I began my healthy eating towards the end of July, right before I went on my week-long vacation. I jumped on board with my friend Katie, of Cookies N' Kale fame, to jump-start my healthy eating lifestyle with a little "accountabilabuddy." This just means that we check in with each other and log our food to make sure each of us is staying on track. So far I've been doing really well at logging and keeping in touch, so I hope that continues once we both start grad school again. We keep each other accountable for the choices we make and we also help each other stick to our goals and share recipes. The collaboration has been really great so far and I've found that I've been able to stick with it a lot better since I'm doing this with someone else. Here's to the buddy system!
(grilled chicken thighs with local mixed greens, tomatoes and an Italian hemp dressing)
The main reason I wanted to jump on the clean/healthy eating bandwagon was because of my health issues. As most of you already know, I have Lupus, among other things, including Lupus nephritis, which has been wreaking havoc on my kidneys for about a year now, (has it really already been a year?!) Needless to say it's been a whirlwind romance with my latest ailment and it definitely hasn't been easy adjusting to my new normal. At this point in my life, I've been struggling and living with my Lupus for about 14 years now, so I'm pretty used to my body and how it works. Unfortunately, this disease comes with a few nasty side effects. Just the medication alone has been difficult to deal with, let alone my kidneys not functioning properly. Unfortunately, I do need medication to combat this thing, otherwise I would totally be into the holistic method, but I'd rather not die sooner than I have to. In order to help myself and keep myself healthy for as long as possible, changing my eating habits will be the first step on a long road to recovery.
The one thing I can control is my eating habits, which have been abysmal for most of my adult life. I'm Irish and Italian, which is a dangerous combination when it comes to consuming food at family gatherings. My entire diet has been based on the potato and pasta as a base, so that needed to change before I could make any significant progress. I totally still miss pasta sometimes, but I've found that I don't crave it as much any more. It's fine in small amounts and in whole grain form, but not every week or every meal. Same with potatoes. We just had baked potatoes the other night for dinner, but before that I couldn't tell you the last time I ate one. It's sad giving up some of my favorite foods, but that just means I have to find ways to eat them that are similar, but healthier. Subbing sweet potatoes or root veggies instead of the standard white potato and whole-grain rice instead of pasta has proven to be just as tasty and effective. This way, I don't have to relinquish my heritage by way of food.
(homemade white pizza with local kale, caramelized local onions and sunflower sprouts)
So far it's been about a month since I started this thing and I think it's going well. There are still some things I need to work on, (like my willpower and weaning off my cheat days/meals), but overall I think I've made some progress. The more I eat clean and healthy, the less I'll want to eat the crappy foods I loved before. Finding snack alternatives has been the trickiest part of this situation, but I've found that snacking on raw veggies and fruit and cheese has been just as satisfying, if not more so, than grabbing a box of Cheezits. I've also been eager and willing to try new and interesting healthy recipes I've found on Pinterest, so you can follow me there to see what recipes I've pinned. I've also started posting pictures of some of my meals on Instagram, so follow me there as well, (links to all my social media are on the right!) I still have a long way to go before this lifestyle is embedded in my system, but it's a good start and I'm up for the challenge. I'm hoping to at least lose some weight by this time next year.
If you're curious and confused about where to start, check out some fitness and foodie blogs and YouTube channels. I like the Muffin Topless blog because she has some great recipes as well as some great fitness tips and plans. I really also like the Anti Beauty Queen on YouTube because she's funny and a real person you can relate to. She usually posts food related stuff, but everything she makes looks really good! Those are just my personal faves, but honestly I get most of my recipe ideas from Pinterest, so if you don't have an account already WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! It's literally the best resource for finding recipes, so I'd give that a shot first! You're actually likely to find a blogger whose recipes you really like through Pinterest as well. If you have a chronic illness or you just want to adapt a healthier lifestyle, I definitely recommend eating clean and local foods and adding more produce to your diet, as a general guideline.
(marinated salmon over local mixed greens)
If you have a chronic illness and have questions about clean eating, let me know in the comments! Also, make sure to follow me on social media to follow me on my clean-eating journey and keep up with my health improvements. If you have an awesome healthy recipe you want me to try, leave that in the comments as well! I might try to post more about my healthy eating, including pictures and a detailed entry of what I ate during the week, but we'll see. If you'd enjoy that, let me know! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
