A big factor in my decision to make a green resolution has to do with some consuming I've been doing (documentaries and books) of green media. I happened upon a passage in book that talked extensively about the effects that chemicals have on us humans, which in turn, naturally have a profoundly negative effect on the environment as well. Ok, this makes sense and like any good American, I might just be selfish enough to look out for myself when I have never been selfless enough to look out for my planet.
A big part of this drive is that I know we'll be trying to get pregnant in the next year and before that happens, I'd like to clean up my body. I re-joined Weight Watchers last night and vowed to this time closely follow the guidelines for fruits & veggies. In the past I'd always just got with the most satisfying prepared food I could find for the correct amount of "points". My diet leaves a lot to be desired, but I am working on improving quality in terms of both the types of foods I eat, and the way they are produced.
I'm starting my day with a smoothie made of OJ, strawberries, yogurt, pineapple, mango, vanilla whey powder, and psyllium powder. It comes out to about 4 points and does a nice job of filling me up on my commute to work in the morning and keeping me satisfied until lunch around noon. None of my fruits are organic or local. I get everything from Costco except for the whey and psyllium powders and the yogurt, which is organic and from Trader Joe's. This summer I am hoping to start buying strawberries and raspberries from the local farmer's market which may or may not be organic, but will at least be local, pesticide free, and sustainably grown. Mango and pineapple is a little harder since it has to be imported. I may try to buy it at Whole Foods, but that's expensive and not with the local part of my philosophy. I might consider peaches if the price is right. I'm not too familiar with the fruit seasons, so I hope to learn more by going regularly to the farmer's market.
For lunch I've had a turkey sandwich on Ezekiel Bread (from WF), with organic, grain fed, nitrate free turkey "lunch meat", tomato (also from WF, they are not in season yet at the farmer's market), and avocado from the farmer's market last week, along with a little grainy mustard. I decided to leave out the cheese because one lousy piece is 2 Weight Watchers points. I figured with the creamy fatty avocado, I could do without and I was right. This sandwich clocks in at a mild 5 points. I also whipped up a batch of cauliflower soup last weekend from some other famer's market buys, and I've been having a small cup of that with my lunch as well, for 2 points. Between the two, this gets me to about 6pm before I'm starving.
Today I planned to hit the gym, but sat down to write instead. If I had, I'd just be getting back now and would probably not be hungry for another 20 to 30 minutes. The gym is great that way. As it is, I'm starving, waiting for my husband to get home, and have 7 weight watcher's points left for the day (i.e. NOT MUCH). I've long been used to eating like a king at dinner, but alas that time has come to an end.
If I'm going to truly get healthy, it will mean losing around 15-20 extra pounds that I've put on since high school. Weight Watcher's program will help keep me on track by making me accountable and giving me steady visible results. The inside results of eating more fresh fruits and veggies will be harder to judge. However, I know that to have a healthy baby, I have to make my body a hospitable environment, and this is truly important to me. So this part of my green journey is about more than just supporting those who grow and produce sustainable produce, it's about supporting me in my eventually effort to reproduce the healthiest baby possible.
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