Welcome/introductions

renlewis170

Hello all. My name is Renee and I've tried to make 2012 a year for moving towards more natural eating. I'm no expert yet, but I'm working on learning more about eating naturally and eating locally. Part of my reasoning is about weight loss, but part is also about eating more sustainably and more ethically (I know, very personal topic this ethics thing!!) Just wondering what is motivating everyone else to tend towards more "real eating"...

thinmg

Hi All,
I did a 10 day Veggie Juice fast 2 months ago and it was fantastic the first 2 days i was slightly irritable but after that I felt truly amazing!. I had more energy and clarity than I had felt in years but the best thing to come from the experience was breaking the addiction to sugar, processed and refined foods. When I finished the Juicing It was so exciting just to eat a piece of celery. It brought food back to basics and made me aware of just how many chemicals, number are in our foods & not to mention genetically modified foods. My food shopping is so different now it 80 percent veggies & fruits ,10 %meat and 10% dry stock.
Wish my fridge was larger there are so many leafy greens taking up room. The
rewards are great. I eat Raw full fat Milk and sprouted essene bread . I love the food I consume now I wouldn't have it any other way. I eat like this to be as healthy as I can ,to set a good example for my child & to be good to our environment. There is still alot more I could do, which will happen over time. Cheers & thx you

waldenfam2

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with diabetes in June of 2011 and at the time my diet was pretty much whatever was fast and easy. I have 3 kids, lol. After that I really had to learn about carb counting and the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. I was originally put on meds to control the diabetes, however, after losing about 30lbs the doctor took me off most of my meds (I was having wicked lows) and now I'm controlling my diabetes with diet and exercise (and still losing weight).

Because of the complications that diabetes brings to the table, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc, I've really been watching my diet, and have realized the more processed the food, the higher the sodium. Besides this I have a son that has Asperger's Syndrome, and my oldest is over-weight. Because of these reasons, I've really been focusing on a much more natural and wholesome diet. I don't know that much about it, besides buying fresh But I'd love to learn.

jldaley09

Hello! Well I watched Food Inc a little over 2 years ago and we decided to start making a switch to eating more natural, local, and more healthy. A year ago we began with MFP and trying to incorporate everything we know. It is difficult and we are still learning what to do and still changing our tastes with less processed foods but it is a challenge. I have 5 kids under the age 11 and we are doing this as a family. Organic is sometimes too expensive but I do try to buy local meat. I have 7 backyard chickens that provide us with eggs and I will be getting meat chickens to raise in about a month. I just started my large garden and we have joined a CSA in the past. We rarely dine out and I pretty much cook everything that we eat. I want to do this for ethical, sustainable and health reasons. It is definitely a journey but it can be done.

downhomechik

Hello. I've been on a mission to become healthy since 2010 when diagnosed with Cancer. I'm cancer free as of this moment and 2012 is my year to lose the weight I've packed on and make my inner/outer shell more aligned with my mental state.

I'm an avid gardener and grew up farming with cows, chickens. This year our garden will be twice the size as I seek to get away from commercialized, processed foods. My mate and I cook from scratch and we want to be health conscious about all our choices. The more I read about nutrition and healthy eating, the more I realize that it wasn't so much my portions that packed on the pounds, but rather my poor food choices. I just didn't know what was healthy or had more sodium or sugar in it. I want to know and understand what I'm eating so I can better shape my health.

spoulsen82

hello, all! i'm seth. i have two kids (3.5 and 1.5 years old) and a wonderful wife who is able to stay home with them. i am active duty in the air force and we are currently stationed in turkey.

i recently started reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan and have really had my eyes opened. i was already starting to eat healthier and more real foods, but am moving more that way every day now. i am dragging my wife and kids along with me although they don't seem to mind too much.

the processed foods thing is what we are tyring to avoid. we are starting to learn new, healthy recipes and trying to incorporate more fruit and veggies into our diets.

we are still new to the whole thing and i lok forward to learning and eating healthier and more naturally in the future along with all of you!

cheers!

ABeautifulDistraction

Hi everyone! I'm Amber, I am a stay-at-home mom who desperately needs to overhaul my life, especially my food intake. I became interested in eating clean about 5 years ago. Since then it seems like my husband and I will do really well for 3-6 months, then completely fall back into the easy old routines.
My goal is to not just eat cleaner but to also rid my house of chemicals and incorporate more raw foods into my diet. I'm tired of being sick and tired!

Irishmoonwitch

Hello, I'm Stephanie and I just found this group today but started eating "real food" 10 days ago. I'm doing a 100 day challenge and plan on eating this way after but maybe not as strict. My main form of information and recipes is http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ for anyone who wishes to give it a look. The best thing I did right before starting this challenge was over hauling my kitchen. There is no processed foods in our house that have more then 5 ingredients in them.

verysusan

After years on Weight Watchers and not really seeing results, I decided that I truly want to be healthier. After some research, I decided to try and eat more clean or whole foods. Unfortunately, as a teacher this time of year is very busy so my progress has been slow.

Stephanie - thanks for the website there are many resources there.

I am excited to have found a more active group.

Susan

Irishmoonwitch

You are welcome... I am finding more websites but they are slightly different some of them. So i adopt their recipes. And even made some myself. I'll be more then happy to share with you.

coleen_d_b

Hi, I'm Coleen. New here.

A friend introduced me to "Nourishing Traditions" several years ago and it just made sense when I read it. It changed my family's life. Info about it (and how we eat) from Amazon:

"Nourishing Traditions will tell you:

1. Why your body needs old fashioned animal fats
2. Why butter is a health food
3. How high-cholesterol diets promote good health
4. How saturated fats protect the heart
5. How rich sauces help you digest and assimilate your food
6. Why grains and legumes need special preparation to provide optimum benefits
7. About enzyme-enhanced food and beverages that can provide increased energy and vitality
8. Why high-fiber, lowfat diets can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies

Topics include the health benefits of traditional fats and oils (including butter and coconut oil); dangers of vegetarianism; problems with modern soy foods; health benefits of sauces and gravies; proper preparation of whole grain products; pros and cons of milk consumption; easy-to-prepare enzyme enriched condiments and beverages"

We drink raw milk, eat farm fresh eggs, and currently have 1/4 of a cow and 1/2 a pig in our chest freezer. I wish I could get free range chicken in bulk cheaply somewhere. I also got a Blendtec this past Christmas and try to have at least one green smoothie a day. We have very few processed foods in the house (I'm just too lazy to make my own marinara sauce).

So for me "Real Food" means getting back to the basics, and eating like my great grandmother (who lived to be 94) used to.

Happy to be here!

FaugHorn

Hi all!

As you can see from my pic, my eating habits now affect another person. I've dabbled in eating real/modified vegetarianism for awhile but it wasn't until my husband read "Eating Animals" that he got on board with me! That means we're in this together to raise our new family in the healthiest way we can.

Glad to meet you all :flowerforyou:

kimberlyvalentinecollins

Hello. My husband and I live on a farm . We grow a garden every year. This year Im putting in blueberry, rasberry, and blackberry bushes. Last year I put in fruit trees, apple, cherry, pear. I am into growing as much of my own food as possible.