Eat Clean

I'm down a pant size.

This makes me happier than you can imagine especially considering the fact that the scale doesn't seem to know that my arse is a size smaller. But who cares what the scale says, right?

I do.

But I'm not going to dwell. I am just going to revel in the fact that I had to clean the DUST from my pants this morning before I wore them. They'd been hanging in my closet that long.

And it's all because we now Eat Clean. Click on the link and give the site a visit.

I know that it uses that filthy four letter word beginning with "d" but don't worry. It's not some calorie-restricting horse pucky nonsense that will mess with your body's survival instincts. It's a lifestyle and a fairly easy one to adopt.

Again, the author did not reinvent the wheel. The principles of this lifestyle are pretty simple.

• Eat lots of organic fruit and vegetables, preferably grown by farmers in your local area
  
• Eat lean protein from pasture raised animals, wild caught fish, beans and legumes.
  
• Eat six small meals a day
  
• Eat a fistful of complex carbohydrates from sources like buckwheat, millet, quinoa, brown rice and whole grain pasta with at least three meals
• Don't eat anything that contains ingredients that you either can't pronounce or can't identify
• High fructose corn syrup, trans fat, artificial sweetners and anything "enriched" is a no-no.
  
• Avoid processed food like the plague
• Cook
• Exercise

I bought both her book and her cookbook. It has made all of the difference in the world and I feel good preparing this stuff for my kids. Neither one of them will eat from the school cafeteria anymore (thank God).

There are a couple of drawbacks, though.

This lifestyle requires lots of planning. There's really no room for a spur of the moment pizza from Dominoes if you forget to defrost the chicken. Generally, I have a pretty good idea about what we are going to have for every one of our meals and prepare accordingly. It's work, for sure, but it's worth it.

It's also challenging to travel and try to adhere to eating clean. More about that in a post tomorrow.

And let me tell you, buying all organic product is a kick in the wallet so I don't tolerate waste especially well. I've been know to chase my children with a half eaten apple demanding that it be finished because it cost us an arm and a leg. But, when I measure the cost against the health benefits, the environmental pluses and the humane treatment of animals, there's no real contest. Eat Clean doesn't say much beyond the recommendation to know thy farmer but after reading other stuff on the subject, I will never again purchase meat from animals that have been grown at concentrated animal feed operations or eggs from battery caged hens. EVER. EVER. EVER.

Did I mention that the body reacts to the increase in fiber, veggies and beans? Oh yes. We have become a flatulent bunch. Wickedly so. Apparently, as the body adjusts, the gas will pass (pun completely intended) but I couldn't wait for that indefinite time in the future and thus, found myself at the health food store using all kinds of euphemisms (windy, bloated, ripping) to try to explain my predicament to the sales girl. I came away with a $30 bottle of digestive enzymes which I am happy to report, seem to be helping.

Regardless of the few inconveniences, eating clean suits me. I can't imagine going back to dieting or processed food or low carb or any of the other excesses that used to be a part of my life.

Now, excuse me while I go hug a tree, in my Birkenstocks, whilst munching on my granola.