Almost Done!

8 days left.  Wow.

I have been reflecting a lot now that we are sooooo close to the end of our 100 days.  People keep asking me:  "Have you noticed a difference switching to whole food?".  Mainly they are asking about my thyroid and Titus's behavior issues.

To be honest, not really.

But that's OK - there are other things I have noticed.  I have already mentioned several small things, which really are big things to me - sleeping better, my skin issues are better, etc.  Well, I have another one to add to the list...not getting sick.  This year was the FIRST year in all our years of going to camp in Michigan or in Indiana that we didn't come home sick or get sick shortly after.  A little while ago, I had a day where I felt like I was coming down with something, but within 24 hours my body had completely fought it off - normally I would not have won that battle!

Besides physically how things have gone, here are some other things that have come through this, and are some emotions I have been feeling:

Anxiety:  I am worried.  Strange, right?  Well, I tend to be an all-or-nothing girl, so even though I really want to stick with this whole eating and looking at labels, and not eating preservatives, etc...now that I am done, I am worried I am going to slowly compromise.  It is a lot easier to say "I can't have that" instead of "I want that, but I am choosing to not eat it".  Or being lazy and not making something I know that I should. Right now I am in the middle of this challenge, so it has been relatively easy.  Will I be able to say no when my favorite foods are right in front of me and I really "could" have it if I CHOSE to???  When I don't have an excuse to say "no" like I do now???  At first I was thinking a specific amount of "treats" per week.  Until I read this article.  Just yesterday.  And it completely changed my mind, even though I really wrestled with my decision to change my mind...because it is a big deal for me to make it up in the first place! LOL  But seriously, I don't want food to be an issue for me or for my kids.  So we will eat what is offered to us when we are places, and at home I will cook 100% whole food like I have been doing this 100 days.  We will plan one fun thing a week, whether that is going out for pizza, buying ice cream, or making homemade cookies.  This seems doable and less stressful to me, even though I do still have a little anxiety as we near the end of this challenge.

Relief:  I am tired of people calling this a "diet".  I feel like that has such negative connotation with it, and normally it means people who are losing weight and go on all these crazy foods, which is not at all how I have seen these 100 days.  Because most people think of it this way, the word "diet" sounds so temporary - like a "fad".  Instead, this is an entire lifestyle change for me...and I know this sounds lame, but I am ready for people to quit asking how my diet is going.  I just really hate the word "diet"!  Strange, right?

Excitement:  I am very ready to have some of my favorite treats - like my peanut butter M&Ms in my desk drawer right now :)  I wonder...am I going to enjoy them as much, or will they taste different since I have had only whole food for so long?  I have no idea, but the anticipation to eat some of this "junk" is getting stronger the closer I get :)

Awareness Part 1:  Americans like food.  A lot.  All our events revolve around it: family, friends, church...you name it.  If there is a get-together you can bet there is food there, and probably not healthy food. Cookouts, birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, holiday celebrations, etc.  Gluttony (I am guilty) is no longer a sin, but the norm.  Eat what you want when you want.  This whole process and this 100 day journey has made me really reevaluate what I am putting into my mouth and why.

Awareness Part 2:  It is crazy to me how much I have learned about food itself. The amount of foods that you wouldn't think have preservatives or food dyes shock me - even things labeled "organic"!   Honestly, I can't even buy a bottle of water anymore, without looking at the label.  I was shocked and horrified the first time I looked down at a water bottle label - and had to go through 3-4 different brands before I found one I could drink!!!  Also, the amount of hormones that they shoot into cows and chickens effects milk and eggs and meat and cheese and so on.  Yikes!  I am sure you have heard the GMO debate - yes, they are literally biologically engineering our food.  Don't you think God did a good job on his own????  Anyway, off my soap box.  Through this whole process, I am definitely much more aware now, and with that comes a responsibility.  Do I really want to eat or drink that?  Is it worth the short term enjoyment??  How will that food effect me (and my kids!) long term?  Which leads into the next feeling I have been having...

Responsibility:  My life comes full circle.  My mom made sure we had good, homemade food, probably 85% of the time.  In fact, when I went to college and started eating cafeteria food, I ended up in the ER with so much stomach pain I was in tears.  Even when I was out of college and married and on my own, we ate what was cheapest - we were poor!  And cheap food is normally full of preservatives, dyes, and sugar - and that is how Stephen and I have been raising our kids up until now!!!!  I just feel a huge responsibility to pass on the knowledge of healthy eating just as my mom did.  So hopefully some day, when they are adults, they will also choose good food.  Because it is not "just" food - it is what fuels our ENTIRE body as we go through life.  This is a huge deal!  As the caretaker of my two kids, the responsibility falls all to me.   I am responsible for how I raise them and how I "fuel" them.  Wow.  It seemed like a big, overwhelming task before this 100 day challenge...now I feel confident that I CAN do it.  What a great feeling!  Which again, leads to the next one...

Confident:  I am very comfortable making my own food now and trying new recipes.  I enjoy cooking, I love meal planning (something I never even thought about before this!), and I feel good feeding my family healthy meals.  I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I cook!  I don't think about cooking now - I just do it.  I don't stress about going grocery shopping now - I know where everything is and which store to get it at.  When we go on vacation it truly is a vacation - because now I have to freeze meals ahead of time - which means no cooking while we are away!  There are just lots of benefits to this lifestyle change for me and my family.

Broken:  This sounds silly, but I have to let go of my pride, and that is really, really hard and probably something I will have to struggle with for a while.  I have always felt good about myself because I could call myself "low maintenance".  I was proud of that fact!  Whatever you cook, I will eat.  Whatever you want, it's all good - no food allergies, I like almost everything, I can eat anything!  Well now I need to stand up for what I feel even stronger about than when I first started:  what I put into my body is important, whether it helps my thyroid or not.  Yes, we will eat non-whole food in moderation...so yes, invite us over for dinner without stressing!  But know that I am going to be "high maintenance" most of the time and I am going to be saying "no" to a lot of stuff I would have normally not even blinked an eye at.  I am sorry in advance if you are offended :)

Well, that's it for now...this has been an amazing experience, and if nothing else, I hope it inspires you to eat more whole foods like it has me!  And the best part is, you can do it all for free...the meal plans, grocery lists, recipes, EVERYTHING...all the information is at www.100daysofrealfood.com!

Who's next?!?  Let's change the American culture one family at a time!  I would LOVE to hear about your journey!!!