M is for Mindful Eating

Welcome back to my breakdown of my Healthy Living Alphabet

My downfall is food. I love food. Like, big puffy heart food. I could honestly eat all day and there was a time in my life when I did just that. My foods of choice were always chips, ice cream and chocolate. Not exactly the food groups we should be eating a lot of.

About 2 years ago, I started to hear a lot about clean eating, whole foods, organic and so forth. This was all foreign to me. Like many people, I just assumed it would be like eating cardboard and sawdust and ignored it, figuring it was a trendy thing that would be untrendy in a few months.

After Fit Boy was born and I had to adjust my diet to suit his overwhelmingly sensitive stomach, I started to read up on this whole food voodoo I was still hearing about. I even bought a book and tried a couple of recipes. Lo and behold, I was SHOCKED. Not only was this food good…it was delicious! Who knew?!? Like many of you, I was convinced that in order for food to taste good, it needed lots of salt or sugar. I was quickly surprised at how a splash of fresh lemon juice, paprika and garlic could make a skillet full of veggies comes alive.

I was hooked.

I still indulge in some of my treats. I’m only human, but I make a point of trying to eat as many whole foods as I can in my diet and going organic and/or local as much as I can. Not only does this help support my local farmers (and believe me, in the Canadian Prairies where farming can be near impossible some years, they need local support) but it also introduces a healthy way of eating to my son.

My rule of thumb is to perimeter shop at my grocery store: produce first, then meat-though I’ve found a wonderful local farm that does exclusively grass-fed organic meat, then bread, and finally the “natural” aisle. This comprises about 70&-80% of my budget. The remaining foods come from the centre aisles. If I can’t understand the ingredients list, I don’t want it in mine or my families stomachs.

Be mindful of what you’re putting in your carts, and therefore your bodies. Educate yourself on the foods you eat and the ways you cook. Know that whole foods are not only better for you, they can taste fantastic too!

Stephanie

I am a mom to 2 beautiful boys and love everything health and fitness. I am dedicated to improving my own health, setting a good example for healthy living for my family and hopefully inspiring and educating others to do the same in their lives.