Time out from Acadia today....it was foggy and rainy all day...went bike looking, old bookstore browsing and window shopping. Here's what's on our collective minds today. We have to have them collected because there isn't much going on in Sparky's head at the moment! (It's a good thing SHE said that, and not me, laughs E.)
We've been feeling guilty...We've been reading many blogger friends' journeys to eating healthier, and becoming vegans. We know that David and Sherry have gotten through some serious health issues with David with great results because of excellent dietary habits. We know that we have bad eating habits and need to do better! Sparky has a morning Coke each day to get her going, Eldo has his several cups of coffee. Coffee is actually very good for you, Coke is not! Sparky has one entire vegetable bin in the RV motorhome fridge (that's residential size) stocked NOT with veggies, but with all kinds of CHEESES. We eat quite a bit of meat. We don't eat enough fruits or veggies. Eldo's veggie of choice is french fries with lots of salt. (I know Karen and Al, Merikay and Sherry and David are cringing at the moment, says E.) Well, we decided to jump on the bandwagon---for a very short ride. For now. Are we going to become vegans? Nope. Are we going to try and eat better? Yep.
What are we doing? Well, Reader's Digest has a plan called "Change One". You try to change one thing each day about how you eat...Change one bad eating habit for a better one. It's the baby steps theory. Sparky's idea of baby steps is, let's change one bad dietary habit for a better one once a WEEK! So-o-o-o, this week, and from now on, Sparky and Eldo are going to drink more water. We are doing that. Well, that was too easy, and didn't require much effort or motivation so let's try something else.
Change #2. Sparky is not going to eat potato chips any more with sandwiches. She is going to eat VEGGIE chips. Here is Sparky's contribution to the blogging world to eating healthier. (HA! says Sherry and David. Try again, Sparky, we're not buying it) Not even Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips?...Aren't they pretty? The bag alone, caught Sparky's eye, being she's VERY visual. And the word VEGGIE. Veggie chips, they gotta be better than regular potato chips, ya think?
Terra also makes sweet potato chips. About 17 chips gives you 50% of your vitamin A for the day, along with some more calcium and iron, too. Here's the bad news, they are about 4.00 a bag. Ouch! But that means eat less at a meal. Just have a few, right? So, we're trying! Little by little. Baby steps. Well, until yesterday...Eldy is really interested in trying to eat healthier while eating out, too. So he says, "Let's go get veggie Chinese." Eldy NEVER suggests Asian or Chinese, and Sparky LOVES it, so she says, GREAT! Let's go! We know, we know, MSG, sugary sauces, but Sparky is figuring steamed veggies with chicken would be good.
We hit a Chinese buffet in Ellsworth for supper, can't remember the name of it. Just about everything on the buffet was sweet and sour, deep fat fried, or rich buttery sauces like shrimp with lemon egg sauce, there wasn't a simple steamed veggie dish with plain meat anywhere. Lots of sodium in the soy sauce. Fried rice, bad, but good. YUM! Steamed white rice was available. Do ya think either one of us picked plain rice? Nope! Tch! tch! Besides, we know that white rice is not as good as brown rice. BUT, everything was delicious, just not healthy at all. So we just tried to eat less than we normally would at an all-you-can-eat buffet. We should have ordered off the menu, but it was much more expensive than the average Chinese restaurant we've seen in our travels. We'll keep trying to change, we ARE inspired by our blogging friends to do better....Really, we are!
Our motto...eat moderately and exercise. Works for us.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. The whole wheat bread is a great change. How about pretzels? I think they may have lower fat than the veggie chips?
ReplyDeleteDid you ever watch Forks over Knives? It's a great motivational video.
Lol...baby steps is the right way or you might just jump off the wagon faster. I have to admit...we started eating much healthier awhile back. Doing good at it...but there are times that we stray! Feel better when we don't!
ReplyDeleteEvery little bit helps
ReplyDeleteBaby steps is definitely the right way. Unless you can like what you eat, you won't keep doing it. Karen beat me to all the good suggestions. Try pretzels instead of chips with your sandwich. Pretzels have no fat, no cholesterol and 120 calories per 15. Now that's Snyder's sourdough nibblers. Problem here is 200 mg of sodium. But if you don't add salt to your other food then doesn't seem a problem to me.
ReplyDeleteThere really are lots of great green veggies and that's the one change I would really encourage. They are easy in the microwave or just eat them raw. Be careful of your salad dressing if that's the way you eat them. Lots of folks think they are eating really healthy and will slim down eating only salads but then they pour on the fatty dressings. Karen's also right, watch Forks Over Knives and see what you think.
Sadly, American chinese isn't really what the folks in China eat. It's what Americans want to eat. Deep fried, fried fried and fried in butter. LOL
Don't forget that even Vegans allow themselves 'treats'. How do you think I do that ice cream?? I love it even though it doesn't love me. I can tell the difference in how I feel for sure based on what I've eaten. Most people don't eat really well for long enough to discover the difference. Wishing you really good luck!!
I been often wonder who decides what is healthy and what ain't. For me a big ol' T-bone steak with bout a inch of fat on it an' a baked tater drenched in butter is bout as good you can get. I also don't believe smok'n is the only cause of death. Shoot, I knowed people what never smoke their whole life just up and die. Had a close "veggie" guy died not long ago. Who decides???
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't take the nutritional guides on packages of snacks too seriously. I like fish, and I like meat once in a while. I think everyone needs a good balance in their diets, including fats (and including animal fats, although not in large quantities). The food and diet industries are not to be trusted as the "Word" on anything - they just want to sell you their products.
ReplyDeleteIn the long run you can't beat fresh, organic foods and stay away from packaged mixes, helpers, sides, etc. I personally stay away from restaurants, and you couldn't pay me to eat from a buffet. Numerous tests have showed that nearly all buffets have some contamination of the foods with traces of urine - meaning people who handle it go to the bathroom and don't wash their hands! This happens in the best restaurants as well as any others.
Moderation and balance in everything ... :-)
ReplyDeleteSparky and Eldy,
ReplyDeleteJust today one of my sisters was talking about trying to eat healthy and turn a corner regarding food choices .... Well
I start in, "Karen and Al are doing this, Sherry says this and try that, that bar cookie recipe, the tofu crumbles, on and on ..." She said who in the world are these people ??? So I chime in, the healthy folks on the RV blogs who have turned the corner !!!!!!! Now Sparky you and Eldy come along with some thoughts on turning the corner..... All I can say, They sure have us thinking, Forks over Knives here we come.... This movement is SPREADING !!!!!!