GSG Quiz

I took the quiz again as to how we ate one year ago. I flunked. Totally flunked..Like F-! flunked. And I thought we ate pretty good then :) The reason I even put that quiz on here is because I think it is a good wake up call as to how we are fueling our bodies. I think our spirits and bodies play off each other, and that's why I think it's important to give my body the best. I don't think of eating healthy food as a death sentence, but more as health insurance. I've been getting a lot of e-mails of "Getting to know You". There is one question on there that says, "What is your biggest fear?" Many people's response is.. losing my husband or family. While there are many accidents that happen, I feel like I can control whether or not I lose my family to disease. So I was hesitant to put my score that I got of how we eat now on here for fear that people may think I was bragging. While I think eating healthy is something to be excited about, I don't think of it as something to brag about. I don't judge others for how they eat, I just am glad that I have the knowledge about what is actually food (fresh veggies and fruits, legumes, grains) and what is just processed crap. So I am just glad that I could go from an F- to an A in just one year because I am being conscious. I think being educated is so very important!

So the way we get a big bang of our fruits and veggies is the green smoothie. We love it. My kids love it (darth Vader juice), my husband loves it, I love it. The con is you need a very strong blender (Blendtec is what I am saving up for - $400-ouch), and it isn't zap it in the microwave and go. The pro is: fiber, antioxidants, real food, more energy, good tasting, easy).

If you feel like you aren't in a place right now to buy a good blender and take on the whole Green Gospel-here are some other things we do to get our veggies and fruits.

1-I have a veggie tray that I use to separate toppings for our daily salads. At each meal I bring that out and the kids can grab a few carrots/celery/cucumbers, tomatoes.. easy

2-You can add spinach to smoothies and not even taste it. Don't underestimate spinach-it's very nutritious. I buy huge bags of it when they go on sale, which is a lot at my local grocery store.

3-Eat a salad every day.. maybe start with iceberg lettuce and move up to darker, leafy greens that are nutritious like Romaine, spinach when you are ready.

4-Some kids will not eat veggies and fruits. Some because we as parents aren't being good examples of that. I'm sure, absolutely sure, that you can find something your kids will eat. It takes more than one time of trying it to make a good judgment. Just keep offering! My kids know that they need to eat their veggies BEFORE the rest of their meal.

5-Remember that you can't eat the whole elephant at one sitting.. just pick one thing that you would like to improve in your family's diet, and stick with it. When you've mastered that, pick another one.

For example: if you and your kids are addicted to pop and have to have one every day, why don't you just make a family goal to have it every other day. Then once a week, then once a month, then never. That might take 6 months to achieve. But don't you think that's better than not even trying? Replace it with a healthier option, like.. are you ready for this? WATER. Guess what? It doesn't matter if you don't like water. You are made of it, it likes you, and you cannot function without it. Guess what else? IT'S free!!