Food....as we know it.

A couple weeks ago my husband went in for a routine yearly physical. He had bloodwork done, a chest x-ray, etc. The normal stuff as you get a bit older. Last week he got his results back. Everything looked great except for his cholesterol. It was a bit high. Well not sure "a bit" is the right wording. High but not high enough to freak out and start the roto-rooter meds. The doc said that he could bring it down with diet.

Now this is a guy. A man. A man who likes his meat. A man who likes his midnight chocolate snacking. A man who, well, doesn't like to be told he needs to eat rabbit food and granola. He was a bit upset about this at first, but we both started diving into research on the internet, talking to friends, etc., trying to figure out what he can eat, what he can't eat, how to raise good cholesterol, and how to lower bad all at the same time.

At first it was looking like rabbit food and granola but now we have found eggs, meats, and other items that help lower cholesterol. We have learned about Omega-3's and Omega-6's. We have changed our diet.

First changes were that we are no longer (well once we finish eating what we already own) eating meats and veggies that are not organic, if we can help it. We are eating much more fruits and veggies, and we are limiting our red meats. Not getting rid of red meats all together but limiting them. We are eating whole grains, trying new foods, and loving it.

A few weeks ago I accidentally grabbed the wrong box of blueberry muffin mix. I got the whole grain mix not the "regular" ones. Last night I made them. The kids were so excited to have these with our chicken last night. They could smell them baking and I think their mouths were watering when they sat down to the table. I never said anything about them being different, and one of the bonuses was that we hadn't had them in a long while. I made them with our omega-3 rich eggs and I used canola oil. The didn't puff up as much as the ones with white flour and they were much more dense. But the kids raved over them and they each at two and asked if they could take one for snack today. So I think they went over well. I will be purchasing these again.

For the most part the kids won't see any real difference in their eating habits changing. We already eat a lot of veggies and fruits. We already try to not have too much in the way of processed, packaged foods. But these little changes will be good for all of us.

This weekend I am off to the farmer's market to price purchasing 1/8 cow.

For a while we have talked about moving towards a healthier diet and shopping more organic but we planned to start this "on our big trip" we would say. We wanted to move to more fruits and veggies, healthier cuts of meat and more local produce. But now with the test results, we begin now. Now is better than never and now is better than later. I like our switch.

As for the husband-he thought at first we would starve to death but in the last night he commented that he was full but not stuffed and he was starting to feel better through the day with more energy. I think he is already seeing some of the benefits of this diet. He hasn't cut out his midnight snacking but has switched the Hostess Cupcakes with trail mix. A bit of chocolate but lots of protein.

Oh, and he has lost 5 pounds--the jerk! ;)