Tue 7 Aug 2007
So.. I got a call from a concerned friend regarding my most recent bout with the germs.
She mentioned that I have been sick a lot this year… I hadn’t even thought about that.
So… I started thinking why I could be getting constant bouts of colds and annoying bugs.
- I have a preschooler. ‘Nuff said.
- I sleep very little… keep weird hours. Work a ton..
- I have not looked at what I have eaten in OVER A YEAR.
I am a little floored by number 3.
So… I need to make some changes. I am thinking that looking at eating non-processed foods is a good way to start. Anyone have any suggestions/resources/great websites to share? I need a manageable jumping off point.
I am not so concerned about weight loss at the moment (although that would be an added benefit!) I am more concerned about feeling better.
I will curb my sleep schedule to a more normal one… and try to get in some walks (in the less humid days to come)… But fast food be damned!!!
I have also decided that I need away from work time. I am going to read for 30 minutes every day. Noting work or fiber related (because that tends to become work)… Maybe a book. I can not remember the last thing I read for pleasure. Any suggestions? I may start with the Harry Potter book 1 ( I am the last human on the planet to pick up a book by JK Rowling)
I am interested to hear what you guys have to say….
Edit:
I stopped at Borders and picked this up…
30 minutes here I come!
August 7th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I bought a cookbook (I buy VERY few) called Eating Well Serves Two. Easy, quick, tasty recipes that you and your hubby should like and maybe some Cowboy will like, too.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Well, my family made the same shift a few years ago … no processed food and organic where ever possible (that took some budget restructuring) but we are hardly ever sick and when we do get something it never lingers … so I am sold on the idea. Read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle if you get the chance. A very funny story of a family that did something similar and there are recipes. Good luck!
August 7th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
After a friend of mine lost 30 lbs., I tried her method — it’s called No Flour, No Sugar. Simple. After the initial detox, I started feeling more energetic, less logey, and didn’t crave my usual candy, cookies and junk. After breaking that cycle, I cut back on quantities and have lost almost 10 lbs. so far! It’s pretty simple to follow, you don’t eat anything with the ingredients of sugar or flour (of ANY kind). Anything else is OK. It’s slow weight loss, but actually not bad as far as “diets” go. It’s more like a lifestyle change.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Hey, I hope you feel better soon. As with anything my approach to eating is to pay attention to what you are buying and putting into your body. I don’t go for diets or plans but just being aware. Aware of what is in a product (eating whole foods trying to cut down processed foods) and how much a serving is. Also looking at the big picture has helped me. So I have a milkshake today from chick a fill. That doesn’t mean I have done harm to my body because I feel I did fine the rest of the week/month/year.
Jolene
August 7th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Start easy, an “all in one fell swoop” deal won’t work. Ask me how I know. Start by not buying cookies, crackers, chips. Replace potato flakes with real potatoes. Try fresh veggies instead of frozen. Little steps get big results. The more you taste good food, the less you want processed stuff.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
If your area has a “dream dinners” (www.dreamdinners.com) you go in spend an hour and prep out meals that you pretty much just have to cook when you want one. I tried it last weekend and I’m now in LOVE. It’s easy and we add some veggies and have dinner.
Downshifting is tough. I go through it every so often and I have a husband who declares he can’t live without junk food.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I’m usually a lurker, but thought I’d delurk to comment. Switching to whole grains is a big start, but either read the packages very carefully or make your own bread using stone ground wheat. There’s a great book called The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book about using whole grains for bread. (You can use a mixer to knead the dough, but it is relaxing doing it by hand.) There are lots of good recipes for all kinds of good breads including really wonderful and nutritious cinnamon buns! Anyway, I do feel better when I eat better - good luck!
August 7th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
You are not the last person. I also have never read a Rowlings book. I have purchased them - for my boys - but I have not read one.
Eating well. Sleeping well. Minimizing germie preschooler contacts (not possible, but a good idea! :)) are all things to consider. You might also consider - after you try these things that will be good for you either way - checking into allergans in your workplace. Older buildings sometimes have things in them that make us sick. Just an idea!
August 7th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
i will warn you, you may not be able to put the book down in 30 minutes! especially if you start with HP!
maybe magazines about parenting? i’m sorry, most of my magazine reading is fiber related, lol, and i work in the industry!
science fiction? i love that stuff. alternate reality? go for it!
i know what i eat, what i need to do is get off my backside.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
One of the best ways to greatly restrict processed foods is to limit the consumption of three items:
1. high fructose corn syrup
2. “enriched” or white flour. Whole grain flours, etc. are perfectly fine.
3. Avoid all Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.
Because of M.S. my immune system is shot to heck and by following these dietary guidelines I can really tell a difference.
There are a lot of other rules, etc., but these have been the easiest for me to remember. And they have helped out a lot.
And you do way more than just about any other human I know too. Slow down there girl!
Even when you’re on vacation (a.k.a. Sock Cruise, Spinning Cruise, etc.) you’re working. Maybe you can be hypnotized like Peter on Office Space so that you can be laid back and “just do nothing.”
Hugs!
August 7th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Don’t bother going too crazy. Just write down what you eat for a few days., then look at it and see…lots of processed stuff? Salty? Fat? And figure where you are going wrong and what you could bear to change. I mean, if someone told me I couldn’t have choclate, well, THAT would be out the window really fast. So then pick one thing, think of a way to change it. For example my weakness is salty snacks. So I have to make sure that I have fruit that I like in the house so I can go for that instead.
I will also say that most illnesses are spread by touch. You wipe your kids nose, don’t wash your hands, your eye gets itchy, you scratch it..binog, you’ve got a cold. No need to go nuts disinfecting the house, just wash hands, try not to touch your eyes and nose, buy Purell or the like and use ‘em. It works. I used to get sick at work (a pharmacy, you want a germ factory to work in, go there) until I started Purell-ing my hands whenever I walked away from the cash register. Now, not so much.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:40 am
That sounds like a very interesting book. Let me know what you think of it.
Jolene
August 8th, 2007 at 7:50 am
I usually just read the post and wait in the shadows. I have always made it a point to read for me at least 10 minutes before bed. This has been thru grad school, grad school with kid etc. Here are some recommendations.
If you like fantasy - George RR Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series. There are 4 books now.
If you like to cry - A Thousand Splended Suns (I can not remember the author but it is everywhere right now.)
Ok and I love Neil Gaimin’s American Gods (I have read it 3 times) and Diana Gabaldon.
Enjoy
August 8th, 2007 at 8:11 am
funny how our bodies try to tell us things - looks like you listened! I am also trying to re-vamp and treat my body a little nicer - it’s the only one I’ll ever have and I think I’ve been a little rough on it the past year or so….sounds like you are off to a great start!
August 8th, 2007 at 9:34 am
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book. I really like Kingsolver, and I’m crazy for “projects” like the one she and her family did. Keep us posted, ok?
If my mom were mothering you, she’d probably say that “you’re burning the candle at both ends”. Whenever I finish a particularly crazy semester, I get sick for a few days, but I think it’s just my body saying “could we please sleep a whole night? How about fun?” Neal, unlike me, doesn’t need to have too much on his plate to feel like he’s living life to its fullest, and I’m learning to re-focus from him. My theory? When you’ve got ambitions and zest for life, you’re going to have “crash” times, too. I think it’s smart to try to be aware of sources for the crash.
Feel better!
August 8th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Check out the Real Age (also You on a Diet) website
http://www.realage.com/homepage.aspx
They talk a lot about what foods are healthy, how to combine them, and they have a recipe index.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Its funny that we both blogged about diet on the same day. For me, it is all about intentionality. Being purposeful in what I eat. I definitely avoid the processed, and try to eat “real” foods. Whole foods. And very light on the carbs. High on the fiber. Best of luck and keep us all posted. What’s important is your energy, and how you feel.
For a book recommendation: Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
It is an engrossing read about someone who decides to travel to Italy, India, and Bali in the course of a year, to immerse herself in pleasure, then spirit, then to try to find a balance between the two. It would be great for you because the chapters are pretty short, so if you want to grab a few minutes before bed, it is easy to pick up and read one chapter.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I recently battled with something similar. A close friend (K) told me to I needed to pay more attention to my body because iIt knows what it needs and it will tell you.
I try to walk everywhere and I don’t eat what I think may be bad for me. Which means (for me) no pizza, fast food or anything like that. I try to walk a lot and participate in whatever cardio activities that are fun (you know me if it’s not fun I’m not going to do it.)
I too am guilty of working too much but I have the luxury of being single and on my own - so I can work out at whatever time I want to.
Eating right is easy once you really commit to it.
Talk to you soon - GRT
August 8th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I just read a book that totally transported me into another time and place. “The Secret Life of Bees” - can’t remember the author but she really pulls you in. Relatively short and an easy read, vacation for the mind.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
I picked up a Harry Potter book a few years ago just so I could see what my kids were reading - and I read the whole thing in 2 days - I could NOT put it down!!! Be forewarned!
As far as eating healthy, I had to stop buying anything with high fructose corn syrup years ago because my youngest acts NUTS when she eats that stuff! Snack on fruits, nuts and veggies and I eat a salad at least once a day.