Misconceptions

Oh, my eating habits have changed SO MUCH lately! I feel better,  have more energy, and haven't lost a pound! That's probably because I haven't completely turned from my unhealthy ways. Sure, I incorporate vegetables and fruits into every single meal and snack- but that's not to say that I don't eat JUNK if the mood strikes me. The store is very close and its loaded with unhealthy options,  and sometimes I take them up on them! We are loving cooking healthier though. My kids have shocked me with how much they love vegetables!  We are also growing our own vegetables and fruits. We are using vegan butter and almond milk, but haven't given up cheese or meat(I almost have but the hubby and kids haven't). We snack on kale and cucumbers instead of snack cakes and cookies. IF I have pop tarts in the house and my toddler throws a fit, I give him one. We are slowly easing into this lifestyle and I am thrilled with my family's willingness to participate!

Initiation

I went to an AWESOME produce store today and stocked up on lots of yummy fruits and vegetables... all for a fraction of what I would have spent at the grocery store!  I have been thinking though- how do I know that these foods haven't been genetically modified? I don't think the workers there know where the foods came from. This leads me to my latest genius leg of thinking healthier: I'll grow my own! I haven't ever grown food before,  but I have been doing a ton of research and think I really can do it!  I hope you'll follow along in my journey :)

Logistics

I wonder how long I can keep researching a plant based lifestyle and still eat the junk that I eat everyday. This information is like gold! I,  being a southern girl,  eat cheese grits for breakfast on every day that ends in y. It contains one tablespoon of butter and two slices of American cheese. Sometimes,  I break off a corner of the cheese while preparing my food.

 Lately I have noticed that the cheese is gross by itself. My cheese grits always turn out amazing, but I wonder what's changed with the cheese as much as I wonder what's changed with milk (we will save my milk conspiracies for another time). I wonder how much research it will take before I head up to the health food store and drive the cashier nuts drilling her with questions. I want so badly to know what I am putting in my family's body is beneficial to their health!  So far I have set a horrible example for eating habits. I want change!

Feeling liberated, and a little crazy

I watched two different documentaries on Netflix today: Vegucated and Forks over Knives. I am in no way a bleeding heart when it comes to the treatment of animals, but even I am blown away with the process in which a steak makes it to my dinner table. It really got me thinking about dismissing meat, and maybe even all animal products. After watching Forks over knives, I KNOW that I want to switch to a mostly plant based diet. I WANT to be healthy, especially on the inside (like the arteries, where it counts). My obstacles are as follows: 1) I live in the deep south where anything that stands still long enough is deep fried 2) I am married to a good old country boy who LOVES steak 3) I have four little southern, meat loving offspring who are also going to look at me like I have lost my ever loving mind. No one that I know is especially health conscious around here. Even people who lecture me on healthy food are very overweight and so it goes in one ear and out of the other. Also, my husband is diabetic. We are talking non-functioning pancreas, insulin dependent, brittle diabetic. I am very concerned with how this diet would affect him, although I cannot imagine it being any more harmful than the processed mess we normally eat. This is all IF I can convince him to try it. When I told him about the documentary I watched, he said that he doesn't want to be educated on anything that will take him away from steak and bacon. Heart disease runs in my family and his, and I want to break the cycle. It has been in the back of my mind lately that even milk isn't as great as it once was- I have teenagers and babies, and the babies have both had trouble processing milk. The milk has to have changed! I am incredibly happy to have enlightened myself. Pray that I can convince my family as well! I also encourage you to look up these documentaries for yourself. Education is a beautiful thing!