Day Thirty-One: Success!

Ah, the Finish Line.

Or is it the Starting Line?

Concluding that life is better when real food - and only real food - is consumed, the decision has been made. A new lifestyle was begun on October 1; it shall continue.

Mostly. I'll get to the 'mostly' later.

Here is what my family and I have noticed:

- A general sense of improvement in well-being, energy level, digestion, moods, mental clarity, and skin health.

- A diminishing of cravings, irritability, minor aches and pains.

- The grocery money goes farther.  Yesterday, we bought a shopping cart full of produce at the farm market for $18. Also, as real food satisfies completely, we don't snack and nibble like we used to.

- We've all lost weight - I've lost five pounds, myself - without even trying. We feel hungry when it's time to refuel, then we eat. I only felt deprivation during the first few days when I was detoxing. Once that was over, it was smooth sailing. Milk-chocolate doesn't call to me as it did, either. That's a biggie!

- Our familial relationship, while already good, has improved as we've worked together planning, prepping, and enjoying meals together. Plus, with higher energy levels and better frames of mind we feel like doing things together both here at home and in the community.

- Lastly, we are convinced that eating mindfully makes a larger difference than we imagined and we intend to keep going with this unprocessed lifestyle.

Now, for the 'mostly'. Strict adherence to just about anything opens the door to temptation, to an urge to rebel for rebellion sake. We didn't rebel this month, but sometimes we wanted to, for split seconds here and there. Temptation was resisted because the Challenge presented a good reason to stay on the straight and narrow. Plus, it had a definite end to it.

To eat this way - religiously - for the rest of my life means feelings of deprivation and defiance will rise up, not to mention awkward social moments. So I free myself to eat whatever I want to eat, anytime I want to eat it. And I know that in my freedom I will choose the unprocessed, real food path...most of the time. Maybe all of the time, most of the time. This way, if I choose to consume something that is not ideal, there will be no guilt. No guilt means no beating myself up. No beating myself up means no emotional reaction that ends up lasting for days or weeks because of irrational thinking ("Well, I've slipped up! May as well fall the whole way! Bring on the crap!")

That being said, I have no intention - no desire - to go back to eating the way I used to, which was pretty good, compared to most of this country's eating habits. It's better now. My mind rests in the fact that I am stacking the deck in my favor health-wise. Only God knows how my life and health will play out, but at least I know I'm doing the best I can today. That means a lot to me, it matters, it improves the quality of my life.

So, besides staying the course, where do I go from here?

Back to balance. Body, Mind, Spirit. Now that I've got a good grasp of diet, I can incorporate my discoveries into the care of my body without the intensive focusing. The work's been done for now. Time and life are freed up to pursue all the dimensions of me.

I do like a specific experiment, though, a project. Having to blog each day this month meant too much time in front of this screen. I enjoy writing, but I don't like to have to write. I am currently reading three books about the human brain. Simultaneously. It's the way I roll. These books reveal to me that screen time - whether computer, television, or cell phone usage - are literally changing our brains, the way they operate, the actual, physical way in which they function. And not for the better. It's much more complicated than I can explain here. But this is my next undertaking. Learning about the effects of 'screen time' and experimenting within the parameters of my own life.

It's going to exciting, I can tell. It already is.

But I'm not going to blog about it. If you want to know what I discover, talk to me. Email. Call. Drop a snail mail. Text. I'm still going to be on-screen. Just not as much. (Or so I say. I really like the social media aspect of the internet. It's the milk-chocolate of screen-time. Ah! A challenge!)

Lesson for Today: Give unprocessed a try! You'll feel better.

And now, as I cross the finish line, energized, happy, content, satisfied with a job well-done, only one word comes to mind....

...FREEDOM!

Day Thirty - Rest

I've made it thirty days. None the worse for the wear. Tomorrow, the final day, I shall put up a short review of our month of unprocessed foods.

Today, however, is Sunday and, as it's been a month of busy Sundays, this one is for me.

A simple Michael Pollan quote will suffice as a post for today. After all a commitment is a commitment.

"At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind." MP

(Sums up the month perfectly.)

YOU have a terrific day!

Day Twenty-Nine: "Two Pork Medallions and a Box of Crackers"

Cassie craved Schnitzel.

Cassie made Schnitzel.

Caroline, Tom, and I prepared the side dishes which included the last of our summer lettuce in a green salad, potatoes, and a wedged Meyers Lemon for squeezing over the salad and/or schnitzel.

The meal took less that thirty minutes...and hit the spot!

Cassie flattened two medallions, cooked them, and each of us had one half a schnitzel. A filling and tasty lunch, to be sure! 

The amazing thing is that it's just pork medallions - smashed thin - coated in cracker crumbs, and fried, three minutes per side. Yet, there is a sense that it is more than merely 'the food of the people.'

Another indication that 'country food' is not only healthy, but cheap, and often quick. A little goes a long way.

A little history can be found on Wikipedia:

"There is a debate as to where schnitzel originated. Some claim Milan, northern Italy, as cotoletta alla milanese, though others say it appeared in Vienna during the 15th or 16th century. One hypothesis is that it could have been brought to Austria during the Battle of Vienna in 1683 by Polish and German troops. According to another hypothesis, it was introduced in 1857 by Field Marshal Radetzky, who spent much of his life in Milan. The term Wiener Schnitzel itself dates to at least 1845.^[2] Variants of this dish are common around the world."


Whatever its origin, Schnitzel is 'fast food' at its healthiest, tastiest best.

(Today marks the end of the 'Twenties' in our Challenge participation. Two more days - 'Thirties' - and we will have crossed the finish line. Amazing. Time flies when you're having fun!)

Day Twenty-Eight: Anticipation

Anticipation. Waiting. Excitement. Curiosity. Joy. Fun.

Turning the mere fueling of bodies into spiritual moments of connection.

Beauty. Sharing. Knowing.

Goblets full of beautiful liquid clinking together after spoken heartfelt expressions.

Delightful foods sparking enthusiasm. Enthusiasm replacing hesitancy, making room for Freedom.

Relaxation.

Thoughtful meals carve space for human beings to remember connection, humanity, in a world where time is money, haste makes waste, and the tortoise and the hare.

Enrichment of the soul-variety rarely happens over sloppy, salty, greasy fast-food eaten in front of the television, or in a car on the way to yet another organized children's activity.

Lesson for Today: Slow down. Learn who and what you are. Reclaim beauty and connection. Let eating be communication with loved ones, learning, loving, lasting.

Day Twenty-Seven: Stew and Biscuits

Chilly temperatures.

Blue sky.

Verdant lawns and colorful leaves.

Wood stove merrily sharing warmth.

Perfect occasion for Stew...

Where I normally season the meat with Worcestershire Sauce, today I used  a dark balsamic vinegar. Mmm.

...and Biscuits.

Enjoying the difference unenriched, light whole wheat flour makes. Hearty!

Unprocessed, baby, still unprocessed.

Day Twenty-Six: Poop and Sawdust

Cassie, Caroline, and I were instructing Ben on some of the gross things that are in food, such as the secretions of beetles which are used to make Junior Mints shiny, sawdust and sand used as fillers, and even animal poop, the use of which I can't recall (I think I blocked it out!), and human hair.

Convincing Ben of the need to be ever diligent about the foods we eat was easy.

The conversation's hilarious laughter came when Cassie - with her usual passionate flair - summed up her feelings about these disgusting additions to our food.

"I'm just sick of eating poop and sawdust!"

See? Still enthusiastic and laughing as we near the finish line.

During the process of harvesting the sticky secretions, beetles are also scooped up and become part of the shellac.

Lesson for Today: Keep your eye on that ingredient list. If you aren't sure what a listing is, think twice before purchasing or ingesting the item.

Day Twenty-Five: Ideal Autumn Day

If I wasn't sure summer was over before, I'm convinced of it now.

My widget says 36 degrees and it's nearly nine in the morning.

Tom covered the fall lettuce in plastic last night.

An evening stroll required a jacket.

There's frost on the car windshield this morning.

I harvested all the mature lettuce yesterday, as well as the green and purple basil.

Today I will crack more walnuts and make more pesto.

And tutor Caroline by the wood stove.

And sip tea.

And revel in the changing colors of neighborhood trees.

Taco salad is on the menu along with crisp local Jonathan apples.

Yes, today is an ideal autumn day.