But maybe I don't want to know . . .

In the last year I have learned more about food and nutrition that I ever thought I would…and I’m not finished yet. One of the most interesting topics I have read about is why we eat what we eat when we eat it. The number one reason people eat specific things is…tradition.

One aspect of food tradition is nostalgia. Now, if you know me you understand that I am the most nostalgic person you’ll ever meet. I have had family on my mind recently. It has been a tough year for us. We have lost family members and we have had some move. At one point, my whole mom’s side of the family lived on the same street! (Minus the grandparents who were three blocks off of the same street.)

But back to food… While I was dropping off some donations to be taken to Alabama I saw a guy eating some Vienna sausages. My first thought was a memory of my grandfather sitting in his chair eating Vienna sausages with mustard and a Martini. (We did have some class.) I started talking with this guy and I mentioned that I hadn’t had Vienna sausages since my childhood. He threw me a can and thanked me for bringing so much stuff to the donation center.

I didn’t bother to tell him that I am a vegetarian, or that I don’t think meat should ever come in a can. I took it. So tonight, in the name of nostalgia, I opened the can, rinsed them off, found some mustard, and made a Martini. It was nice. However, I’ll not do it again for a very long time. First, I need to know what “mechanically separated chicken” is.

Eat This

For the very first time in my blogging life I have had a blog buddy request a topic! I’m honored. So, at the request of my friend over at Sticky Feet: Part Deux I am going provide some encouragement and tips on starting out and sticking with the Eat to Live plan.

Sticky Feet’s comment was this: “…can you tell me about what you eat each week? Like a menu plan type of thing? What about at school? I read Eat to Live, but it just seems impossible for me to actually make it happen (and feel full!).”

The hardest part of the Eat to Live lifestyle is sticking to the six week plan. The book explained that I would most likely be experiencing the feeling of “true hunger” for the first time in my life. When I read this I snickered at the thought of feeling true hunger. I figured that I would still be able to grab something here and there to not let that feeling happen. But after seeing the results of the plan in my co-workers and reading the life changing material myself I knew that I had to stick with it.

During the initial six week plan I would do the following:

Breakfast: Steel cut oats with seasonal berries, or some fresh fruit. Coffee with a shot of soy milk.

Lunch: Large salad, usually a “Spring Mix.” On top of the generous portion of greens I would put ½ a cup of my own “bean salad.” To make this I would mix 1 can of chick peas, 1 can of black beans, half of a red onion chopped, green onions chopped, two cloves of fresh garlic chopped, two chopped carrots, and a variety of spices. Then I would add some sort of a nut mix. I found a great nut mix at Wal*Mart that had soy nuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds with ZERO SODIUM! I think it is called “good health mix” or something like that under the Wal*Mart brand. For a salad dressing I would use balsamic vinegar. No oil.

Dinner: Another salad, but this time not as large. Steamed vegetables with rice and on occasion half of a baked sweet potato.

With Lunch and Dinner I would eat a serving or fruit. Sometimes this involved taking an apple back to work with me, but I always tried to eat it close to my meal if not right after it. When I started to feel hungry between meals I would drink water, tea, or coffee. No sugar added. I tried to not drink any calories.

After the six weeks was over the weight loss was very noticeable. I would walk through the store and know that there were entire aisles that I couldn’t walk down because there was nothing down them that I needed. Because I was seeing results I knew that I was doing something right. I was no longer feeling the hunger that I had felt when I started and it was easier to eat less at meals and feel gratified.

Eat at meals, not between.

One Year!!

This time last year I was returning from a wonderful weekend in Chicago with one thing on my mind: Food. But it isn't' what you think. I walked into my house and purged my kitchen of just about everything.

A few weeks before my Chicago trip I started reading Eat to Live and I knew that I had to change my eating lifestyle or I was going to die. I’m not being dramatic. I was well on my way to extreme obesity and until reading the book I didn’t even know how much damage I was causing. I’ll spare you the details and just share the facts. In the last year I have lost, and kept off, 45 pounds! I have not been sick. My allergies are gone. My skin is much improved. My hair is no longer falling out with every shampoo. I feel fantastic!!

I am one year a vegetarian. (Trying to be as Vegan as possible) Dairy free. Animal product free.

But you know what? I’m not done! I still have weight to drop. (Don’t believe me? You haven’t seen me naked….I think.) But it is no longer about weight. It is about HEALTH! I am at the beginning of a food revolution. I’m growing my own food. I’m buying local food.

I want you to join me. Not for me…for you. I want you to join me so badly that I will even buy this book for you. Just tell me.

31 Days to a Better Me

I did a little research recently and I discovered something disturbing about my finances. After I pay my bills I am left with money to save and spend. Of the spending money I noticed that a large amount was going to the same store. I would guess that if your town is anything like mine that yours goes to the same place. I looked at my spending for the last year and discovered that 85% of my retail dollar was going to Wal*Mart. 85%!!! That is far too much.

I am going to see if I can go the entire month of August without spending any money at Wal*Mart. This is not a boycott of the store, nor is it a protest of their corporate behavior. I just think that I can spend my retail allocated money in more places and get the same products. I understand that there is a chance that I will end up spending more, but that is something that I am willing to accept. Due to a recent lifestyle change I am a little concerned that I will just simply not be able to find some products of which I have recently become accustomed. I’ll manage.

The late Martin Atwood was often overheard saying, “If you can’t get it a Rural King its not worth having.” Well, Martin, wish me luck.