1. red meat
2. dairy produce
3. fruit (except bananas), which isn't a problem for Josh ;)
4. wheat/ gluten/ yeast
5. alcohol
6. biscuits, cakes, doughnuts (although I'd say those fall in the category of wheat/gluten)
7. jams or spreads, except honey
8. coffee (including decaf) and tea, except herbal teas
9. sugar, chocolate, or sweets
10. artificially produced flavourings: ketchup, vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, etc.
After Josh saw my first week's meal plan, he decided maybe we should take it one week at a time. (It would have been too much work to plan three weeks' worth of meals all at once only for us to give up half way through, anyway). I posted something about it on Facebook, and some of my friends commented that they had done it and vouched if you could get through the first few days, you really did end up feeling great. So, starting January 1st, we gave it a go. Josh did notice after a few days that he was down to approximately no heartburn or other gastro-intestinal ailments, but the headaches and caffeine withdrawal were no picnic. I'm not a coffee drinker, and so did not experience this, but I did have the headaches and felt very sluggish. I wasn't digging it, and was less motivated to stick with it because, really, this was Josh's idea, and I felt fine on our regular diet, where I was allowed to eat cheese. We undertook week two, but since I wasn't feeling better, (and was actually feeling worse than I normally did even after the "first few days") I caved. I wanted some cheese, dammit! I felt kind of bad, because I'm not really a quitter, and Josh was actually still motivated, despite his extreme McDonald's cravings...
So, we decided to compromise and try to incorporate more of the themes and ideas from the detox into our regular diet. The thing is now, after some research, I feel like we really are fighting an uphill battle. "Don't eat dairy, its full of growth hormones and other toxins from processing." Okay, well, kids need milk - what's the alternative? Soy milk? It's made from genetically modified crops, along with all other soy products (like tofu) and is also processed. Almond milk? Rice milk? Still processed. Calcium and other vitamin supplements? All processed and not 'natural'.
In general, I am pretty anti-vegetarian, at least anti-those-who-don't-eat-meat-because-of-the-'poor-animals'. That is the way nature works, some animals eat vegetation, some animals eat meat. I took Zoology, I would know ;). Humans are omnivores - we eat both - and are designed to acquire nutrients from plants and animals for proper growth and development. If each participant in the food chain didn't consume their part, the whole system would be out of whack and everything would crumble. However, I have recently learned that livestock for consumption by the masses is not being raised in a sustainable fashion, which means the system will eventually collapse, anyway. It's all about the system, people! So, short from moving to the bush and starting a farm to grow our own food and raise our own un-hormoned and sustainable livestock, I don't really see a good solution to all of this. Part of me just wants to say 'screw it' and eat what tastes good, because you'll find something wrong with everything you eat. But, then again, I want to be a responsible citizen, and also, not eat toxic things, let alone feed them to my family. I am so conflicted.
How do you make an informed decision on these sorts of things? *shrugs* I guess, as the old saying goes, 'moderation is key'. I think for now we will be trying to cut down to meat every other day, and red meat (my favourite) to once a week, maximum. :(
Oh well, at least I'll still have my cheese (for now).
I feed my kids Goat milk you can get it at most grocery stores! And for the meat there is other alternatives! We buy directly from a farmer who we know isnt being cruel to the animals and who isnt feeding hormones. There is pros and cons to this tho. You have to have a chest freezer to store it, you will have to find other to split the cow with, its best to have 4 people. And then you also have to have more money to put out in the beginning because you are buying in bulk but since you are buying in bulk the per pound actually ends up way cheaper then the grocery store. And the taste is amazing, if you tried real beef you would never go back to store bought. We pay $2.90 for angus beef which gets us all parts of the cow(steaks, roasts and hamburger)
ReplyDeleteYeah, we actually had a chest freezer full of organic meat (all types) last year, but it cost us nearly $300/ month, which was much more than we would spend on meat at the grocery store. I didn't mind though, because I knew it was healthier and better tasting. But then we needed a new vehicle, and we definitely could not afford car payments AND $300/ month for organic meat. So we couldn't renew it, although we would have loved to. :(
ReplyDeleteI suppose we could look into the cow thing.
You should watch the movie Forks over Knives. http://www.forksoverknives.com/
ReplyDeleteI dunno how it works with DVD release or whatever (it says in theatres March 11, 2011 - they had an advanced screening for the Be The Change movie series at the Gayety in the fall). The film looks at the western world's diet and vegetarianism from a diet perspective, which makes it a lot more objective than the usual films that are all concerned with morality and the environment. I think you'd get a lot out of it because of this. Check out the trailer.
Kevin
Thanks, Kev.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely looks like it's worth watching! :)