Friday, September 3, 2010

The Kind Diet

Back at the beginning of the year, my friend Kim at Is There a Bathroom on the Ship? made some huge changes to her family's eating habits, one of the books she recommended reading was The Kind Diet (see more about it here) by Alicia Silverstone (yes, the actress). After three months of waiting for it to come in at the library, it finally came in. It was an easy read and  fascinating at the same time. I loved her chatty style. It's almost as if she is sitting across from you over a cup of some sort of healthy drink. (I would say tea, but I don't think that would be acceptable on her diet). There are aspects of this diet that I am seriously considering for our family. None of us are big meat eaters to begin with, so I am thinking of finally making the plunge and going almost fully vegetarian. She would rather see one go vegan, but I am not willing to give up cheese, yogurt, or eggs. We would also still eat fish. Sorry fishies!

Alicia talks about the affects of eating meat on not only our bodies, but on the environment as well. I always knew some of what went on, but chose to ignore it. After reading her book though, I've concluded that ignoring it is no longer an option.

She also talks about the effects of refined foods on our body such as white flour and sugar. We have been battling the getting-the-junk-out of our home for a few years, but every so often I go into a slump and it's all invited back in.

So, come October, we will try this again, but with a little more oomph! For now, my family is going to have to savour the last of the meat that's in the freezer because when it's gone, it's gone! The refined sugar is a little more difficult to get rid of, so we likely won't rid it from our diets entirely, but I'm getting back into the baking mode and am therefore able to control the amount of refined ingredients going into our cakes and cookies. It's not perfect, but it'll be better than where we're at right now. In a few months, I'll write about this again and let you know how and if we manage on this lifestyle switch.

9 comments:

  1. I used to be a vegan for many years and my daughter I kept on that diet as well for a time...I have battled with so many food allergies... I had to come up with my own diet lol!! I do eat meat now though. I stick to a more high protein diet. But that being said I do not eat meat everyday. Good Luck with your new diet...I think it is good to change up your diet every so often you get a better rotation and nutrition this way just like how every so often you should change your exercise...~ Love Heather

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  2. Thanks for your post. I am going to pick up the book and read it. Since January I have been on a mission to get healthier. My last doctor's visit proved that I am on the right track with a substantial weight loss and lower numbers on my blood work! Yippee!
    I really like the way that you have a nice balance in your life. You recognize that there are things that need to be changed but you are not radical about what your are doing all at once.
    have a lovely weekend!
    ~a

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  3. I recently watched King Corn and that was very enlightening about the corn industry. I am not ready to give up meat but I do find myself eating less of it. I hope it goes well.

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  4. I couldn't give up fish, either. I had a grilled piece of salmon for dinner just last night. Yum!

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  5. I <3 meat tooo much, and my hubbs is really a meat and potatoes guy. But I keep on trying to get out refined food, and it keeps sneaking its way back in:O)
    This book sounds good, thanks for sharing mama!!!

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  6. My dad hunts and supplies us with a lot of wild meat... don't want to give that up!

    But the refined and processed food is our biggest battle. *ugh*

    Julie

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  7. Alicia Silverstone is an animal rights activist and a PETA champion. I'm quite sure she is not the person I would take nutritional advice from.

    Meat is an excellent source of protein. Protein is essential for growing children of which you have many. It can also be economical and tastes good.

    There's also the other side of the story. If you are not giving up dairy and eggs, what do you think should be done with the bull calves, spent hens, and older cows? Shall we just euthanize and incinerate them?

    Healthy eating--definitely!! Eliminating meat--not so sure.

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  8. Way to go for wanting to be a good steward of your body! Another great resource that we have enjoyed is "The New Laurel's Kitchen". Your sweet family already exhibits the proverb, "A cheerful heart has a continual feast."

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  9. I feel sorry for the fishies, but I just can't give it up as I enjoy it too much. I'm still using Rapadura mostly (which The Kind Diet would rather I use maple syrup or brown rice syrup). At least it's not refined and it's organic. I just cannot afford brown rice syrup, and I had to make the switch from organic maple syrup to conventional due to price. I'm not happy about that, but every penny matters these days. I just wish I had shed the perimenopausal weight I was hoping to get rid of by going this route. At least a few went bye-bye, but not enough that I feel better in that respect. I keep reminding myself it's a constant work in progress. We've let cheese creep into our diets more than I intended, and I've given into the temptation of milk chocolate a few times (I'm just not a fan of dark chocolate). I find myself craving a Wallaby key lime yogurt every now and then, but have resisted. I've seen an improvement in our sinus issues and think we'd see a lot more if we could totally eliminate dairy. I know that won't happen though as my children would stage a riot if they had to do without homemade pizza. LOL

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I love to hear from my readers!

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