soon be trying to conceive for number two. And this time I do NOT want to be eating the same junk as when I was pregnant with Mariah. I was living off Arby's curly fries and Twixes while finishing up my bachelors and working 40+ hour weeks. And I wondered why I looked like Shrek in the end! I was overworking and underfeeding my body.

This book is not a diet book for pregnant women in the traditional sense (since pregnant women should NOT diet). It is a potty-mouthed, girl-talk style pregnancy book that breaks everything down for you: what you should and shouldn't be eating and why. The authors are Vegan and definitely promote it in the book. They attack the mainstream American diet with facts and reasons to stop eating meat and meat products. And they don't sugar coat anything (beware, there is language!). It is a very entertaining and informative read.

A Sugar-Free Week

This week I have committed to not eat any (or minimal amounts) of sugar. Of course, I eat fruit. But no junk food or sweets for me! I have found that other things contain sugar: bread and other dry snack foods like Goldfish. I have allowed them this week as a starter, but soon I hope to be able to kick the habit completely.

After the first day of doing it, I woke up with a HORRIBLE headache. I don't know if this was from withdrawals or not but it was not pleasant. And since then I find myself going to the kitchen and absentmindedly looking for junk when I need a snack. I'm an addict!

Yesterday we had pancakes for breakfast. I didn't even think about eating the syrup until I finished my short stack. Dang it! There goes my streak. But all I can do is forgive myself and move on. I also ate popcorn, which technically is not a sweet, but with all the butter we put on it, it's definitely junk! But I'm sorry, I can't let go of my popcorn just yet. I'm not at that level of self mastery.

I'm not sure how long I can keep this up though, as it's the holiday season. Next week I'm visiting the family and I'm sure there will be lots of holiday treats and eating out. But I will have to just deal with that as it comes. Wish me luck!

Blog Inspiration #3: "Animal Vegetable Miracle"

This whole diet idea started with a book recommended to me by a friend in Book Club. Over the summer, I finally read the book Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I haven't been the same ever since.

This book is about a family who decides to only eat local food grown within a 100-mile radius of their home. This book tells us that we should be eating less processed foods (i.e. canned goods, frozen dinners, fast food, even food at the grocery store) and going back to the basics: fresh food, food that is grown locally and not shipped all over the country and pumped with preservatives to have a longer shelf life (Twinkies!). The book said that anything between the meat aisle and the produce section should be avoided! 

I grew up on Cheerios, Goldfish, and Teddy Grams. Who knew they don't have much nutritional value?? They are labeled as a healthy snack for us when really they can be almost as bad as the foods labeled as "junk food."

I started telling some of my friends about my findings. Most people don't understand my zeal. I have heard things like "everything in moderation" or "I'm just eating like my parents and their parents eat." But are we really eating like our parents or their parents? Just 50 years ago, things like high fructose corn syrup didn't exist! Now it's in everything from bread to yogurt to canned vegetables, not to mention it makes up some of the packaging of some of those items, eek!

I have taken a lot from that book. It has inspired me to question what I am finding at the store. I even started buying my produce at the farmers market instead of the grocery store!

This book is your wake up call, the American diet is bad news.

Confessions: My Pantry

 

As I said before, I'm not yet where I want to be nutritionally. I am an average American stay-at-home mom. What do I eat? Here's a look into my pantry.

Some times I make homemade bread and I love to bake desserts! We eat about 80-90% of our meals at home (or pack food that came from home). We only go out to eat about once every other week. We ALWAYS buy popcorn when we see a movie (about once a week). On average I would say we MIGHT get one fruit and/or one vegetable serving a day.

Favorite Places to Buy Food:
-Wal-Mart
-Vons (local grocery store)
-Ralph's (local grocery store)
-Pasadena Farmers Market

-Trader Joe's (specialty grocery store)

Favorite Breakfasts:
-eggs and bacon
-pancakes
-waffles
-toast
-hash browns


Favorite Lunches:
-leftovers
-sandwiches
-Easy Mac (for Mariah)
-Chicken Nuggets (for Mariah)
-Chicken patty sandwiches (for me)
-nachos


Favorite Dinners:
-chili (like taco soup)
-chicken fried rice
-lasagne
-BBQ steak and potatoes
-BBQ pork chops with wild rice
-BBQ chicken
-spaghetti
-eggs and bacon
-pancakes
-the occasional casseroles
-roasts
-tacos

Favorite Veggies:
-broccoli
-green beans
-potatoes (a veggie right??)
-fresh salad (featuring cucumbers, green onions, radishes, romaine lettuce, carrots, all from the farmers market)

Favorite Fruits:
-apples
-grapes
-strawberries
-bananas (which I stopped buying because I couldn't find them at the farmers market).

Favorite Drinks:
-MILK - As a family, we go through 4 gallons a week: three non fat milk gallons for Brian and me and one whole milk gallon for Mariah.
-Juice - I drink 100% orange juice for breakfast, Mariah drinks 100% apple juice a few times a week at snack time
-Crystal Lite - I use these packets when I go out somewhere (like Disneyland or the movies) but am trying not to drink soda. They don't contain sugar, I'm not sure what they are, but they flavor my water and in turn help me drink more water.
-Water
-The occasional soda - less than one 12 oz can a week!

Current Weaknesses:
-chocolate covered M&Ms
-popcorn!

Fitness:
I MIGHT work out once a week. This week we have been going to Disneyland, which means a lot of extra walking. Plus I ran two miles on Tuesday. In the past I have done Hip Hop Abs, P90X, Zumba, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, and other workout videos. I would love to work out at least three times a week.

Blog Inspiration #2: Chef Brad and the Word of Wisdom

**Disclaimer: I am Mormon. And though I am not intentionally trying to indoctrinate you with my beliefs, the topic of religion will come up. I will try my best to describe all the Mormon jargon for those of you who aren't LDS (Mormon). Please don't be offended by what I say. As I said, I am Mormon, this is my blog, and these are my beliefs. We aren't here to talk religion, but nutrition. But if you are curious about the Church, please email me or check out our website. Thanks**

For those of you who don't know, LDS people don't drink or smoke or all that jazz because of this Word of Wisdom, which is an inspired section in our scriptures that gives us guidelines for what to eat and drink.

A few months ago, we had a special guest come speak to us ladies of the Relief Society (the LDS church's group for women). His name is Chef Brad, an LDS chef and nutritionist, who is all about the grains! He recommends them for everyone ("to have a moving experience..."). His little workshop talked about their importance and the role of the Word of Wisdom in our lives. 

In his workshop, Chef Brad reiterated that the Word of Wisdom is a PRINCIPLE. And by definition, it has a personal application. In other words. the Word of Wisdom can mean different things to different people. Some Mormons don't drink caffeine, while others are vegetarians, and still others live on Diet Cokes and steaks. Some people are allergic to gluten, so eating that would be against their Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom was designed as a general guideline so that we can interpret it individually.

And so we should govern our own diets, just as we should govern over other aspects of our lives.

Blog Inspiration #1: Andrea the Vegan

This blog has been inspired for me. For the past year, I have been led to this point by many people. One such is my friend Andrea, a newly proclaimed Vegan.

I met Andrea in the summer after my freshman year of college. We both went our separate ways after being roommates for a summer but later got in touch when we had babies around the same time. We walked together in the mall on frigid Utah winter mornings and shared our success (and failure) moments in our battle against losing the baby weight and getting healthy again (we both had post-baby problems, I'll share my own experiences soon). We both tried tricks to losing weight: Andrea, Nutrisystem, me P90X. They worked for a while but, at least for me, the problems still existed.

Flash forward a few years, I still follow her blog, even though both of us have moved away from Utah. A few months ago, she wrote that she was going Vegan (a bold move, I thought at the time). She even started a blog about her experiences. She gave up sugar, dairy, meat, and meat products. Four months into the diet change: she is so much healthier. She has lost a ton of weight (she was tiny before!), she has more energy and all those problems are remedying themselves. Maybe there is truth in this diet??

I have since started asking her questions, testing the waters of this diet and seeing if it's right for me. In theory, it sounds awesome, eating what the Good Lord gave us in the forms that He intended. But in practice, it's SO HARD! I have just been trying to be sugar free for the past couple days. It's not easy. Every so often, I find myself daydreaming about ice cream, candy, the works! Out of the blue, I just get a craving and I go in the kitchen in search of junk.

But I must be vigilant! I have to see if I can at least do this much. Cutting out sweets is my first step to a healthier lifestyle.

A Blog is Born

My name is Veronica. I am 24 years old. I graduated from BYU in 2008 and I now live in southern California. I am wife to a USC dental student and mom to a super cute 2 1/2 year old. I am Mormon, meaning I've already got a few things going for me as far as nutrition goes: I don't smoke, drink alcohol, drink coffee or tea, or do any drugs.

{But yes, I am suffering from the American diet}

**I did not get my degree in nutrition, nor am I a doctor in any way. I am a mom, searching for what is best for my family and me.**

With that said, this blog will be my medium to document my new dieting exploration.