Our Real Food Journey

Today was another step along the way in our journey to eat better food. We visited Sand Creek Farm near Cameron, TX. We left with 2 gallons of raw milk compliments of their jersey cows, several cuts of meat compliments of their 100% grass fed cows, fresh homemade yogurt, fresh gouda cheese, and we almost left with a dozen fresh eggs. There is nothing I like more than fresh eggs. Unfortunately, I dropped them all over myself on our way out....quite the mess. We had been going to a farm near Abbott for our milk, eggs, and meat but decided to try this place since it offered more.

I have to say that we owe most of this journey to the influence of what I like to affectionately call 'our hippie friends' Bailey and Christine (Since you read my blog, I guess that one's out of the bag. Trust me, I mean it as a term of endearment). Bailey works for The Movement Dallas and he and Christine offer a wealth of wisdom about eating healthy and organically.

We've been listening to them for some time now, some of it going in one ear and out the other, putting some of it to practice but then abandoning it and so on. But for me, everything changed in early October. Brad and I were driving back to Waco from a trip and we were talking to Bailey on the phone. I told him that I felt awful all of the time. I always felt that icky feeling when you're too full, I felt exhausted everyday right around 4pm, I didn't even enjoy eating anymore. He told me yet again what I should start eating. And this time, I actually took his advice.

I'd be lying if I said I took it 100%. And yet, over the past 2 months, I can tell I've really turned a corner. And amazingly, I feel SO much better. My energy is steady all day long and I just feel good. I'm even sleeping better - which is so wonderful.

The thing is, eating organically takes a lot of effort, not to mention a shift in your economic priorities. In Waco, we don't have access to a lot. Not only that, but it takes time to re-shift and learn better alternatives for snacks and meals and re-train yourself away from junk. So, it's a slow journey. I have a long ways to go (case in point, I ate a bunch of marshmallows straight out of the bag last night - pretty sure a marshmallow is as processed as it gets), but once you really start eating better, you literally feel in your bones why its so important.

Some of the things I've come to love over the past couple of months:

• Enfusia. We started drinking it in Feb and I can't go without it. It's the best tea and chock full of antioxidants. I only drink Enfusia and water. Cutting out diet cokes was the best thing ever.

• Eating fresh eggs and drinking raw milk - even the difference between fresh eggs from the farm and organic eggs from the store is quite significant.

• Snacks like sliced frozen bananas, raw almond butter, and coconut milk with a dash of cinnamon.

• Roasted vegetables. I can stop making them. My current favorite combo is brussel sprouts, red onions, and sweet potatoes tossed in olive oil and sea salt. Once roasted, toss with a little white wine vinegar.

• Garden of Life vitamins. They offer raw vitamins and Brad immediately felt so much better once he started these.

Hopefully I'll look back on this post in a couple of months and realize how much further I've come. But for now, I'm happy with my progress and grateful to have started this journey. If you want to learn more about this subject, we recently watched Food Inc and I loved it. I've become a documentary lover, and I know they all contain some sort of bias, but this one was so well done. It summarizes the shortcomings and dangers of our food industry in such an articulate way. Also, I really liked Nina Planck's book 'Real Food'. It's very straightforward and easy to read. Here's to more happy eating!