Welcome to installment 2 of my Let’s-Eat-Better-Plan. Installment 1 was the first step, admitting the problem.  With step 2 I want to start work on the solution.  I’ve been thinking about how I want to eat and how I want to feed my family, and I feel a general philosophy beginning to form.  I’ve read a few books on vegetarian and vegan lifestyles and about the respective nutrition of both.  I’ve read many books about general nutrition, animal welfare, farming, and the well-being of this planet we all share.  My reading has left me to conclude that in a perfect world I would be vegan.  Alas, this is not a perfect world and it’s not a choice I’m willing to make.

Vegetarianism would be a much easier switch to make and maintain, but if I’m honest with myself, it’s not a change that I’m willing to make either, at least not at this point.  For me the main focus of this new eating philosophy will be limiting dairy and eggs, and severely limiting meat.  My secondary focus will be to rid our house of over-processed food, reduce the amount of refined grain and sugar that we consume, and increase the variety of whole grains, veggies, fruit and beans.  No one food or food group will be off limits, but I want most of what enters our house to be whole food with its nutrients intact.

Finally, I don’t want anyone of us becoming so consumed with eating “right” that we lose sight of the big picture.  We can still have cake, candy, cheeseburgers, pizza and stuff like that now and then.  It’s more about reforming the everyday than limiting the once in a while.  Judging by the lot of us, I don’t foresee this being a problem, but sometimes funny things happen.

That’s the gist of what I’m thinking, now it’s time to put the plan into action.  Stay tuned for the next installment…