New and baffled. Teach me, please?

June 16, 2004

Hi! I'm new, and my name's Amy. Short background on me... when I

was a kid a " healthy " (according to mom) breakfast was Frosted

Flakes, juice, Pop Tart/Donut, and at least half a pound of sausage,

bacon or 3 eggs. Lunch (again " healthy " ) was sandwiches, kool aid,

and potato chips, because of course potato chips are made from

potatoes and you have to eat your veggies at lunch! Dinner was a

huge slab of random meat and usually either mac n cheese (Kraft box

style) or mashed potatoes. Some nights, it was Hamburger/Tuna

Helper. Mom was incessantly on some diet or another, but that was

what we got anyway. From as far back as I can remember, I was

told " Don't eat that or you'll end up just like your mother. " (This

from her parents who ate the same stuff as me.)

So, here I am at age 28 with a 7 and 8 year old, sadly propogating

the same horrid eating habits and being a whopping 150 pounds

overweight. When I was in high school I went through a period of

starving myself to lose, followed by a " vegetarian " (read junk-food-

ataerian) phase because bluntly, I was sick of eating meat because

it was my mom's favorite food and practically the only thing she

fixed anymore. When I got married, I gave up both and started

cooking for DH who is a major junk food addict himself, and I'm

seeing the pattern develop in our little ones too.

I've been trying to change what we're doing to a more natural, whole

foods approach, but find myself lost which direction to turn. We've

found a local dairy that produce hormone/antibiotic free milk from

grass fed cows... and they deliver! They also supply free range,

vegetarian fed omega-3 eggs. (First time in my life I've not had

allergic reactions to eggs! I'm excited!) I've been trying to

research on the web, but there's such a staggering amount of

information it's frightening. And I'm positive that I can't swap my

family over to sprouted grain breads, fermented goat's milk and home

ground grains overnight. Slow and steady changes we can do,

overnight lifestyle overhaul... not so much.

So, after all that rambling, I guess I need to check out Nourishing

Traditions from the library, but do any of your pro's have any tips

for getting started in lifestyle overhaul? My weight bothers me,

but more, I'm bothered by the fact I'm on the fast track for weight-

related diseases. I want to create a more healthy home for myself

and for my children. And give them the tools to make better choices

than I when they are out of the nest.

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