A Common Question

"What do y'all eat?"

It sounds like a random question, but we don't mind! When people talk to Trent about what he's doing these days they immediately ask about his nutrition. There is SO much information out there on what is healthy and what is not. It fact, if you begin to research it you find that there are many contradictory ideas when it comes to healthy eating. Many people would label our lifestyle as "granola." I've come to accept this term! We eat lots of raw, fresh, organic, free range foods. We don't use lots of ingredients and we stay away from things such as: processed food, heavy cheeses, vegetable oil, refined sugars, complex carbs etc. Even though many people will say that we "grew up eating those foods and we are fine," we choose not to indulge in them. I believe that the information that is now so easily available (thanks to the Internet) was not so readily available when we were children. To be honest, we don't know the long term consequences of eating some of these things. We definitely do not fault our parents, the information was not around!

It's vital that Trent eats well balanced, healthy meals, his career depends on it. We decided when we began this lifestyle that we would eat dinner each night as a family. There would be none of "this food is mine and that food is yours." That is the worst when you are eating one thing and your spouse is eating something else because it's "healthier!" Jonah, Trent and I will all eat together, the same meals. Our goal is to eat healthy and as I mention in my earlier post,  while we try to stay on a budget.

Most days we eat meat, but Trent's coach recommended that we try to have at least one day a week that we eat vegetarian. On vegetarian night we will eat a homemade pizza, a vegetable stir fry, a spaghetti squash dish etc. We like variety so we will eat one fish, chicken, beef, pork and lamb meal each week. We usually keep the meats simple. This helps save money! We use the vegetables and fruits from our co-op. For breakfast we usually have oatmeal and or make a smoothie. My smoothies this week included the following: strawberries, peaches, blueberries, banana, kiwi, spinach, honey and coconut milk.

The answer to the next question is Yes. We do treat ourselves to a sweet every now and then. I used to get upset when Trent would decline having a treat with me after dinner. I would take it personally! The message I received was that he was being "too healthy" and I was being "unhealthy." It was almost as if Trent were saying he was better than me for not indulging in a treat. Over time I've realized that when he declines a treat he is not putting me down. I can usually satisfy my sweet tooth with a glass of chocolate milk (if you know me well then you know that I LOVE chocolate milk!). There are times that we will go get ice cream or get a cookie with our lunch after church.

Another question that comes along with the most common question is what about Jonah? Jonah is only 8 months old (almost 9). He is currently eating homemade baby food (I actually really enjoy making his food and this was totally my decision!) and breast milk. Next month he will be able to eat table foods, so he will be eating with us! Yes, he will eat cake on his first birthday! No, he won't be eating fast food. I am realistic though and I know that if we are on the road then there may not be many choices. We don't plan for Jonah to drink juices and other drinks that contain high fructose syrup either. I truly believe with planning and diligence on the parents' part children can always eat healthy! As I mentioned before we don't really know the long-term problems that some of these unhealthy foods can cause. We would rather play it on the safe side!

It's been amazing how much I don't miss some of the unhealthy foods that I used to eat. Occasionally I do crave a cookie or salty chips, but it's not enough of a craving to actually go get it (although we will indulge every once in a while). This healthy lifestyle has allowed us to feel great. We don't get sick often and I feel that a big part of that is because we are giving our bodies nutrients that our body knows how the break down (unlike processed foods). We have agreed to never shove our eating habits into other people's faces. We will never come to your house for dinner and not eat your homemade meal because it contains something that may not be in our diet. If you have never considered what you are eating I highly encourage you to research. You will really be amazed at what you find!