As you all know I participated in the "30 Day Vegan", a journey to reset my body and give my system a break from the hard to digest things like meat & dairy. Well, we are approaching the last two days of this journey and I am amazed at all the things I have learned. I have gone over 8 weeks without a single bite of meat and only one "slip" on dairy....I poured myself a nice glass of almond milk and realized once I took a few good swigs that indeed I had grabbed the wrong carton and I was drinking Milk....whoops! I started this month long experience in a good place, I was excited and I was longing for the challenge; that is not to say I didn't have my concerns...I do have FIVE children and a Meat & Potato Husband - he thinks he is allergic to anything green!! I have always given my children a lot of credit on their eating habits, they are AWESOME eaters! They love dark leafy greens, pretty much any kind of veggie I give them, there is not a fruit they won't eat and they love trying new grains!! I wasn't afraid of this side of our new eating habits....it would be the things they might notice missing!! Believe me I got quite a bit of flack over that issue even before I changed our nightly dinner offerings, and it wasn't from my children!!! I received the lecture that it wasn't fair that I was pushing my eating choices on my children.....wasn't I already doing that?? Wasn't I the one who was choosing what to prepare and feed them every day and night? I failed to see the difference in whether I chose to feed them Hamburger Helper (yuck, just an example) or fresh, nutritious wholefood. There were nights that I did make a side of chicken or little steaks, some hamburger for them to toss into their rice and when we happened to order out my children were free to choose what they wanted! So I guess that leads me to these things I know: - 1. My children are resilient, understanding, supportive and willing.
- 2. My children will devour "meatball's" and not even notice they are not eating meat at-all but mushrooms and grains! (they were amazed when I told them.....after dinner)
- 3. My children can benefit from all the amazing minerals & nutrients in seaweed just by throwing a piece of dried Kombu into cooking rice!
- 4. As Mothers were are ultimately choosing our children's "Eating Path" everyday just by the things we offer and prepare for them, that is NOT to say that they have no say in any of this...we all know better than that, otherwise it would be the easiest thing to get our kids to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time....
- 5. It is easier to smile and nod when someone is lecturing you about your choices.....then take a deep breath and calmly explain your views on how to feed YOUR family!
- 6. Earth Balance buttery spread will definitely quell your craving for a butter taste, it is very yummy!
- 7. My children pretty much only eat meat at dinner.....and the occasional bacon at breakfast! This some-what surprised me, for some reason I thought we ate meat all day everyday!!!
- 8. My husband isn't quite "THERE" yet!! He understands, but he is not an adventurous eater and these things we are eating....you know veggies, grains & beans.....those are definitely considered adventurous in his eyes!! He is too funny!!
- 9. Age, what you were raised eating, what you were exposed to as a child and your parents reaction to trying new things ALL have a profound affect on how you choose to eat as an adult!
10. The subject of food and eating habits is a lot like religion.....people have very strong convictions regarding their beliefs and at times it can create tension when you do not share the same "belief"!
- and last but not least......
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