Friday, July 1, 2011

Maker's Diet: The Final Day

Okay, so call me weak, or a quitter, or whatever else you like, but we decided yesterday to stop The Maker's Diet altogether. Sticking to such a restrictive diet is harder than I thought it would be, especially since Jeremy was never fully on board with me. And ultimately I wasn't planning for us to stay on this diet forever so I started wondering if it was really worth it. Perhaps there are other changes we can make that will work better for us.

The four days that it lasted were good in that I learned some things...

1. I can get by on less food than I used to eat.
2. My kids will sometimes eat things that I wouldn't have guessed they would eat- like carrot sticks with guacamole or almond butter- so I need to be more diligent about offering them those healthy options rather than being quick to run to things like graham crackers and Cheerios.
3. I did feel better on the diet, so leaning more toward that will probably be good for me.

And going forward I'm working on a list of things to implement (or at least try) in our diet...

1. Making bread and other things with sourdough starter. I've been working for 2 1/2 weeks on making my own sourdough starter and I think it might be close to being ready!

2. Making kombucha and getting Jeremy and I to drink it regularly. We'll see if the girls will like it.

3. Making water kefir because I know the girls like this one (at least Clara does... Lola hasn't tried it).

4. Learning how to sprout/soak grains and legumes before cooking with them. This makes them more digestible and your body is better able to absorb their nutrients.

5. Seeking out more healthy snack options for all of us.

6. Learning how to ferment vegetables. And ultimately lots of other things too, but I'm trying to start small and not overwhelm myself.

7. Trying really hard not to use the microwave anymore.

8. Getting rid of our plastic food storage containers. This will have to happen slowly as I can purchase glass to replace them.

There's more on my list probably, but I'm trying to be reasonable. Baby steps.

Although we quit the diet, I do think it was good as a mini-detox for us and I think it's something we might consider again in the future.