My new diet

I would LOVE to lose weight. But that's not why I'm on a diet. I want to eat healthier. It's not that I eat poorly, I just don't get enough fruits and veggies.

My mother found this book by Dr Fuhrman. She said it sounded interesting and wanted me to do it with her. I thought, why not?

It's almost a vegetarian diet. You're supposed to stay away from animal bi products as much as possible. You are allowed 2 servings of meat a week, chicken, turkey, and fish. I haven't seen beef or pork yet, I don't think it's "allowed". No dairy, soy cheese is ok, nut milks. Fat should come from nuts.

I love it! It's been so much fun. One of the books is basically daily meal plans and recipes. It has 4 phases. The first week was amazing. The recipes were delicious! I couldn't believe how good the food was. Every day I would look at the menu and think, ugh, this doesn't sound good, but make it anyway. Each time I was surprised. But we seem to have hit a slump. The past few days, the recipes have been only ok. I'm hoping to get some yummy ones again.

The diet has taken a toll on my body. I'm not used to eating so much vegetables. I've had some bad stomach cramps, bloating, and GAS. Oh my goodness, the gas! haha! It's terrible. Gas is common, the Dr recommends cutting down on the veggies and slowly ease into the diet. So yea, my body is still adjusting. I feel great otherwise.

I start the day with a smoothie, lunch is raw vegetables and a wrap or sandwich, big salad, or soup of some sort. Before dinner every night, I eat a large salad with homemade gourmet dressings and whatever is on his list for that night. He even has desserts which I have yet to make, I'm never hungry enough. I feel full and satisfied that I don't need it.

I'm learning about lots of things I never knew I liked, no LOVED. ... like dates, mmm coconut rolled dates. Roasted eggplant! I've always loved eggplant, but simply tossing it in the oven with a tiny amount of olive oil is heaven!

The only negative thing I can say about this diet is that it involves a lot of work...cutting lots of vegetables takes time. But the dressings, nut butter spreads, and meals, make plenty for leftovers. So all the work from one day pays off for the next and sometimes more.

I'm not perfect, I still have a jar of chocolate covered edamame to snack on should I need a quick fix, but hey, it's better than other things I could be snacking on. Edamame is good for you and so is dark chocolate!

I highly recommend the books, very interesting...