It's summer 2016 and I've been through a lot since this winter. Most notably are major changes to my diet, which are going to impact my gardening and what goes on in this blog for the summer. Here is what is up.
A lot of stress and a few significant health problems forced me to take a serious look at my diet last year. While I have been pretty good about cooking and decent eating since about age 30, I really went off the rails in 2015 and let the Trader's Joe's freezer section take over in my kitchen.
Oh, night after night of glorious indulgence in TJ's dizzying variety of creamy cheesy pastas, the easily defrosted Americanized Asian delights and the cutely packaged cupcakes. As much fun as you all were, we had to part ways.
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| Goodbye friends. |
Because while these seeming wonders of modern-day food production do much to warm the heart and comfort the soul in these continuously troubled economic times, they do not, as many happy Trader Joe's shoppers probably know deep down, provide much in the way of nutrition. My body was really suffering as a result of this out-of-control dietary frat party. Monday morning always rolls around, and the health hangover I eventually found myself with from all the TJ's hoo-ha was killer. My body was in bad shape. I had to commit to change.
In January I began by finding and cooking the most
nutritious fruits and vegetables I could find, cost be damned, which led me to eating all kinds of cool produce, and making
a conscious commitment to organic foods.
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| Produce section at Natural Grocers. My new hangout. |
After a couple of weeks of eating nothing but organics,
I could not believe the bounce back in my health.
My brain was sharper, my body
felt lighter, my muscles got stronger (WITHOUT GRUELING WORKOUTS!) and my whole body began moving
with incredible ease. I had sunny, sustained energy all day long – no crashes after meals and no mood swings. My skin began to glow. Wrinkles disappeared. If I had taken measurements, I think I would have proof that my limbs grew longer and I grew taller. No lie! I was even breathing easier. It was becoming a true joy to inhabit my body.
In short, organics rocked my world. Proper nutrition has been an amazing, consciousness-altering experience, one that I intend to keep building upon.
So, there is not going to be any gardening this summer. The blog is going to take a few new turns.
I want to continue eating the amazing foods I'm currently buying, and learn more about what makes for truly nutritious produce before growing and eating any more of my own food. Because I believe growing food without pesticides probably makes the food better for you, true. But I also think nutrition has to do with SOIL QUALITY. How can it not??!! So, I'm going to explore all of this here at LGG, and hopefully visit some local Colorado farms to interview farmers about their practices.
Hopefully I'll come back at my farming with a whole new level of knowledge about nutrition, and produce some serious, mind-blowing produce.
In addition to nutrition and farming practices, I'm also going to blog more about the foods I eat now, and fun ways I have found to afford them. I might even be able to challenge the notion that organics cost more!
So, stay tuned for the upcoming extra-exciting installments on nutrition, farming and affordable organic living here at LGG! I am so excited! See you this summer...
