DAY 334 - Flaxseed

I take two tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day, one in the morning and one at night, with a glass of water. I've done this for years because I read an article about how it is healthy for a woman to do that; however, it's been so long I can no longer remember the reasoning behind it.  But I do it anyway.  

Typically, I get ground organic flaxseed from a health food store, but I've had a vacuum sealed bag of whole flaxseed on my shelf for a few years.  I never bothered with it until recently because I didn't have a grinder.  I kept thinking I would get the grain grinder that attaches to my Kitchenaid mixer, but it never seemed a priority purchase.  In the meantime, we bought a small hand grinder to use in an emergency.

Well, sometime last month as I was leaving for work, I mentioned to my husband that if he wanted some entertainment he could grind some of the whole flaxseed with that little grinder... just enough to fill the small container I use for ground seed.  Being the kind and caring man that he is, I came home to freshly ground flaxseed.

Last night I used the last of it and needed to grind more, so this morning I pulled out the grinder and started to grind.  And grind.  And grind.  I was rapidly getting a sore arm and only had a teeny tiny pile of the ground seed to show for it!!  At this point my husband told me it had taken him forty minutes to grind the previous batch.  Forty minutes!  Oh my goodness that's true love!  

"Are you kidding me?"  I asked.

"Nope."

"There's gotta be a better way!"

With that, I pulled out our blender, dumped in some seed and hit the button labeled Grind. Woolah.  I had a batch of flaxseed ground to perfection in a few blinks of the eye.  You should have seen the look of disbelief and disgust on his face! 

I grinned.  "Honest... honey, I never even thought of using the blender until now!"

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention... well... I think laziness plays a large part too.

DAY 333 -- Well cared for.

Image from Wikipedia

Today, with my job, I drove a 1992 Mercedes Roadster. When I was handed the keys I wondered if the car would be a piece of junk since it was older and going to auction, but I was wrong.  The car was beautiful, inside and out.  Whoever owned that car took great care of it. And I'm telling ya...what a suhweeeet ride! It was such a joy to drive I found myself wishing for a big pocketful of change to purchase that baby.

I've mentioned how my husband says I'm a Ferrari in need of special fuel...well driving that older Mercedes and feeling the joy of handing a quality well cared for machine, made me reflect on how the human body also defies age when treated with healthy respect.  We are children of God.  We are of great worth, quality.  If we make sure our bodies and minds are well cared for, we can enjoy a much sweeter ride through our life.

DAY 332 -- The taste of homemade.

For lunch on Saturday I grabbed a can of organic soup off our pantry shelf.  Thinking we needed "quick" options for some meals, we stocked up on a few canned organic soups, being careful to select the ones without added sweeteners.  They are "okay" in a pinch, but I realized as I slurped a spoonful on Saturday, they leave a lot to be desired when it comes to flavor. After a few bites, I pushed the bowl away.

My husband questioned, "Saving that for your mulligan?"

"No way.  It's not worthy."

Taking the bowl, he sampled the soup, then with a shudder, he pushed the bowl back towards me.

The taste of homemade called to us after that experience, so for our evening supper I prepared a pot of Lentil-Vegetable Soup.  (See Recipe Page.)

Then for breakfast Sunday morning, Kurt mentioned he was hungry for waffles.  Thinking I didn't have enough time to prepare waffles from scratch (we were getting ready for church), I grabbed the whole wheat Insta-Bake.  (It's supposedly healthy as far as baking mixes go, but looking at the label I am doubting that.)  The waffles seemed heavy with an unsatisfying flavor.  We longed for the taste of homemade...again.

So... this morning I whipped up some waffles using a favorite recipe and we feasted on the yummy light flavor of "Annette's Oatmeal Waffles."  (See Recipe Page.)

(For toppings on our waffles we use a small amount of pure maple syrup, or all fruit jam, or fresh fruit.  Pure, 100% maple syrup doesn't trigger cravings for me, but I use it very sparingly, and very infrequently.)

I know some people who rarely cook from scratch (some rarely eat at home, period) but ever since I started eating healthy foods, I realize my mouth rejoices in the taste of homemade.

DAY 331 -- Acknowledging sadness.

I miss my daddy.  His birthday was this past week (he would have been 99), and tomorrow marks eleven years since he passed away.  I've tried to keep a grip on my feelings, but today I realized I need to acknowledge the sadness I feel inside.  I am sometimes too good at burying my feelings.  So I've allowed myself to cry today.   

I'll be all right.  I just don't feel like blogging right now, especially about healthy eating, since I'm caught in a cycle of overeating.  Between trying to stuff down my feelings, and having Thanksgiving this week, I've turned to food way too much.  

DAY 330 -- A day that got away.

Yesterday (Saturday) was day 330, but the day got away from me.

DAY 329 -- Hold the sugar please!

My husband I went to lunch earlier this month at a locally owned restaurant (not a chain).  When we were finished with our meal, the waitress came to our table and plopped down two desserts, "We're having a special of free carrot cake with your order!"  We explained (kindly) that we did not want the free dessert; please remove it from the table and give it to someone else.  She felt bad and apologized for not asking us first, vowing to remember to ask others in the future.

We didn't mean for her to feel bad.  We could have just left the dessert on our table and not said anything about it, but we knew the dessert would be tossed if we did that.  This way, she was able to take them away, right then, knowing they were untouched by us.

Then last weekend I attended a large event for women (Time Out for Women).  I was with my sister-in-law, two of her daughters, and another niece.  When we entered the convention center on Saturday morning, they were handing out chocolate truffles.  Three of the five of us declined due to 1) diabetes; 2) severe sensitivity to sugar; and 3) sugar addiction.  I wondered what percentage of the 5,000 women in attendance were unable to accept the free chocolate, or perhaps should not have taken it but could not withstand the temptation.

I was thinking... it sure would be nice, in both scenarios, if we were offered the option of free fruit!

DAY 328 -- Grateful for healthy foods.

In honor of Thanksgiving, here's some healthy foods I am grateful for:

Tomatoes
Hazelnuts
Asparagus
Navy beans
Kiwifruit
Spinach
Grapefruit
Italian olive oils
Vinegars
Idaho potatoes
Nectarines
Garlic

DAY 327 -- Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with the love of family and friends.

DAY 326 -- Pie Recipe

I typically schedule my post for later in the day, but today I felt like I should share a recipe for pie, in case anyone wanted to try one made without refined sugar for their Thanksgiving feast. I made this pie last year to take to a family gathering.  It turned out delicious.  

This recipe can also be used without a pie crust, for an Apple Crisp.  I'm also including an alternative topping which I believe contains no gluten.

Apple or Pear Pie

4 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples or pears

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 to 2 1/2 Tbs. tapioca (or 1 to 1 1/4 Tbs. cornstarch) (or 4 Tbs. flour)

2 Tbs. vegetable shortening, vegetable oil, or lard

1/2 to 3/4 cup unsweetened 100% pineapple juice concentrate (or unsweetened apple juice concentrate).  

One 9-inch pie shell of your choice (for the bottom crust) 

Topping for pie (recipe below)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, stir together fruit, cinnamon, tapioca (cornstarch or flour), shortening, and concentrate; allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes.  Pour mixture into pie shell and add topping (recipe below).

3. Bake 1 hour or until topping or crust is golden.

4. Remove pie from oven.  Cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm or cold.  To store, place cooled pie uncovered in refrigerator or place in an airtight container and freeze.

Topping 

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup oat flour

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or other nut of choice

2 Tbs. sesame seeds

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

3 Tbs. vegetable oil  

1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together all ingredients.

2. Spoon topping over any pie or fruit mixture and smooth topping by hand.

Yield: Enough topping for one crisp or one 9-inch pie

Need a topping that is gluten-free?  I've not tried this recipe, but it is in the same cookbook so it might be tasty too.

1 unsalted rice cake, crumbled

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white-rice flour

1/4 cup roasted sunflower or roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Scant 2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon allspice

1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together all ingredients with a fork.

2.  Spoon topping over any pie or fruit mixture and smooth topping by hand.

Bake according to directions.

(Recipes are from The "I Can't Believe This Has No Sugar" Cookbook by Deborah E. Buhr, 1990)

DAY 325 -- Food Co-ops

A fun way to get inexpensive produce is by joining a food co-op.  We did that initially when we began My Healthy Eating Challenge.  We purchased our produce through Bountiful Baskets. For $15 we received a basketful of produce, 50% veggies, 50% fruit.  For organic produce it was $25.

We'd place the order on-line on a Monday (that was the order date for this area) and pick it up at the assigned location on Saturday morning.  It was like Christmas, since we never knew what we would receive.  Sometimes we received produce that we were not used to eating, which was a good way to try new recipes!

We no longer buy our produce through Bountiful Baskets because we decided to go with the organic produce and felt like we got more bang for our buck by shopping sales.   However, for those who live in areas where it is difficult to find good prices for organic produce, you might want to try it... and for those you don't prefer organic, it's a great deal!

They sometimes offer other food items too, such as artisan bread.

Here's the link:  Bountiful Baskets.  (If there is not one in your area, you can check around for other food co-ops.)  

DAY 324 -- Some foods are a pain in the head.

Yesterday a friend suffered from a migraine...again.  She gets them frequently, and I've already preached the sermon, "Get off the caffeine, sugar, and especially artificial sweeteners!"  So I said nothing.


But it reminded me of something I needed to add to "My Story" on this blog.  I posted a list on that page of all the changes I've experienced since I stopped eating refined sugar, but forgot (until today) to include that I rarely get headaches now.  I used to get frequent headaches (several times a week), some of which were severe to the point of vomiting.   


Now, when I do get a rare headache, I can usually link it to something I've eaten.  I no longer eat at Pei Wei restaurant because each time I ate there (three times) I ended up with a headache.  Also, because my body is sensitive to sugar, I don't eat fruit on an empty stomach or I can count on a headache as the result.  I eat fruit with a meal; or for a snack, I include nuts, cheese, or plain yogurt.


Now and then I get a headache from something I've not eaten enough of: protein. Thankfully, I can usually feel that type of headache coming on and avoid the problem by eating some cottage cheese.  If I don't catch it in time, then I take some medication along with a boiled egg.  


I know I'm judging by my own experiences, but I am of the strong opinion that most severe headaches are linked to diet.

DAY 323 -- No post.

I had a great weekend (so far) but I'm running on very little sleep and very few ideas.  So this is it for today's post.  Sorry.

DAY 322 -- Trying a new recipe.

As I planned my meals for the week, I came across a recipe for Crab Meat Clam Chowder.  It was a basic New England style clam chowder that included crab meat, and sure sounded delicious to me!  So I got the necessary ingredients and made the chowder today for lunch.

First of all, it was so easy to make I wondered why I rarely make chowder!

While it simmered, I sent an email to my husband, telling him how he can look forward to a tasty chowder when he gets home.  (I won't be home this evening, thus I prepared it for my lunch, but he will have it for supper.)  However, after I ate a bowlful (alright, alright... I had two bowls full... but they were shallow bowls) I sent him another message telling him the chowder was down right nasty and not to worry about it, I will take care of it so that he won't have to suffer through eating it.

Somehow, he didn't believe me!  *innocent grin*

If you don't believe me either, you might want to try it out.  I posted the recipe on my Recipe Page.  Click Here.

(Note:  I selected a can of minced clams that contained only chopped sea clams, clam juice, salt and wild clams.  I got it from the health/natural food store.  The canned clams at most grocery stores had way too many additives for my preference.  I purchased crab meat from the deli at Sunflower Market.)

DAY 321 -- Still thinking about...

I am still chuckling over a couple of the Dumb Diets I wrote about in an earlier post (click here).

• The Tapeworm Diet, where the dieter purposely ingests a tapeworm.  From the list of "Dumb Diets," this was one I had heard about before... my husband has actually removed tapeworms from people.  I think a better version of this diet would be for people to come sit at our dinner table and listen to his stories of tapeworm removals -- it will kill their appetite.
• The Cotton Ball Diet, where people consume cotton balls before eating a meal.  This diet gives a whole new meaning to the term "cottonmouth!"  And I'm wondering, could we consider the Cotton Ball Dieter to be "self-absorbed?"   

DAY 320 -- Sweet & Spicy

Cold weather often calls for warm drinks, and that's something I've missed since most warm drinks (like cocoa) need sweetened.  (I am not a coffee drinker.) When I first began my sugarholic recovery, I tried different ways to sweeten herbal teas... concentrated 100% fruit juice, all-fruit jam... but nothing tasted good to me.  Maybe it's because I am not a big fan of hot teas in the first place; about the only herbal tea I liked was peppermint, but I preferred it iced.


I have to admit that in my search for an unsweetened warm drink, I developed a taste for warm milk, which is great before bedtime, since it helps me get to sleep.


Then last year, for some reason, an herbal tea caught my eye: Good Earth Caffeine Free Original Sweet & Spicy Herbal Tea.  It contains no sugar, caffeine, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.  I gave it a try, and absolutely love it--hot or iced!!!  It needs no sweetener, since it is naturally sweet and flavorful.   


Ingredients for the caffeine-free Sweet & Spicy: Red Rooibos, Chicory Root, Rosehips, cinnamon, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Papaya, Chamomile, Panax Ginseng Leaves, Anise Seed, Dandelion Root, Ginger Root, Orange Oil, Orange Peel.  (For those who want the caffeine, they also offer a version that contains black tea as well as the aforementioned ingredients.) 


It does have a strong cinnamon taste but reminds me of the cinnamon lollipops I used to make with my kids.  Now when I am in the mood for a warm drink, I finally have something delicious to turn to.

DAY 319 -- Servings of fruit and vegetables.

I find dietary guidelines confusing.  Some guidelines suggest five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  If I eat five servings of fruit, am I done for the day... no need for veggies? And what amount counts as a serving?

Out of curiosity, I looked up the dietary exchange listed for the Mayo Clinic .  Their list shows a serving size for an apple is 1 apple... but then it clarifies that with "small (2 inches across)" and should be  4 ounces.  We have what I would consider small apples, so I weighed them. Each one weighed over 7 ounces.  So if I eat one of our apples, I'm actually getting nearly two servings of fruit.

A serving of banana is 1 "extra small" (4 oz, including the peel).  I weighed our only remaining banana.  (Note to self: get bananas.) It's 5.5 ounces, and it's a lot smaller than the ones we usually purchase.

The list shows 1/2 pear is a serving.  So if I eat the whole pear, I'm getting two servings.

Why am I posting about this?  I don't know.  

Personally, I don't weigh and measure food, or worry about portions.  I guess I had this on my mind because I overheard someone say it is difficult to get 5 servings of fruit and veggies into a day.  But looking at the recommended serving sizes, if I eat one apple, one pear, and one banana, I've already eaten approximately 5 servings of fruit, and haven't even counted any servings of vegetables yet. 

Which brings me back to the question... if I've eaten 5 servings of fruit, do I forgo vegetables for the day?  Of course not.  When I read Food Matters (by Mark Bittman) he said that as long as our diet does not consist of junk food, then we will get the nutrition we need.  I like that.


I try to eat balanced, and include a variety of foods from a variety of food groups.  I wondered why the government feels the need to give guidelines and recommendations to get people caught up in how many servings of what... why not just let people use common sense?  But then I remembered yesterday's post about Dumb Diets and realized that some people are a few senses short of common.

DAY 318 -- "Dumb Diets"

Looking through a Reader's Digest* I came across an article Dumbocracy which included a list of "Dumb Diets."  I had to do a double take and read it several times.  Were people really dumb enough to try these diets?  Wow.  Here's the list, and descriptions, of the "Dumb Diets":

• Sleeping Beauty Diet.  If you aren't awake, you can't eat, right?  Advocates sedate themselves and sleep for days.
• The Tapeworm Diet.  Take one orally, or, according to tapewormdiet.net, "travel to a part of the world where beef tapeworms are endemic" and infect yourself that way.
• The Cotton Ball Diet.  Begin each meal with an appetizer of cotton balls.  The balls will fill you up so that you won't want to eat as much.
• The Baby Food Diet.  Babies weigh next to nothing, so it makes sense to duplicate their diet, right? In this case, replace your meals with pureed peas, fruit, carrots, chicken, whatever.  Just make sure it comes in those little jars.
• Fletcherizing.  Horace "The Great Masticator" Fletcher preached chewing each mouthful exactly 32 times until the food was "purified" and then spitting out what remained.  This way you get the nutrients with fewer calories.

I am dumbfounded.  Do these diets really seem more appealing (to some people) than eating nutritious healthy foods?   AAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!  Stop the insanity!

*June/July 2011, p. 119.

DAY 317 -- Start today.

❝The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years go.

   The second best time is today.❞  ~ James Carville

This can apply to any good or healthy habit we wish we had started long ago. Better to start today than not start at all.  

 

DAY 316 -- "New" dishes.

We took a bunch of stuff to Deseret Industries (thrift store) today and decided to go inside to purchase a couple extra forks for every day use.  (It seems like some of my forks have grown legs and wandered off.)  After sifting through the flatware and finding what I needed, I began to snoop around the store.  I found some nice Pfaltzgraff plates in a simple design (Ocean Breeze) that I liked.  They typically retail for $13.00 a plate, but at the thrift store they were only $1.00 each. We bought four.  We also purchased 4 dinner plates (retail of $7.99) and 4 bowls (retail of $9.99) all for 75 cents each.

When we moved from Tennessee to Utah over four years ago, I got rid of most of our everyday dishes with the plan to buy an inexpensive set when we got settled.  I never did.  We just used some hard plastic dishes my son gave to us (he won them during his Project Graduation).  (I have some real nice dishes which we use for holidays and family meals, but we needed something for everyday use.)

Isn't that the way it works?  Go in the store for two forks and come out with a set of dishes?

Tonight as I loaded our "new to us" dishes into the dishwasher, I realized they are larger than the plates we are used to.  We will need to be careful with that when it comes to meal times, to prevent overfilling our plates and mentally thinking that's the amount we typically eat.

DAY 315 -- 24 Hour Supermarkets

Today I went to a large grocery store to get a few items.  I usually purchase groceries from a smaller market, so when I stepped into the superstore and walked past the aisles upon aisles of packaged foods, I couldn't help but wonder what the energy cost is for housing such selections. Supermarkets are huge.  If we sized down the selections of processed goods, it would save land space, and energy.  I'm not saying we should get rid of all processed foods, just provide minimal selections.  Do we really need an aisle devoted entirely (both sides) to breakfast cereals?  

And while we're at it, how about closing the store at night? Turn out a few lights, save some energy.


Sizing down the store would save some of my personal energy too.  I feel like I walked 40 acres to find three things.

DAY 314 -- Make ahead day.

Perhaps the brisk weather played a part, but this morning I was in the mood to cook up some grains to freeze in individual servings.  I got out the rice cooker and prepared a large batch of organic "Harvest Medley" (rice medley).  After it was done, I prepared brown rice in the cooker, then prepared barley by baking it in the oven.


It felt good to get the freezer re-stocked with rice and barley ready to eat.  Hopefully the make-ahead-bug will catch me again soon.  I still need to restock on healthy muffins.

DAY 313 -- Obesity and the brain.

Last night on Biggest Loser, a doctor from Johns Hopkins (Dr. Linden) shared some information with the contestants.  He's a brain scientist studying how the brain experiences pleasure from food.  It was an interesting segment.  Here are the things Dr. Linden shared:

• A lean person does not crave food as much as an obese person (no surprise there) but the lean person gets a greater pleasure response in the brain when eating.  An obese person ends up eating far more in order to get the same amount of pleasure response in the brain.  Dr. Linden suggests that obese people don't necessarily overeat because of wanting more food, but because they are less satisfied when they eat.
• Stress hormones go right to the brain and cause cravings (especially for comfort foods).  He recommended exercise, meditation, and playful recreation to reduce stress.
• Be mindful when eating.  Sit at the table and give full concentration to the experience of eating.  (Don't eat while distracted, like in front of the TV.)
• We can "rewire" our brains to enjoy healthier foods and healthier eating habits.  It can take weeks... or months.  However, our brains will quickly revert to the old "wiring" when we eat poorly.  So, for instance, if a person decides to live it up on vacation and strays from the healthier diet, the brain quickly re-wires or reverts back to the old habits.

Obesity and the brain.  Mind over platter.

DAY 312 -- Ignore the plate.

I recently watched a movie (You Again) where a male character wore a blindfold while eating his meals, explaining that the method helped him listen to his body's signals to tell him when he was full.  He told his family that when people can see what's on their plate, they don't think they are full until the plate is empty.

There is truth to his method.  A study revealed that subjects who dined while blindfolded ate 22% less food and yet their feelings of fullness were identical to when they consumed a larger meal without the blindfold (Obesity: A Research Journal).


I need to ignore the clock, and ignore the plate.  I am striving to listen to my body's signals, especially when it comes to hunger and fulness. It makes sense that it would be easier if I couldn't see my plate, but I don't think I'm ready to wear a blindfold while eating!

DAY 311 -- Ignore the clock.

This morning as I exercised I glanced often at a digital clock across the room from me.  I was doing an aerobic dance routine that takes about 45 minutes, and each time I glanced at the clock I found myself thinking of how much longer, "I've only been at this 10 minutes, 35 more to go."  I realized it was making me feel tired!  So, I danced over to the clock and covered it up.  I felt instantly better and had a really good workout when I ignored the clock and simply enjoyed the movements.


Sometimes we need to ignore the time.  It's so easy to get caught up in typical "times" such as "It's time to eat lunch," rather than letting our bodies tell us when it's time to eat.  And if we wake up before our alarm goes off, it's easy to think, "It's not time to get up!" and then roll over to sleep some more, rather than listen when our body urging us to rise and shine.


Today is my 55th birthday and I am ignoring that clock too.  I don't feel 55, and I don't want to act 55.  (Not sure how a 55-year old is supposed to act anyway.)


I'm hoping that with healthy eating, and exercising, I can continue ignoring the age clock for a long, long time.

DAY 310 -- Still not ready to be a locavore.

My husband asked if I thought I could become a locavore (someone who eats only foods grown locally).  I posted about that earlier in the year (click here).

Although I can definitely see the benefits of supporting local farms, I cannot (yet) see myself at that point exclusively.  I mentioned in my other post that I would feel limited in the vegetables I could eat in the winter, but there are many fruits I enjoy that are not grown in Utah during any growing season, like oranges, bananas, kiwi, pineapple.  I love variety.

So, I try to support the local farmers as much as possible, but I'm still not ready to become a true locavore.

DAY 309 -- Fall back.

It's that time of year to "fall back" with the clocks, so last night I had an extra hour of sleep. However, even though I was gaining an hour, somehow I lost time and failed to post.  

DAY 308 -- Bread to die for.

I've been turned on to "Dave's Killer Bread" which we buy at Costco.  It's made with organic ingredients.  My favorite (that I've tried so far) is the 21 Whole Grains.  Dave says, "OK, I could've called it 16 Grains and 5 Seeds Bread, but nobody really liked that name, so I called it 21 Whole Grains instead."


Dave Dahl, creator of the wholesome bread, is a transformed ex-con, with an interesting story which I read out of curiosity wondering... "Hmm... ex-con..."killer bread"... what did he serve time for?"  (Whew... it was not for murder.)


When I went on his website, I discovered there is a wide variety of his bread available.  I've only tried two.  I need to find out where I can get some of the others, like his "Rockin' Rye."


Killer Bread.  It's to die for.  Tasty and healthy bread with whole grains and organic ingredients, I like his motto:  "Just say no to bread on drugs!"

DAY 307 -- Feed a cold?

Yesterday by the end of the day my throat was real sore, and today I felt hungrier than ever.  Is this my bodies natural way to deal with germs..."Feed a cold?"  It's hard for me to tell if I am overeating or if my body really needs the extra fuel/protein/nutrients or whatever.

One thing I do know, however, is that I did not get enough sleep last night to help combat this, so I'm going to bed now.

DAY 306 -- Vitamins

I take vitamin and herb supplements, but I've been wondering about them lately.  I've read different reports that state vitamins are unnecessary if a person is eating healthy because the vitamins come from the foods.  I've also read that since the soil is depleted by overproduction of crops, our vegetables and fruits do not have the nutrition they should.

I would love input (comments) on things you've learned or experienced concerning the vitamin debate.

DAY 305 -- Clarification

Just for clarification...

I've mentioned a few times that my husband and I save money on our grocery budget by eating healthy.  However, we spent more than usual the first month we started.  I'm not certain why the first month was more costly but I suspect it was because we cleared our cupboards of so much packaged food and junk, and then needed to restock our pantry with healthy items.

So when you initially start to eat healthy and feel a pinch in the pocketbook, hang in there.