Giving Up Processed Foods

[Aggie_Ama]

Thanks for the well wishes on my Grandma, unfortunately she will likely be in a nursing home now for the rest of her days. She is turning 94 on the 19th and has been at home until now, living with her oldest daughter. Unfortunately her hips are so arthritic that managing the pain is very hard and she will probably not be able to walk any longer. She also has swallowing issues and has to supplement with a feeding tube. But she is still smart and full of dry humor. Love her.

Great news is after my epic race Saturday I did not follow with a migraine. Still eating HFCS but I have been making soups for lunch instead of tv dinners. It is nice to not have had a headache!

[OakLeaf]

I just joined a CSA for the first time. The farm is still figuring things out themselves, and this is the first time they've offered a program that fits with our schedule.

Holy @#$%, three dollars a day buys a LOT of beautiful local organic vegetables for two people. And since they're already paid for, there's nothing to do but eat them all up!

[Crankin]

That's why we've never joined one. It's always too much food. Even the ones that say it's a share for 2 people. We have tons of local farms around here, so I just make it a point to buy all fruits and veggies there from June-October.

[OakLeaf]

I figure we'll share with the neighbors if we're going to be out of town, or really get too much, but for right now anyway I'm really liking the kick in the butt to make vegetables the star of the main dish, rather than beans or grains.

[withm]

I was in a CSA last summer - I split the share with 3 other single women and it worked out pretty well since none of us really wanted to have whole canteloupes or watermelons and we could easily cut those up. Dividing up 3 peaches or tomatoes was a little more annoying but it still worked out really well. Ours worked out to $7/wk/person.

Sadly, the farm says they won't do it for our area next year unless they have 20 participants, that is full shares. They would deliver the produce to their satellite store about 50 miles from the farm. Honestly, if they are shipping produce to the store anyway... why not include the CSA shares? I doubt that I'll get to participate this summer, and so far my research has not identified any other CSAs closer than 40-50 miles from my house and/or work.

[Becky]

We're very lucky to have a "local food" store near us that sells produce, meat, dairy, and even some local baked goods. It's a great alternative for us because we don't have to buy tons of food, but we still get to support the same local farms who offer CSAs.

[OakLeaf]

Our farmers' market is good (such a change from just a few years ago!), and I prefer to get meat, seafood and dairy ad hoc rather than going for the "omnivore" CSA they put together as a co-op with other local producers and fishers. But in the spirit of the thread, I'm finding that prepaying for vegetables is one way to jump-start a conversion to eating more of them. At least for someone like me who just can't stand waste.

[Crankin]

I do as Becky does, between buying directly from the farm stands, farmer's markets, and the 2 gourmet farm markets that buy from local farmers, I feel OK. I have an acquaintance that bought from a farmer who did a meat CSA. It's kind of close to here, but I would need to buy an extra freezer to do that.
I find it hard to eat lots of veggies. On the eating plan I am doing now, I am eating a lot more of them, but I still have lots of left overs. I feel better, but I am still convincing myself that I like vegetables.

[tealtreak]

I do as Becky does, between buying directly from the farm stands, farmer's markets, and the 2 gourmet farm markets that buy from local farmers, I feel OK. I have an acquaintance that bought from a farmer who did a meat CSA. It's kind of close to here, but I would need to buy an extra freezer to do that.
I find it hard to eat lots of veggies. On the eating plan I am doing now, I am eating a lot more of them, but I still have lots of left overs. I feel better, but I am still convincing myself that I like vegetables.

Have you tried roasted ? (high heat- tiny bit of olive oil), many vegetables are WAY better oven roasted......

[Aggie_Ama]

Nearly two months in, still no migraine! I gave up all artificial low-calorie sweeteners, haven't touched one since 12/31. I am very low on HFCS and down to caffeine only once every other day or so. I usually I try to have a real sugar Coke if I want one. I just have to kill my sweet tooth which is hard since my cubicle neighbor always has chocolate and candy!

But the chronic bad headaches are gone and that is a blessing. I only have been suffering with allergy headaches but those are far less severe than what I was getting. After I give up HFCS for good I am going to focus on a more natural diet but with spring race season in full force it is hard to do too much at once. Still eating Lean Cuisine and the like for lunch but removing the diet sodas has made a world of difference. I would like to invest in a small deep freezer to make food ahead of time, on the wish list it goes.

[shootingstar]

Yay, Amanda! I'm sure you'll find a way with race season. Just don't overthink it and stick to your plan.

[Crankin]

Amanda, why don't you just make yourself a good old fashioned turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread for lunch? Or any other non-processed meat? Make it the night before, stick a piece of fruit in the bag, and you're done. Or make a big salad full of veggies/beans on the weekend and use it for lunches, adding in other stuff?
I notice you drink soda for caffeine. Have you ever tried tea or coffee? One cup a day wouldn't hurt you, for sure. Even a teeny amount of real sugar in it would be better than the fake stuff.
My close friend and riding buddy drinks tons of diet soda and is crazy about using fake sugar; won't touch the real stuff. The rest of her diet is pretty good. I want to tell her to quit the diet soda, but I am afraid she will not take it well.

[Eden]

I feel like I must be lucky that I think most non-sugar sweeteners taste really, really nasty (that includes artificial ones like aspertame and "natural" ones like stevia and agave - yuck), so I've never developed any habit of using them.... I'm not really much of a soda person, but when I do feel like one I prefer real sugar over anything else - it really does taste better IMHO. I get my caffeine fix with tea and would rather have it unsweetened 99% of the time, though a little honey in chai brings out the spices.