So! Here is the summery of what is up with our eating lately. Jeff and I just finished an experiment of sorts. It's something we read about in a book called The Maker's Diet, by Jordan Rubin. It's called a "40-Day Health Experience," and it's been so good for us. It was this book which began our health odyssey, which continues to this day.
Back in July I "stumbled" across a TV show on TBN. The show was called "Perfect Weight America," and the guy hosting the show said some things that immediately intrigued me. I did some research and ran across this article. I checked out his book, "The Maker's Diet," from the library, and was completely fascinated.
It's from this book that I've learned about raw milk, soaked and sprouted grains, grass-fed beef, nutritious oils & other healthy fats (we eat butter daily!), the impact of eating organic...pretty much all the health changes we've made in our family life. I highly recommend the book, it's amazing. I also learned of a cookbook called "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. It's very much in the same vein as the Rubin book, but with even more information, and an abundance of wonderful recipes. I am loving it!
To tell you more about our 40-day health experience: it's broken into 3 2-week phases. The first phase, the carbohydrates that you can eat are pretty restricted. Phase 2 has a bit more leeway, and in Phase 3 there is greater freedom still. The main goal is not weight loss (though that did happen) but health. Cutting out simple carbs and highly-refined foods helped regulate our blood sugar and insulin levels. It helped us push past our cravings for sugary stuff...a detox, if you will.
Again, our motivation was not weight loss, yet we did both lose weight. I now weigh what I did when we conceived our first child. Jeff lost 20 lbs. We didn't even change how we exercise...just cutting out the crud did it. Who knew?
We're both really pleased with how our experiment has gone. Our children have weathered it pretty well (no, we didn't put them on the "diet," but some of the changes we made did trickle down to them...for example, they're getting used to eating lentils instead of biscuits at dinnertime). I feel that all "systems" of my body are working better now. My complexion is clearer, I no longer have trouble getting to sleep during the night, and I have more energy. Jeff and I are planning to continue with the gist of this diet; the main thing is to eat foods that God made, in a form as easily digestible as possible. It makes so much sense, when you think about it.
If you're still reading, and not utterly sick of my "food" talk, I have one more point that I want to make. Many of you are probably shaking your heads, thinking something like, "That would be too hard, it's an ideal," or "I'd rather just eat the good stuff!" My thought is this: how do we define "good stuff?" My definition has changed, and I am coming to see that God has given us an incredibly wonderful variety in the foods He has provided.
Okay, so here is my bottom line: it seems to me that trying to eat this way is something of a reflection of what it is to live according to the guidelines God has set for us. Stay with me now: I am NOT saying that sugar, etc. is sinful, not at all. I do believe that it can lead to a myriad of health problems down the road. But listen: it may be hard to give up some old habits, yet it appears that the payoff is worth it. And there is so much delicious freedom, and benefit, within these guidelines! It's not about self-deprivation.
It's about eating for the health of it...for the joy of it!
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