We're in the in-between, and in this life we anticipate always being there to some degree.
A friend of ours described it to me this way. There are three factors at play:
Sometimes you have more time (like when you're a single, college student), but you don't have much money, and you need it be convenient since all you own is a microwave.
At a later stage in life, you have more money (like after you've married and have a salary position), but you have no time (two toddlers!), and convenience is moderately important (since you've become narcoleptic from a lack of sleep the past two years).
Other times (like once your children have left the house, you're retired, or you have older children), you might find yourself with an abundance of all those things.
Either way, your life circumstances will play a role in how healthy you will live right now - and even if you have a lot of all of these resources, you will always be making compromises because this just isn't a perfect world.
If you commit to doing as much as you can, but know that you just can't do it all, you'll be doing well. And even if you are the most passionate, driven, committed health nut out there, don't be surprised if you wake up one day to find yourself eating Sonic, or heating up a frozen pizza, or buying that gallon of ice cream. Life happens.
With that said, know that once you walk out your door, you are giving up anything close to the ideal. The ideal only happens in your own kitchen.
So, Where Do We Eat?
Our priority is to 1) avoid refined carbs and sugars, 2) avoid processed anything (veggies, meats, fruits, etc.), and 3) avoid artificial ingredients. Your own research and conclusions about health may lead you to have different priorities.
We tend to eat at:
Wendy's - I get the chili and a caesar salad
Chick-Fil-A - I get the nuggets (no sauce), a salad, maybe a few fries
Taco Cabana - I get the fajitas or taco salad
Local Restaurants - Local mediterranean, mexican and asian restaurants are great!
Taco Bueno - Another trademark of the South
Chili's - Yummy MSG-flavored foods we know and love
Supplements We Take to Counteract Fake Food:
Cod Liver Oil - Gross but builds a Super Hero immune system.
Coconut Milk - Supplies good fats and is anti-bacterial/viral.
Homemade or Store Bought Fermented Foods - like sauerkraut, pickles (for store-bought, try Bubbie's brand), yogurt (try Brown Cow brand).
Raw Milk - I know, I know, but we haven't died or become ill yet and pasteurization kills every good thing about milk. Become informed.
Apple Cider Vinegar - Puts good bacteria in our stomach which modern foods (like my treasured Chicken Express) destroy.
Despite how frequently we eat out now, we still manage to be pretty healthy, and without (too many) regrets about our choices.
2 comments:
Great to hear about this from someone else. We definitely have fast food we'll compromise with, and others that we would never, ever patronize, even though the differences between those two might not be as cavernous as we'd like to imagine.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop has helped me out a lot in this area. (http://www.kellythekitchenkop.com) Her mantra is, "We can only do what we can do." I like that. Do, indeed, do what you can do. But no one can do everything!
As the Bible, and specifically Levitical law, remind us, we are all rolling around in muck all the time on this earth, and there's not even anything we can do about it sometimes. We will never have perfect health until Jesus returns. But don't despair! He has come, and he is redeeming the world, through us!
Amen, Jessie! I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but muck is right.
I'll check out Kelly the Kitchen Kop - I think you've linked to her before...
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