My husband wants to start living a healthier more active lifestyle. I'm totally ok with that. In fact, I'm SO totally ok with that... that I've gone a bit health crazy. I'm becoming a health nut.
The way I look at it is this... After M died and even before... I wasn't eating right because we couldn't afford to feed ourselves due to his alcohol habit. I didn't help it though... I drank way more than I should have then too. The stress of being the only one working was getting to me. Now I have a chance to get fit and healthy again. Mind, body, and soul.
I'm not happy about taking medications. I believe that doctors tend to pile on the meds without really treating the issue. I want to take the bare minimum, to not pump my body full of chemicals and synthetic substances.
So back to eating healthy. My family will never become vegetarian, much less vegan. We enjoy our meat and cheeses. But by incorporating more vegetables and healthy grains and minimizing the amount of meat we eat, I think we'll find a happy balance.
Last night I made pizza with a cauliflower crust. I'm shocked at how well it turned out! My husband loved the fact that he didn't feel bloated from eating pizza like he usually does with traditional dough. My daughter was amazed that she actually liked it and asked for seconds. I was super excited that I subbed a vegetable for a bread product.
I'm looking into more gluten free recipes. I tend to feel bogged down and bloated if I eat anything with wheat in it. I love love LOVE bread. So this will be tough. But I can do it.
My daughter's dream is to become a chef. Yes, she's 9 and her dream will most likely change as the years go by, but I encourage her to help in the kitchen. She gets to help me try all these new recipes (wearing the chef's coat we got her for Christmas), and then she gets to taste test them with me. We usually end up modifying the recipe to fit our likes and dislikes. But I can see that by letting her help makes her much more open to trying new things. C'mon.... cauliflower pizza crust? But she ate it and loved it, perhaps in part because she helped make it.
We've almost cut out red meat. It's our treat meat. hehe We eat a lot of chicken and pork. I'm hoping we can cut down on the pork (I still love you bacon!), and incorporate more fish. Protein will often come from other sources than meat.
Our snacks are changing too. We made cookies that had no flour or added sugar. The sweetness came from the natural sugars from the fruit in the cookie. My daughter, T, has fallen in love with kale chips. A delicious alternative to potato chips. They're chock full of goodness. We blended bananas and froze them to make a delicious "ice cream" dessert.
I'm excited. I'm setting a good example for my daughter, plus I feel better all around because I'm eating better. If I'm craving something sweet, I can always make banana chips. :) When the body is healthy, it helps the mind as well.
I may always have to be on medication for bipolar disorder. But by staying active and eating right, I think I'll be able to manage much better. Besides... during a manic episode I always want to cook and clean... so now instead of making all kinds of breads and cookies I'll just whip up some gluten free energy bars or homemade granola. hehe
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