A Starting Point, A Turning Point

For at least a decade, I've been on a quest to get in better shape, mostly because I'm getting older and I can see and feel the fat and fatigue creeping in from all sides. I've wanted to feel better, sure, but more than that, wanted to look better. We've tried, with some limited success, to move our family to healthier food choices. We've made little changes here and there, and we are all doing much better than a year or two ago. The girls (ages 6.5 and 3.5) love rice, beans, pasta (I use the high-fiber legume blends), fruit and some vegetables. In general, my husband and I do pretty well, but we eat too much meat and processed food. We're also very busy these days, and we are eating fast food more than I would like (once or twice a week). I love red meat, bacon, pork chops, etc. I don't eat those things all the time, but certainly more than I should. Also, the girls regularly eat processed food snacks - Goldfish, Cheez-Its, high sugar granola bars, etc. They also love pizza, chicken nuggets and french fries.

In the past few weeks, one of my good friends, a healthy, mid-30's mom to three kids (ages 6, 4 and 2) has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. As part of her ongoing fight, she started researching the benefits of a plant-based diet. In recent years, I had looked at the same type of diet - cutting out (at the very least) red meat, processed foods and meats, sugar, "white" carbs. I have never thought until now that I could truly cut out red meat, animal fats, etc. Her battle has finally given me the shove I need to eliminate the "sad choice" foods from our diets. It's not easy, but given what she's facing - it is nothing in comparison. It's no longer about how I look. It's about being alive for our children, and about teaching them how to make the right choices.

This is our journey. I'm going to log many of our meals, favorite recipes, and any tips and progress as we go. Thanks for following along!