Nutrition Nature’s Way

My daughter came  home the other day with a coloring book on nutrition from the county health department.  Her first question was  “why do they say I shouldn’t drink whole milk? I thought whole milk is good for you.”  It really made me look at all the mixed messages she will be receiving concerning healthy eating and exercise.

We have fallen victims to the nation’s very persuasive marketing of diet and exercise fads. I remember being talked into trying this awful diet where all you ate was watermelon for the first week. Sure I lost weight (which I of course I  gained back as quickly as I lost it) but I felt terrible and I still thought I didn’t look as gorgeous as my friend and no diet could change that. I’ve tried Atkins, vegetarianism, low-fat,  and starvation.  I’ve worked out at the gym, did pilates, yoga, aerobic classes and put hundreds of miles on my running shoes. I was so obsessed was I with running 7 days a  week that I went running in 120 degree heat in the middle of the day because it was the only time I could fit it in! Can we say heat stroke?

So I began the journey towards discovering the true way to be healthy.  I have read and formulated reasons why one thing is better than another, tested recipes, threw everything out the window and I always come back to the same thing….eat good clean whole foods, move your body daily, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep…that’s it.   Not revolutionary nor is it a quick fix but I feel great and am well on my way to wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans after multiple kids.

In our house we having “growing” foods like whole milk, vegetables, fruit, meat and grains which we eat everyday. We watch our portions (only the adults),  eat our sweets in moderation (life is much sweeter with an afternoon indulgence of chocolate raisins) and enjoy a daily walk. We don’t follow FDA guidelines. If this is the way we should be eating, why is obesity on the rise? We follow Mother Nature’s guideline’s in our house. If we don’t recognize the ingredient on the label, then our body can’t recognize it as a food source. The closer our food is to it’s natural form, the more satisfied we will be and less likely we will be to over -indulge. If you can’t resist something, don’t let it into your house to begin with!   The kids really won’t die if they have carrots and ranch dip in their lunches rather than potato chips.