Real Food???

Well since I left you all at the edge of your seats wondering what crazy new diet I am on (the real food diet/lifestyle) I figured I better explain. There is much confusion about what I eat. When I say that I don't want to eat animals that were treated cruelly, I do not mean that I am a vegetarian. If you ever asked me what I eat I may have said vegetarian just because it is much easier to say that than to explain what I really am. That, and if I really got into it your eyes may glaze over in less than 30 seconds. But since you are here, trapped (cuz it's not like you could close this page at any time) I will explain. I feel called to eat foods that honor the earth, the animals, other people, and my own body. In short I want to honor all of God's creation. There are too many people groups that have survived from eating other animals, so I am not about to tell them they were wrong to consume another life. Also if memory serves, it was God who killed the first animal to provide clothing for Adam and Eve. While not ideal, consuming animals is one way we have been directed to for our survival. Finally I really and truly believe that life comes from life. Even vegans are indirectly taking life to prolong their own. When a field is cleared to grow soy beans, the wild animals inhabiting that field are sacrificed-gophers, mice, wild birds loose their homes and shelter. So that said, I am not delusional to think that my life continues without costing another's, and I find a position taken by some Native Americans to be more in unison with my own, which honors and thanks the life given to provide for my own.

You are probably thinking that I really haven't explained what I eat. You are right. So let's get to it. I try my best (I am flexible with my diet, trying to accommodate as different circumstances arise) to eat locally, and organic, or at least pesticide free vegetables, fruit, and herbs. I try to eat pastured (as in raised on a pasture, grazing in grass), or free-range (yes there is a difference, and if you really want to know what that is, ask in the comments and I will explain) meats, eggs, and dairy. It can be tricky finding foods that meet these criteria, but I have had the most success at farmer's markets. Also, remember that I am flexible, so I don't starve because I cannot find food that meet all the criteria. Now regarding dairy, I try to stay away from pasteurized (please do not confuse this with pastured-these are two very different things) because it leads to stuffy sinuses, and allergy attacks, or sinus infection (I try to avoid gluten-and sometimes citrus-for this same reason). I do however, eat raw dairy, and have found that it doesn't have as severe an affect on me. WooHoo!!! Cuz I have missed my quesadillas.

I just recently bought some raw milk and it was nice to drink milk like that, it has been a while. I plan on making some gluten-free cookies this weekend and having them with a glass of cold raw milk. Yum!!! Funny how excited I get over simple things like that, since I have had to go without those things for a long time. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, indeed!

The REAL part of my diet is the idea that I try to eat as many whole foods as possible. No foods with scary expiration dates/preservatives, chemical dyes, high fructose corn syrup, or instant meals. The idea is that I would live a life style where I make most of my foods, like folks did in the preindustrial era. That is the REAL part of the Real Food diet. It is taking us back to our preindustrial revolution roots. I think the main words behind this movement would be simple, whole, balance, and quality. This is a lifestyle not simply a diet. It is one that seems to encompass all the elements that I value, and it leads me to a life that I am already striving for. A life of dignity, honor, balance, wholeness, truth, and love.

So I can eat pretty much anything, as long as it is organic, whole, pastured, preservative-free, natural, and locally grown. Luckily McDonald's and Taco Bell's menus are just that! *wink*

Flexitarian? Wha' happen?

So I have been on a journey for the last year, trying to figure out my diet. I am trying to be intentional about what I put in my body, why I eat the way I do, and what effect does it all have any way? I really can't explain this sudden minute interest in something that, up until recently, has rarely been a concern, except that I do have some free time at work, and free time leads to thinkging, and thinking leads to all kinds of Trouble, with a capital T.

So about nine months ago I cut dairy out of my diet. Not completely, but mostly. I do make exceptions every now and again, but for the most part I live a milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, and butter free life. This was a really hard adjustment to make, and I have had to resort to the vegan friendly item on most menus, because the vegetarian item is a cheesy dish. This decision was purely for health reasons, and I am happy to report that since the dairy boycott I don't use nearly as many medications as I used to. Hooray!!!

Having conquered the dairy dilemma, I felt I needed a bigger challenge. So now no meat, and when that gets boring I will try to live solely on AIR!!!! Just kidding. But I did make a conscious decision to try to eat less meat. Why?!?!? Well the answer could potentially be discussed for several hours as I map out for you the spiritual, social, and physical reasonings behind the decision, but to sum it all up for you, I feel bad about how animals are treated when farmed in mass production. So I want to avoid these meats, which pretty much means I will eat free range meats, sooooo I won't be eating meats a whole lot. To quote a friend who was mocking me, I will only eat animals that were "happy" before they were slaughtered. Isn't that just ironic of me. But there it is. This makes me a flexitarian.

Go ahead, make fun of me, mock me, stare at me incredulously. It's nothing my closest friends and family haven't done already. And while you are at it, go ahead and tell me your story of how you tried to live a vegetarian lifestyle only to fail miserably. Those stories are meant to encourage me, right??? I am in a place right now, where I feel convicted, and I feel that, thankfully, I can do something about it, or at least I can try. So I'm gonna.

Last night was the first night where I intentionally made a meatless dinner. We made rice and bean burritos, with grilled onions, peppers and sauteed mushrooms. We topped them with fresh vine tomatoes and avocado, all atop a flour tortilla. YUM!! Jonathan liked it so much, he said I should open a restaurant. I think I better try a few more dishes before I go that far, you know put the horse before the cart and all. But I am definitally encouraged. This will be hard, but not impossible.

But come on, don't you wanna bite? I call it Burrrito ala Guatemalan.