My 12 New Things


Saturday, February 13, 2010

New Thing #3- February 2010- Eating Kind

I went 11 days without eating anything that formerly breathed. I also extremely limited my eggs and dairy intake, as well as scaled back on soda and processed foods. I'm not going to say that I'm going vegetarian or vegan for New Thing #3 because Lord knows my mom would stage an intervention. (Hi, Mom! You're probably my only reader, so don't get mad)!

What I AM doing is experimenting with "eating kind" as Alicia Silverstone calls it. She was on an episode of Oprah recently along with some other folks talking about healthy eating and encouraging people to take the time and spend a little more money at the grocery store on good healthy food rather than pay later with your health. 

First off, Alicia looked amazing. That made me want to do whatever she was doing. And second, I do what Oprah tells me to. Thus, New Thing #3 is me "eating kind" or as close to it as I can.

In Alicia's book, which I immediately purchased, Alicia describes what led her to writing a book on a plant based diet:

This is about being really, really good to yourself. The Kind Diet will give you tons of energy, mental clarity, gorgeous skin, and a zest for life you won't want to miss. Plus, it's powerful; doctors like Dean Ornish and John MacDougal have discovered that plant-based diets have the power to reverse heart disease, diabetes, even cancer. The kindness extends to the earth itself; because it requires less fuel, water and other precious resources, a plant-based diet is much lighter on the planet.

The gist of the diet is not to eat meat, dairy, eggs (any animal products), refined sugar or processed foods.

I don't know how far I'll take "eating kind." My goal was a full 7 days of eating as kind as I could and I made it. Immediately after the 7 day mark, to the hour,  I had about a 24 hour slip up over the weekend at my brother's house. No meat was involved but I did go wild on some processed foods. A Pepsi and some Doritos were involved. I was like a girl at Mardi Gras on her 21st birthday, visiting the Girls Gone Wild trailer. 

I quickly rebound and finished 11 days with no meat, limited dairy and no eggs. This may be a new lifestyle for me, but I may also incorporate some things back in limited amounts. I feel enlightened after having this experience and do actually feel better. I feel less weighed down after meals and my skin had been breaking out because of stress and now it's cleared up substantially. I've also lost a few pounds. My husband and daughter are also on board! We'll see what happens, but for now we're calling this a succesful completion of New Thing #3!

Spaghetti squash with marinara, lima beans and asparagus. It even works toddler-style!

3 comments:

  1. hi. i think this is a great idea! once you have gone a certain amount of time without eating meat, little dairy, or eggs and you try to start eating it again...your body will feel different. i have several cookbooks for quick and yummy vegetarian/vegan recipes! good luck my friend, you'll do great!

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  2. "I was like a girl at Mardi Gras on my 21st birthday, visiting the Girls Gone Wild trailer."
    Hilarious!

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  3. also wanted to suggest a book on this...check out the site ravediet.com. there is a book and dvd you can watch..for like $15. well worth the money...it is not a "diet" i hate that word..it's a book and dvd on making healthy lifestyle changes. the 2nd half of the dvd is quite hard to watch, but again well worth it.

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