January 3rd
Today I found myself bragging to a friend about a healthy choice that I made this morning, she (being a good friend) said "You're so dedicated!" to which I responded "Of course! It's January 3rd!" What is it about January 1st that is so very different from December 31st? (besides a hang over for some of us). Just another day, yet somehow we all feel like we have another chance to get some things right that we don't do so well. For me, it's getting enough activity along with weight resistance, and making healthier food choices. I said this to a friend at work yesterday... she came back with "Suzie, walk away, you're about to get punched." Couldn't we all do better? I find myself frequently grabbing a Cliff bar or a Luna bar and shoving it down the pipe before 10 am and calling it "breakfast." But is this really a good choice? Maybe I'm just eating sugar with a "healthy" label, no different from someone having a Snickers bar or a donut for breakfast, which I would quickly judge them for. "Don't you know you're eating junk??" When I'm no better. So! On to the next point... I've got to start eating more whole, grown from the ground, good for you food. And as a result I've got to start making more vegan choices. I skate around this often because Alex is so strongly against it, but the more I read about the affects of meat and dairy on our bodies, on the planet, and on the animals themselves, the more I know it doesn't fit within my values. I go to work every day representing health and compassion, therefore munching on cheese and slicing into a chicken makes be feel like a hypocrite. If you know better, you have to do better! Not just because I'm an animal lover, but because cutting out meat and dairy means taking in more fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. All the things that help our bodies function at their best! No down side. We are surrounded by resources to make vegan choices easy-peasy, but with that being said, with more vegan nutrition bars and tofu meat substitutes available, it's easy to eat vegan junk food. My goal is to be very intentional about eating more foods in their whole, unprocessed form. I absolutely recommend that you educate yourself about the food industry, if only to be aware of where what you put in your body comes from. Netflix has some great documentaries available to watch instantly: Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, Hungry for Change, and Food, Inc are some of my favorites. That's my rant for today. Now, go and learn! My next step, I would love to attend a 'meet-up' group with Nashvegans - just a bunch of hippies that have dinner at a local restaurant once a month, discussing peace, love, and (tofu) 'chicken' grease :)
Hey!
ReplyDeleteBased on this post, I thought you might enjoy reading this list. I particularly thought #4 was interesting and a perspective I don't see very often.
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/10-green-new-years-resolutions
~Meagan
Thanks! This is good information. One of the documentaries I watched recently said that going vegan reduces C02 emissions even more than switching to a hybrid car. Wow!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I realized the significant impact food has on our bodies when I was at the end of my pregnancy and my bp was so high. Since then, it is still elevated, so I've had to adjust my diet, but I still "cheat" and eat stuff I KNOW is not good for me. It's really, really difficult to eat right, and like you, I should make this new year a year to eat better. :) Thanks for an inspiring post... -S
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! Good luck making better food choices, hopefully some new recipes will help you in the kitchen! Alex and I plan to start a detox diet next weekend... there should be some interesting posts to come :)
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