The holidays are notorious for people not eating the way they know they should. For us it was even more difficult because we’ve been staying with family for the last 3 and a half weeks, and not able to cook the way we normally would. Our families have been very accommodating, but they can only go so far in changing what they normally eat, or in providing more options for us (we tend to eat very differently from the standard north american diet!).

Tomorrow we fly home, and we are looking forward to getting back into a routine of sorts (though hubby still hasn’t heard about the job he has applied for, which will determine much of our future…). In the last few months we have both found ourselves slacking off more and more when it comes to what we choose to eat. My first trimester of pregnancy this fall was exhausting, and I craved junk and starchy stuff all the time. It was a horrible cycle of eating the junk, which made me feel more fatigued and sick, then being too tired to cook anything nourishing, and so on. Now I am in the middle of my second trimester, and while still a bit tired and growing larger by the day, I am ready and motivated to take back control of my family’s health, insofar as I am able.

Chris and I have talked about it and we are both eager and ready to make the following commitment, beginning this Monday, January 9th:

The Rules:

1. No more than one serving of grains/starchy foods (as defined by the GAPS book) per day.

2. Sugar only once a week (other than honey and maple syrup).

3. One serving of raw vegetables every day.

4. One serving of homemade yogurt every day.

5. No ingredients (packaged food items or otherwise) that I cannot pronounce and/or define (also pertains to ingredients that I know are junk, for example, canola oil).

Things We Will Eat Often:

Meat (grass-fed, pastured, organic, ethically-raised)

Vegetables (2-4 per meal, plus salads)

Healthy fats (butter, animal fats, olive oil, coconut oil)

Homemade bone broth from organic free-range chickens

Nuts (soaked and dehydrated for digestibility)

Eggs (as many as we can eat)

Homemade yogurt (maximum amount of beneficial bacteria, no added junk)

Limited fruit (our dessert)

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Have you made any recent goals for healthier eating? What specific steps and goals do you have? If anyone would like to join us in this challenge, feel free to ask questions and I will clarify as needed.

Happy eating!

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PS. If you haven’t yet “liked” Red & Honey on Facebook, would you mind popping over and doing that? I’d like to make the Red & Honey FB page a place of community and discussion for like-minded friends and readers, and I’d like you to be part of it!