Motivation

We all lose it at some point and try to get it back. It comes and goes in waves. Sometimes great waves that are lasting and some that are quick to pass us by. I've taken it upon myself to inspire and motivate those around me that are curious, to begin on a path to sustainability and health by beginning to integrate basic organic foods into their daily diets. A good friend had seen the photo's I had posted on my instagram. Photos of my daily meals. I describe exact ingredients and take a photo just before digging in. She sees them and said to me, " They always look so good, but how do you do it every day?" "Simple." I said,  "You just do." Granted, it does take effort to take time out of your busy day to prepare a meal or two, but it's worth the nutritional and financial payoff to provide your body with clean nutritious foods. The benefits are numerous and unlimited, you really can't go wrong replacing that handful of chips with carrots or that bag of Skittles with organic strawberries. You can start out slow if you need to. Take breakfast for example, instead of the venti white chocolate mocha with whip and the pastry, opt for a tall coffee with room for milk and flavor with vanilla soy milk. Instead of the pastry, choose some toasted seed/whole grain bread with organic jam. It's a simple concept, switch the bad for the good. It's right in front of our faces every day but many of us, myself included, its much easier to opt for convenience. To grab a burger and fries and eat them because the prep is already done. But when you make your own food, you know exactly what is going into everything you are putting in your body. Most of us never even think about where that burger comes from. All we are thinking is how good it tastes and how it curbs our hunger. The afterthought is, I can't believe I ate THAT. Well, you did. And your body is paying the ultimate price. Knowing what's in your food is a power you have that no one can take away from you. You control your health and it's all right there in front of you, all you have to do is take advantage. Going back to my friend, she's been slowly reintroducing exercise into her daily life with yoga. After kickboxing caused her hip pain and inflammation, yoga was a safer alternative to begin with. She also wanted to be healthier with the food she eats. She does eat healthy on occasion but like many of us, she opts for that cookie that's sitting there when hunger strikes or that pizza in the cafeteria because the smell is filling up the immediate air that she just walked through. I had explained my eating habits and how I integrated them into my routine. I'm the hard learner unless I go big or go home, so I went big. I went on a rampage to get rid of all the toxic food in my house. When I did need groceries, I made healthier choices, I went for the raw organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and locally grown/sourced items. I read labels and if there were chemicals on there I couldn't pronounce, I left it on the shelf. There are SO many deceiving labels out there and one can get confused. So I stick to reading the ingredients...hey, if I know what it is, it's okay to eat. So this week, I'm having my friend test my diet for herself. I will make her breakfast and lunch for the work week. All she has to do, is eat. Easy right? Of course it is when everything is prepared for you, but what happens when I'm not there to make food for her? Well...she knows how good the meals are and takes the time to make it because she wants good food. (That's the goal here.) On the menu this week, plenty of fruits, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, oranges, apples, lemon, bananas, veggies, avocado, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato, kale and spinach, steel cut oats, organic goats milk yogurt, flax cereal, basil pesto, organic goats milk cheddar cheese, 12 seed whole grain bread and free range chicken. With those ingredients I can make numerous different combinations of lunches and breakfasts. Today was day one, organic kale with locally grown organic grated carrots, blackberries, grape tomatoes and a natural balsamic vinaigrette. Organic strawberries and blueberries, organic goats milk yogurt with organic granola and an organic mandarin orange. She liked it and is still ready for tomorrow. Tuesday is steel cut oats with raw cacao and organic banana, spinach salad with organic raspberries, Irish cheese, baked chicken and lemon zest with a side of strawberries and sweet potato with a mandarin for a late afternoon snack. She said that today's lunch was really good and she had plenty to eat. She commented that the strawberries (organic and locally grown), were AMAZING. (with good reason!)  Calorie wise, it's MUCH less than the burger, fries and soda she could have had and it's putting vitamins and minerals into her system. I'm pleased with how receptive she is to this and will encourage her not to eat exactly the same, but to find foods that she enjoys and take the time to really know what you are eating because the benefits of a mostly plant based diet, outweigh the junk food diet a million fold! I'm glad she's at least giving it a chance and that I can help her on this new path of healthier eating. So a happy Monday all around. Let's see what the rest of the week brings....