No More GARBAGE!

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meaganh13
meaganh13 Posts: 55 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is just a random post, but I had a small revelation today...

For the past two weeks, I've been trying to eat healthier, avoid all processed foods, cook meals from scratch ingredients, uptake the veggies and protein, lower the simple carbs and fibre, drink water (flat and sparkling) and cut-out my heavy reliance on diet pop and other aspartame-laden drinks.

As someone who has a high gluten intolerance (a silent Celiac), this was a change I'd been wanting to try for a long time so I finally went to the grocery store and filled my cart with sparkling water, Brita filters, and fresh green veggies. I've been feeling fantastic and have quickly realized that it's not more expensive to buy these healthy ingredients, in fact, I think it's almost cheaper (provided I buy in-season veggies)!

My revelation came today when I looked at my waste basket at work at 3pm. It contained a single crumpled paper towel from my lunch, which was a spinach salad with chicken, made and brought from home in my own container and eaten with a "real" fork. The point of this revelation? Not only am I eating healthier and feeling better, but as someone who's concerned about the environment, I've realized that I'm also producing less personal garbage. Only a few weeks ago, my waste basket was stuffed with cereal bar wraps, frozen-dinner boxes and trays, single serve calorie wise drink packs, cling wrap from sandwiches and bread products and maybe the odd wrapper from treats or bought lunches....

I was well within my MFP nutritional guidelines with this 'processed' diet but I was constantly hungry, felt bloated and sluggish and unsatisfied, plus the scale wasn't moving. Two weeks later, the scale still hasn't really moved, but my stomach is 'flatter', if that makes sense, I have way more energy, have not felt the need or desire to eat sweets/cake/pastries/candy/chocolate and I have a renewed sense of motivation and determination.

All in all, taking the little bit of time to prep multiple meals makes up for the time spent in long grocery lines with arms overflowing with packaged and processed foods, I feel better and, I produce way less GARBAGE!!!

Replies

  • karenzaphyr
    karenzaphyr Posts: 28
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    Congratulations! That's Awesome! It's amazing when you fuel your body how much better you feel. Keep up the good work! Probably losing inches. The scale isn't the most important thing. How you feel and the clothes fit.
  • kantone999
    kantone999 Posts: 174
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    I've noticed the same thing. Lots of days, my garbage can has only orange peels and a paper napkin or two in it. At home, I compost peelings for my new-this-year organic veggie garden.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Good for you!
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Thanks for sharing, this post made me smile.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
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    I joke with husband that more than anyone else, my compost bin loves our new eating habits.
  • considermac
    considermac Posts: 59
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    I feel the same way!! It just makes sense. Thanks for the post. :)
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
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    You're doing to things with your new diet - getting more nutrient dense calories, which is why you're not as hungry and you're getting far less sodium - which preprocessed and prepackaged food stuffs are laden with, included in that is diet sodas. The benefit of a substantially reduced sodium level is that you don't bloat and retain weight, and that's why you're feeling better and have more energy than when eating high sodium foods.

    Congrats on you're revelation. I hope you continue on your present course as it ensures a healthy, energetic outlook on life in general cos your body will be in great shape!
  • MittenTelby
    MittenTelby Posts: 2
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    Excellence points. Thanks for sharing.
  • kokaneesailor
    kokaneesailor Posts: 337 Member
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    How true it is. Eating healthy and lowering your impact on the local dump. Each week I try to focus on one "processed item" that I can make on my own. My trade is journeyman cook, so it's a little bit easier for me to do. I've worked around massive quantities of food stuffs since I was a teenager. Have experienced a vast amount of waste, which was to say the least, very disheartening.

    Wanted to make my own pasta, so I bought an old school Italian hand crank pasta machine and basically when to town learning everything I could. Spinach, whole wheat, multi grain, beet, tomato, and many other different varies of pasta I have made. Buy pasta from the store, nope I don't think so.

    Since I have stopped buying sugar coated bam bam smacks and other damaging foods I've noticed that I only have to make a dump run about once every 5-6 weeks. I store old chicken skin and stuff that can go off in the freezer until I'm ready to go to the dump. Recycle everything that can be recycled. I feel better both physically and spiritually than I ever have in my entire 51 years on the planet.

    This weeks projects are to make my own butters ( peanut and almond) and to try my hand at making soda crackers.

    Live life longer

    :happy:
  • steveprays
    steveprays Posts: 9
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    Whether It's on the job, rest, play, or exercise, my body responds much better when I eat "clean".
    I'm more alert, I don't seem to notice that afternoon tiredness as much, "if at all!"
    Here's my weekly prep that starts on Sunday after Church by getting a medium chicken and boiling it to done.
    Then deboning, and baging 5 4-5 oz portions for 5 days lunch portions
    I'll buy apples, some small oranges, a tub of FF cottage cheese,
    5 plain greek yogurts, a small container of plain regular oatmeal,
    a box of blueberries or blackberries. and I'm set for the week!
    I'll supplement my lunch chicken and apple with green beans or cooked broccoli.
    My only "packaged" food. A 1oz peppered beef jerky along with a small handful of mixed nuts. for my afternoon snack
    So my weekdays looks like;
    Meal 1: 1/2 C dry oats, 1 pkt Splenda, 1 C blueberries or a few blackberries, 1 C FF Cottage Cheese
    Meal 2: Orange, Greek yogurt (1 pkt Splenda)
    Meal 3: Chicken 4-5 oz, Apple, green bean or cooked broccoli
    Meal 4: 1 oz Jerky - Jacks Link Peppered, small handful mixed "unsalted or lightly salted" nuts
    Meal 5: Salmon or Tuna twice per week, green beans, broccoli, or a salad, sweet or regular potato w/ butter spray, Salsa everything 5-6 oz
    I love Salsa! It adds so many flavors to whatever dinner choice.

    Smaller clean meals work well for me.

    Keep it going!

    Happy day!
    Steve
  • meaganh13
    meaganh13 Posts: 55 Member
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    Thanks for the replies everyone! It feels good to know that others notice the same difference!

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