In the spirit of being capable of doing anything for a measured amount of time our family embraced a unique idea of our own – an unprocessed food diet. On our journey home yesterday from a camping trip to Colorado my husband plugged in a podcast that captivated both of us - “Eat to Win with Dr. Maffetone” on Trailrunnernation.com.
Who doesn’t want to feel their very best? Athlete or not, getting to the end of every busy day can feel like a race to the finish line. I want to fuel my body and my family’s with healthy foods every day. How did these processed items sneak in the back door of our households anyhow?
They simply need to march their way back out.
We personally live a very active lifestyle with a diet rich in all the right things but there is always room for some housekeeping (it’s certainly not an unprocessed food diet). Unbeknownst to our sleeping children in the backseat, my husband and I had concocted a plan that our family wouldn’t eat any processed foods for the next two weeks. Why not, anything is possible, right?
Seriously, an unprocessed food diet?
When the girls awoke they began to hear about our revolutionized diet and questions starting firing from behind. First, they simply wondered if we had lost our minds.
Are you serious?
Yes.
Are chips processed?
Yes.
Can we eat gum?
No.
What about chocolate?
It’s processed too.
What will I eat when my blood sugar is low?
Honey or maple syrup.
Ugh, are we going to starve?… Um, no.
Join us and Dr. Maffetone
Dubbed as a top 20 influencer in endurance sports, Dr. Maffetone is definitely a wise man to tune into. Check out his podcast and think about joining our family in the process of removing manipulated/non-foods from your house. Try it for a day or two or perhaps a week. It will spur many interesting conversations with your kids and hunger will motivate them to try new and different foods.
Your pantry on an unprocessed food diet – skinny
Fast forward to day #1 – three grocery stores later our house is full of fruits, nuts, rice, beans, etc. – a colorful and beautiful variety of items both new and old fill our cabinets, counter tops and refrigerator. We are all feeling hungry today as we make this shift to cleaner eating.
Day #2 finds us all settling into the routine. I’m realizing the need to cook/ prepare more snacks and think ahead. Eating on the fly is a bit harder without something to grab from the pantry. We made popcorn, kale chips, hummus and bars today for snacking.
The gluten free trap
Don’t be fooled into thinking you are eating well because you are gluten free; this is a food trap of ungodly processed proportions. Many people with type 1 diabetes or those that parent to it like processed foods because it is easier for them to count carbohydrates on the labels rather than looking up the carbohydrate content in fresh, whole foods.
In my eyes, McDonald’s is a place to stop and go to the bathroom on road trips – not a place to eat. Think ahead, pack a cooler, pack your lunches and stop at a grocery store if you are caught without being prepared.