Seeking health and happiness

I've had food on my mind a lot lately. Many of the blogs I read have been talking about food, eating healthy, cleansing diets, eliminating sugar and processed foods, and a host of other yummy and delicious topics lately. It really got me thinking.

As a loyal Dooce addict, I was following her recent cleanse. It was interesting to see the effects it had on her, and how many toxins she must have eliminated from her body. And how much better she felt (well, mentally . . . she didn't feel so great physically if you've read it) and how her anxiety decreased tenfold. Now, clearly I'm not able to do a cleanse of any type because I'm nursing a five month old baby right now. But I can certainly cut back on a lot of the crap in my diet.

I wouldn't say I eat horribly. I make many healthy choices throughout the day, and I eat three well-rounded meals on a regular basis. But I certainly crave sugar and feel pretty ripped off if I don't get my jolt of something sweet each evening. It's hard for me to go to bed without a cookie, bowl of ice cream, or other yumilicious goody these days. I've always been a sugar-lover, but I never really took the time to contemplate what a lot of sugar was doing to my body, and my health.

(I realize some of you must be rolling your eyes and saying, "duh", how could she not know sugar wasn't good for you . . . of course I knew, but I hadn't felt the need to do anything about it until now).

I had a long chat with a friend this week who recently eliminated sugar and processed foods from her diet. She spoke to me about a list of symptoms she had that were leading her to investigate her diet - weight gain, moodiness, anxiety, lethargy, etc. I felt like maybe she'd just let me in on some spectacular secret or something . . . I mean, I have certainly fallen victim to some of those nasty symptoms! I often just chalk my moodiness up to "I'm tired", or "I have a new baby", or "the world is out to get me". I listened to her eagerly while she told me some of the steps she had taken.

She mentioned that her son (Thing 1's age) was also following a sugar and processed food-free diet, and that it really drastically affected him if he ever ate a lot of sugar. It changed his mood completely and he was very hyper and out of control. Kind of like . . . my children . . . every . . . single . . . day!!! OK, I'm just kidding but you see my point, right?

Thing 1 has been a poor eater since birth. He is picky beyond belief and has a list of about 10 foods he will eat. We have tried everything with him. He is a tad underweight, so we are always conscious of making sure he gets enough calories, whether they are all completely healthy or not. So I've decided over the past little while that the food he *does* eat is going to be nutritious and good. We're taking baby steps, but each day I'm cutting out more and more processed foods and snacks that the children used to eat. I'm making more and more things from scratch at home, and using healthy and organic ingredients.

Speaking of which . . .

My sister-in-law in Vancouver (the land of all things green, organic, and crunchy) has fresh organic produce delivered to her home each week. For the longest time I really thought that was very cool, and eventually learned that we now have a similar service here. So, yes, I signed up for a basket of organic fruits and veggies to be delivered to my door. The company, Life Organic, arrived yesterday with my first order!!! I'm really pleased with it. I got quite a good assortment of goodies, for $35. Some may believe it seems a bit extravagent to have food delivered to your door, but getting out shopping for decent food (especially organic) with three small children is a monumental endeavour. This may be exactly what we need in the short term. The food selection is very reasonable so it's very easy to adjust/plan my weekly meals around what I get. I also have the ability to change my order and substitute out things the family doesn't eat.

Just over the past week I have started to cut way back on sugar, particularly on processed snacks or cookies that I used to, well, inhale. I truly am seeing and feeling a major difference. I still crave sugar but the biggest difference seems to be that for the first time in my life I am consciously thinking about my choices before I reach for something and stick it in my mouth.

I know, I know, not rocket science.

You'd think I was born yesterday, yet this is all just sort of playing out for me right now. Maybe for a reason? We'll see how it goes. I'm thinking it will be an interesting path to take and am thoroughly enjoying my travels as I seek out a healthier life for my family.