I'll be honest, folks, I am not usually the kind to push myself into making New Year's Resolutions, much less keeping them.
However, maybe it's all the real food I've been eating over the last six months or so - but I'm feeling resolute on this eve of 2013. I confess, over the last couple weeks and particularly this last one, I've fallen off the wagon and eaten too much food outside of my ideal. And it was pretty obvious to me WHY I was losing my personal food battle - I was stressed, as most of us are during the holidays, and I ate for comfort, to fit in, and because it can be just so darn hard to resist some of your previous all-time favorite foods when they are being consumed in front of you!
What were the consequences of this gluttony, you ask? Well, I can personally vouch that our entire family has experienced a lot more uncomfortable stomach/bathroom situations in the last week. On top of it, my Picky Eater who was becoming a much Better Eater seems to be holding out for the carbs again - the crackers and rolls - and even though we have managed to keep him off refined sugar, his mood swings are back in FULL FORCE.
Basically this little experiment has made both my husband and I more determined that real food is the way to go. So, our overall family food goals for this next year are as follows:
1) To more perfectly follow the Weston A. Price Principles of Healthy Diets. We are doing well with most of them - there are 20 in all - but specifically, we need to work on these:
#9: Use whole grains, legumes and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors and other anti-nutrients. My plan of action here is to severely limit ALL grains we eat for several months, and while we do that, I'm going to study up on these techniques via several food bloggers I follow. I see their posts on the subjects pop up all the time, I just have been working so hard on the other 20 WAP principles, I haven't read them.
#16: Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals. Ouch. Honestly as an avid label reader, I cannot say I have ever noticed before whether wine or beer was pasteurized. And did I mention my husband and I are invested in a local microdistillery? Spirits in moderation are pretty common around here, too.
#19: Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light. I have two toddlers and two dogs. We are woken up at least twice every night by someone for something. It is SO hard for me to go back to sleep.
#20: Think positive thoughts and practice forgiveness. Something that will need to be practiced for life.
2) Save more money on real food by buying in bulk more often, specifically meat. We started buying local meat in August of 2012 - chicken, beef, pork, turkey, ALL of it - and we are hooked. Last summer, I was able to purchase 20 pounds of sushi-grade, flash frozen, wild Alaskan salmon fillets for $10.99/lb through a bulk buy at our farm. It has been wonderful and so convenient! I am currently in process of purchasing half a soy free, pastured hog, and we are buying a deep freezer because we also are looking for the right side of beef!
3) More fully research raising chickens in our backyard. I have been wanting to have chickens for a long time now, but I have stalled in actually moving this project forward because half the time, I feel overwhelmed by just taking care of our two toddlers and two dogs! It just doesn't seem like the right time to take on more living things... At the same time, we eat a LOT of eggs. And in Austin right now, there just aren't enough organic and preferrably soy-free pastured eggs available at the markets! The last few farmers I've talked to have mentioned they are increasing their flocks, so maybe I will try to hold out for that and put the chickens out a few years until my kids can help me take care of them. I REALLY want my own fresh eggs!!
So, 2013, bring it on. This is the most excited I have been about a new year in a long time. I have a food plan. I will have more time with my kids this year. I want to keep passing on the real food good news, and I want to work on a few other business ideas.
Cheers to a fantastic 2013, y'all! May you find new inspiration this year.
Jill
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