For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in eating healthy.
At one time, that meant low-fat, and vegetarian. I thought even if you ate ice cream,
as long as it was low-fat, it was healthy. Same for soy-based products,
if I wasn't eating 'real' meat, just soy sausage, soy hotdogs, soy bologna, etc.,
I was eating healthy.
But all of that changed about a year ago, when I decided that I really wanted to learn
about the idea of not just eating low-fat, but healthy, like really, really healthy.
So began a quest to read all I could get my hands on about truly eating for good health
{inside and out}.
I am still learning so much, I doubt I'll ever really know it all, but what I have learned has been amazing, and with just a few tweaks to my already 'healthy' diet,
I have seen, and am feeling a huge difference in my skin and overall health.
First off, buy organic, if at all possible, it really isn't that much more
expensive, and it is hugely important. Secondly, especially, if you can't find organic,
wash your fruits and vegetables.
I use a plant-based, non-toxic, biodegradable wash that comes in a sprayer
{available at health food stores}. I spray everything in a colander, then rinse till the water runs clear.
If you have little ones, it's a great lesson to teach them.
They'll love washing the fruit. I wash all my produce, everything but berries and lettuce{s}, and then put in the fridge,
so they're clean when I'm ready to use them
and so no one else eats them thinking they're already clean.
My son still doesn't get why it's necessary to wash an apple before you eat it.
But I do, so I'd prefer he eats it clean. He won't wash it, so I do.
Speaking of cleaning all those goodies, I
also try to plan ahead for the week.
I eat a ton of vegetables and fruits,
so I make a list every Friday or Saturday, buy most of the produce
on Sunday or Monday,
clean it and store it so it's ready to make lots of juices and smoothies.
That way I always have what I need to throw together my daily green drink,
as well as all the other plant-based meals and snacks I make.
It's a fun practice to get into, and once you do, I promise you'll be hooked.
When the sweet tooth hits me hard, like yesterday after a delicious,
super spicy Indian lunch with my daughter, I make a pitaya bowl or an
acai bowl, like the one above.
I buy the Pitaya Plus Smoothie Packs or the Sambazon Acai packs,
keep them in the freezer,
and just add a banana, some frozen fruit,
a bit of coconut water or filtered water,
and top with organic granola to make these beautiful and nutritious bowls.
I also love to make fresh pesto every week.
It's so easy, and my daughter eats it
with everything. You can use pine nuts or walnuts, even almonds.
Buy your nuts raw, not roasted, and never salted. Roasting removes the nutrients and nuts are so awesome for you, I just love to taste the real raw thing.
Don't worry about good fats, like nuts, coconut, olive, nut and coconut oils, or avocados. I eat them every day and I've actually lost weight. As long as you're eating 'healthy', and you have the good fats in moderation, good fats are not bad. Fake fats are, though.
All of these ingredients I can find at our local health food grocery store, some times
the regular grocery store has a great health food aisle and organic produce, sometimes not,
I guess it just depends on the store. Having said that, I always look for non-GMO and purchase those items much as possible, especially tofu or soy-based products. Soy and corn are the most genetically modified foods, so it's super important to try to find the clean products.
I truly believe that
you are what you eat,
so I educate myself and eat the best I can, as often as I can.
Here are some of my current favorite online resources:
{Editor's Note: beware, all of these blogs have so much excellent information, beautiful recipes, and intriquing links galore, so only check them out if you are hungry, like I always am, to learn about healthy eating, and to eat, of course}.
