My Food Philosophy

 

Day 9: What's your food philosophy?

1. Get in my belly.

2. Omm nom nom!

:)

I don't really have a food philosophy per se, but I do try to keep our meals more on the healthy side. I limit my kids' sugar intake. I don't cook them separate meals -- they are expected to eat what we're eating. I do believe that lifelong eating habits are established in childhood so I try to make sure we eat balanced meals. I do try to buy organic when it's practical, but that does get expensive pretty fast. If I had to go with one "philosophy" I guess it would be along the lines of "clean" eating. I try to stay away from processed food and stick with fresh fruits, veggies, and meat. It takes a lot more work to clean and prep fruit versus doling out some goldfish crackers but I'm trying to be more disciplined in that area so my kiddos will learn healthy habits from an early age.

And I'm reeeeally trying to like whole wheat (I totally prefer white bread) and limit carbs as much as possible. Last year when all of my neurological symptoms began, I had a nutrient and vitamin panel of bloodwork done and met with a nutritionist. They firmly believe that the majority of our physical & mental ailments can be prevented, helped and even sometimes cured by diet, and I do agree. She gave me an outline of not only the daily calories I need and the # of servings of each food group I need each day, but also how important it is to pair certain food groups together. For example, she told me to always eat fruit with a protein. It impacts how our food is digested and processed. I did really good with this eating plan for a while but it gets hard to stay disciplined (ONE carb group a day, people! Compared to the, I don't know, TWENTY that I would prefer!) and plan everything out. So I just try to use it as a guideline and not put too much pressure on myself. I want my family to be healthy but I also don't want to put too much attention and focus on it because I feel like that can be unhealthy as well. 

So basically, I try to keep things healthy when possible and always read the ingredients list on food so I know what we're putting in our bodies. But I'm not so strict that we don't still indulge in yummy treats on special occasions. Because seriously, how depressing would life be without a cookies and cake and ice cream every once in a while?