It’s here……Fri-YAY!
Holy Moly, the week flew by! I had such a fun week with my third graders! Of course it ended with a bang—stomach bug for me (started with strep for Mr. Pennington). Teacher germs. Gross. I do have to say, though—while I’ve had some sick days for myself due to endo symptoms, I FINALLY think I’ve built up some immunity. It only took 6 years.
I think a big part of staying healthy this year, though, came from this amazing, healthy lifestyle change that Mr. Pennington brought into our home. I’ve told you all about his dorky documentary habits and his weight loss due to his diet. And I’ve had a LOT of people ask me exactly what this “diet” is that we are on. Mostly people who haven’t seen him in awhile lay eyes on him and are in total shock and think we are hiding some fantastic secret.
We really aren’t! But I will be happy to share what we are doing to maintain this lifestyle change that even our kiddos are benefiting from. HE should really be typing this, but admittedly, he doesn’t even know where to find a comma on the keyboard, much less how to make use of the punctuation mark, and he knows his teacher wife will have a fit if he has too many errors. So, you get me. Lucky you!
I really can’t go as in depth as he could. So here are the basics…
1. Avoid buying food in boxes, steamable bags, and cans. They’re typically full of preservatives, artificial colors, flavors and SUGAR. We strive to only eat 50 grams of sugar a day. (If I’m being honest, I happily go over that if it’s natural sugar from fruits)
2. Avoid dairy that isn’t NonGMO and organic. Non GMO is the key here (for anything, really…not just dairy). I haven’t had a glass of milk in probably 20 years. BUT, I love my coffee creamer. I’ve recently switched to lattes with almond milk and my belly is much happier. My kids, however, still can drink that vile dairy product so we buy them strictly Non GMO organic milk and they have happier bellies too. (My oldest son has colitis so a happy belly for him is a big deal)
3. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients….put it back on the shelf. Period.
4. Limit your red meat intake. My hubby was a steak and potatoes kind of guy. His blood pressure was super high and his cholesterol was looking a little rough. We cut out red meat altogether and it made a huge difference. We use ground turkey, chicken and all natural pork sausage here and there.
5. Chill out on the pastas, breads, and other starchy carbs. If you have to eat them, do so in moderation and buy Non GMO multi-grain or whole grain foods. I’m a SUCKER for starch. This one has been hardest for me, but by not eliminating it altogether like some fad diets suggest, it’s much easier on me.
6. Don’t be a dip. Or eat a ton of it. Ketchup, barbeque sauce, mayo…all these things are pretty unhealthy and full of sugar. We use avocado in place of mayo in our tuna or chicken salad, and use salsa in place of ketchup. And mustard is actually decently healthy. Thank the Lord, because Mr. P wouldn’t be alive without it.
These are just the main things we are doing. Do we slip up and eat junk? Heck yes. Last week I ate more Cinnabon “bon bites” than I care to admit. I paid for it big time, but my taste buds were happy. Allow yourself a cheat here and there. Just be reasonable about it. Two cheats a week is the way we started. Not cheat DAYS or even really cheat meals, but just 2 cheat items (hello latte!). And let’s face it….it’s almost Easter. I’ll be devouring a cream filled egg very soon. Fo sho.
At first it’s tricky, trust me. But the more you do it, the better you feel, and the easier things get. Even our kids tend to choose our healthier choices at the store over all the junk that’s marketed straight to them.
If you have any questions, I’m here to help! I’m sure I’ll need to ask him the answer, but…I’m here. Just ask! J
XoXo
Jessica
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