Springing into action!

Good morning everyone. I have been an absent blogger lately. I wasn't feeling inspired, and didn't feel like I had anything worthwhile to talk about. If you know me, you probably find that hard to believe. Truth is I have been involved in some very good Facebook groups and that has taken up some of my time.

 

 

 

 But I feel I still have so much to share on this continual journey to good health, so I'm going to have a go at it. It's been a long rough winter here in the northeast consisting of snowstorms and dreary days. With the promise of some temperatures in the 50’s this weekend, and the changing of the clocks (oh, how I hate that we do this twice a year), the promise of spring is visible on the horizon. I swear I can smell it in the air too.

I have too much to say in one post, but I’ll start with this. I realize that we all arrive at our own conclusions over time,  as to what we think is the right way to eat, the most healthy way to eat, and the way to eat and live that is least harmful to our environment and our bodies. We are fed a lot of information through all of our media sources. It’s your own choice what to believe and practice in your own life, and I admit it can be overwhelming.

A few years ago, I started a serious journey into getting healthy. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and the things I changed in my own life. Did it lead me to my weight loss goal? Not yet, but I’m getting there.

I credit Jorge Cruise and the original Belly Fat Cure book for changing my thinking on many things. He taught me to severely limit foods with sugar (natural and processed), to count the carb content in the food I eat, and to rid myself of artificial sweeteners.  Through that process I met many of my dear blogger friends, and although our paths have gone in different eating directions, we still cheer each other on and offer support.

Those original Belly Fat Cure principles I still adhere to and whole heartedly belief in. I limit carbs, limit sugars, and haven’t had a diet soda or product with the bad stuff  (aspartame, sucralose, saccharin) in years.

Further research led me to some of Jorge’s’ other plans like the Fast Track where you really limit the carbs, and The 100 plan where you count the “sugar calories” which is really a way of counting carbs. I continued to learn, and along the way I found the wonderful Maria Emmerich, some great blogger food sites (I’ll list them in an upcoming post), Dr. William Davis (Wheat Belly) and Dr. DavidPerlmutter  ( Grain Brain).

With a few exceptions, all the basic premises that these wise people preach are similar. To be healthy you have to abstain from inflammatory foods, too many carbs, too much sugar, and processed foods. You have to be low carb and low sugar to keep your insulin levels down and prevent the wild fluctuations that lead to eating the wrong foods in the wrong quantities. All of these people believe this includes elimination  of wheat except Jorge Cruise.

I confess I bought the Wheat Belly book a year ago. I couldn’t wrap my head around life without wheat. I tried it a few times, but fell off the wagon here and there. January , 2014 I gave it a real solid effort, and I am making it work. It’s not always easy, but it’s always possible.

For me I buy into the whole scientific premise that Dr. Davis presents in his book, which is  wheat is addicting, harmful, causes inflammation throughout the body, and causes a domino effect of health problems like heart disease, diabetes, metabolic disorders, stomach problems etc. that we are seeing in increasing numbers throughout our population .

Dr. David Perlmutter expands on the wheat problem but focuses more on what it does to our brain. Isn’t it true we see and hear of more cases of Alzheimer ’s disease and dementia than ever before? He presents some eye opening information.

So that’s where my new journey begins, as a wheat free individual. I am learning so much and I believe this is the right path for me. I love not having cravings and binges over pasta and bagels anymore. I love the recipes that I am trying and I will share a lot of the good ones in the weeks to come.

It’s amazing how much I have learned and how badly I treated my body back in my twenties and thirties. I wish I knew what I know now, and would have fed my boys better. I allowed too much processed foods, trips to McDonalds, junk and candy. I wouldn’t dream of buying a sugary cereal now, but I allowed it then. Live and learn right?

If you are reading this post, I know you are on a journey of your own. Let’s continue the road together.

Sending love and hugs to you all!!

Thought for the day: I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
― Maya Angelou