Oh, the Places You'll Go!

"You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself any direction you choose."  (Dr. Seuss)

This is a new path for our family, and who knows more about adventure, fun, and being true to yourself than Dr. Seuss? Today is his birthday after all, so celebrate - with food, real food!  Why real food?  I'm joining the growing number of moms, dads, and experts out there that believe there is a real problem with the food we are eating in this country.  I want the best for my family and myself, and I feel that cutting out the processed food is one step towards a healthier life.  Exercise is the other big step, but more on that another day.

I'm not an expert, but I like to be informed.  I read Dr. Agatston's South Beach Diet Wake-Up Call last month in an effort to remind myself of the South Beach Diet so I could loose some weight, something I tried about 10 years ago with great success.  While reading, I definitely got that "wake-up call" - my family is eating too much processed food! It's not about the calories, it's about the food. I started digging a little more and found a blog I had read, but hadn't followed in several years, 100 Days of Real Food.  This is the best blog around for tips on cutting out the processed foods and gives alternatives to our favorite "tastes so good, but so very bad for us" foods.  I'm also in the process of reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, which further proves that over processed foods are slowly killing us and our children.  That sounds really dire, I know, but I think with small steps we can let go of our processed food (chemicals, altered food, growth added hormones, sugar, sugar, and more sugar) dependency for a diet rich in vegetables and fruit with a little meat and whole grains on the side.

I'm not a jump right in person; anyone that really knows me knows that I do not like to be overwhelmed. I like balance (that might be one of my favorite words); I strive for balance in all things: family, work, fun, and now food.  So this is a one-step-at-a-time journey. For one thing, I have a real job as a kindergarten teacher that keeps me very busy; I don't have loads of time to restructure our whole way of life in one weekend.  I also have to convince my amazing husband, B, and our loving, energetic, fashionista daughter that they want to eat what I'm preparing.  This is no easy task; everyone knows that a sugar coated, enriched white flour Little Debbie treat is far more enticing than a 100% whole wheat pumpkin muffin.  If it were easy then Americans wouldn't be so fat.  So baby steps towards a healthier life.

Want to join me?   I'll be posting about recipes, products, and food plans I find on other blogs with real food recipes and what we think about them.  I'd love to hear your comments and questions.  Remember, I'm not an expert. I'm just a regular girl trying to get her family to eat more veggies and less crap.