Resolution #4: Eat Whole Foods
January 27, 2012
This post is a continuation of the details regarding my 2012 resolutions.
Yep, this is the resolution that falls into the infamous health category. There has been more and more talk lately regarding how many health problems can be resolved or prevented simply through diet changes. There is also a lot of chatter about how detrimental “preservatives” are to our bodies. I certainly try to eat healthy but, let’s be honest, it’s not easy or cheap. Besides, I have a sweet tooth that is out of this world. However, with all that being said, I’m really trying to make an effort to eat more whole foods. Chocolate is a whole food, right? Wait, don’t answer that.
You might be thinking, what does she mean by “whole foods”. Good question. I think I’ve been headed in this direction for a while now but I finally decided to slap a name on it and go with it. For starters, it simply means to purchase real food. Like, fresh produce versus canned or jarred or even frozen produce. It means planning our meals around seasonal items. It also means means making more things from scratch, like pizza dough. It means that I shop the perimeter of the grocery store more than the aisles of the store. It means I’m reading labels and trying to avoid preservatives and other things like high-fructose corn syrup.
So far, this one has been going pretty well. The biggest thing was just getting back into the habit of meal planning again. That has made a huge difference as far as what we eat, not to mention the organizational benefits. My type A gene is turning cartwheels. I feel really good about the meals I’ve been eating. I can’t say that my other housemates have “drank the koolaid” so to speak but I’m hoping they will come around. After all, it has been smelling delicious up in my kitchen recently.
Now, do I eat whole foods at every meal? No. However, this is a resolution that I certainly hope to make a habit and evolve it even more over the years but I think this is a good place to start.
