Eight Months Of Changing My Diet

 I am still learning.  Evolving.  Especially in my eating habits.  This week I read about how bad soy sauce is for you -- not just the sodium.  Look it up if you are interested -- I am not going to preach about it here.  

But I did throw out FIVE bottles of  soy sauce or sauce that had soy in it.  It made me wonder what changes were next because I had already made SO MANY this year. More about that later. 

The changes that I have made:  I had blood work done in February that showed that I had high cholesterol.  I could either make some changes or take medication.  These are the permanent changes that I have made in my eating -- from now to forever, amen. (Like 2020 was not going to be hard enough without giving up junk food.)

1.  DEEP FRIED STUFF. No more, ever.  I have never been a huge french fry fanatic, so that isn't what hurt.  But it was giving up Chic-Fila sandwiches.  So sad.  Yeah, I can still have their grilled chicken sandwich, but it really isn't the same.  And no more onion rings or sweet potato fries. Fried cheese curds. Doughnuts.  Kiss it all goodbye.  Gone.  

2.  DESSERT MIXES.  No more desserts made from boxes.  I make a dessert once a week, and I have decided that I don't really know what is in those boxes -- so I will make it from scratch. Also no cornbread mix. Same with eating out -- we love a certain bakery type of restaurant -- and if the restaurant makes a great dessert from scratch then we will split one.  So it goes without saying -- "store bought" cookies and desserts are out.  Adios to Oreos and Little Debbie cakes.

3.  BREAD.  Don't worry, I am not giving up bread.  Just no more white bread.  Ideally I would make wheat bread myself.  Next choice is what comes from our favorite bakery restaurant.  It is $6 but we put it in the freezer and use it sparingly.  Third choice is wheat bread from a local amish bakery, only $3 a loaf -- I load up on that when we can get it.  Fourth choice is bread from a health food store that is locally made -- and it is $7 a loaf.  Last choice is a good quality loaf from the local grocery store -- probably about $5 but still loaded with a bunch of ingredients I am not familiar with.

4.  PASTA.  Not giving that up either.  But using a 50% rule.  Using at least 50% whole wheat pasta or 50% vegie noodles along with regular pasta.

5.  HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.  Out.  And it is in so many things.  Jams, breads, ketchup, ice cream.  You really have to read the label because it sneaks into so much.

6.  PROCESSED MEATS.  Out.  Hot dogs (which I LOVE), sausage, pepperoni, bologna.  All gone.

7.  PIZZA.  The main change here kind of goes back to #3.  I won't eat the pizza if the restaurant does not make the crust from scratch.  Papa Murphy's does.

8.  POTATO CHIPS.  I don't even need to go into all of the reasons.  I can't even pretend that they have anything beneficial.  I don't think I have eaten even one since February.

9.  ICE CREAM.  It deserves it's own category.  Our grocery store sells a brand that has five ingredients listed on the front: milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, vanilla bean.  Yes, I will eat that.  We live near a college that makes ice cream from their own herd of dairy cows -- yep, I will eat that.  But the regular tub of ice cream with unpronounceable ingredients -- nope.

10.  DRINKS.  I am only drinking water (we have great well water), tea (unsweetened) and milk.  I just had gum surgery this year so I am trying to avoid anything with acid.  

I have also ADDED a few things to my diet -- more fish, vegies.  But I think what I have subtracted is the most important. It will be interesting to look back on this list in a few years.  Will I be avoiding more types of food?  Maybe less sugar?