Molly Monday

Okay, I skipped a lot of posts I've been meaning to write. If I go to hell, at least my road will be well paved. But on to Molly Monday!

We were supposed to test Molly on quinoa this past week, but I feel iffy about it. I really don't want to upset the apple cart, but similarly I'd like to try new things. I'll let you know if I bite the bullet this week or not.

Anyway, I've had plenty of questions from people regarding diet, and I find I tend to overwhelm people with all the "NO's!" in our world. I understand how that can be because the world is so full of products we are used to buying, and saying no to all of that seems extreme and restrictive beyond reason. So, I decided to give you just a little advice on how to start your adventure.

Let me see, where to begin. How about don't panic. Starting a new way of eating is going to freak you out. Why? Because you have to change your routine, and nothing is harder than changing habits. I know, I stopped sucking my thumb at age 10, and only did so when my dad told me I could start wearing makeup 2 years after I stopped. And the moral of that story is: Motive matters! So, as it was with us, I was dragging my family and myself kicking and screaming into being radical eaters. (Radical, because it's so different, not because we are standing up on a mountain waiting for the food gods to smite those who pull into a Subway.)  Molly would improve and then break out with a series of symptoms that I knew in my bones was food related, but felt ill equipped, either by my ignorance or my budget, to handle. So if you getting a feeling that your kid or kids or husband or yourself need to address some mystery symptoms, and you think food might just be the source. This is how I would start if I were starting all over.

1. A good source of probiotics. This is going to be key, and I personally don't trust shelf-stable probiotics. Also, any supplement you take ought to be a high quality supplement, or it's just not worth the money.

2. Go gluten free, but not by incorporating gluten free breads and cookies and garbage. Gluten intolerance is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's not just a general hypochondria. Going gluten free is a good opportunity to clean out some bad snacking habits you've developed by reaching for a packaged snack rather than an apple. I'm not saying you should never eat anything processed forever and ever amen, I'm saying you have this unique opportunity to change your habit of reaching for something that has many ingredients, most of which are not food to a habit of reaching for something simple and natural. (Here's a good interview with the author of Wheat Belly.)

3. Next you can start buying better quality ingredients. This is a big step if you are more motivated by price than anything else. If you are overwhelmed by going totally organic, try going organic for just the dirty dozen. Try incorporating one meal a week with pastured beef or chicken.

4.  Get yourself an attitude adjustment! This is an experiment, which means you don't know what the outcome will be. Be curious and adventurous rather than anxious and doubtful. Why doubt what you don't know yet?

5. Don't judge other people's eating habits. This is more for your friends and family than you. I know a lot of people change the way they eat and then spout off about processed foods like it's a character flaw to eat Ritz crackers. In fact, most of the push back you will get is from people being defensive. Many times someone makes a change or takes up something new they get excited and become a zealot, which more often than not, turns others off. If your friends and family hear you repeat that you are doing this as an experiment, or that you are excited about some results, they'll show interest as long as you don't start on the "You should..." statements. You go there and they'll stop asking.

Okay, I think that's a good first set of steps, hope it goes well for you all!