Changes in my personal lunch line!

September to now has been a journey of learning some new and interesting things about foods, nutrition and how they affect the body. Some things I was happy to learn while others were hard lessons. I even tried new foods, which is completely out of my comfort zone. I am truly a creature of habit, so introducing new things is tough for me. I figured, what the heck, I'd like to pass my nutrition class so I have to step outside of the box right!

Overall, the changes in my diet have been minimal but still significant in my opinion. I started out as a vegetarian but I have to admit that I sometimes dabbled in seafood and shellfish BUT ever since my research and discovery in the difference between farmed raised and wild, I have completely cut that out too!!!! I know that may seem drastic to some but just the thought of sea lice and the effects on the environment, I don't feel the need to have it anymore. Maybe at some point I will change my mind but at this point, I'm okay with omitting it for now!!!

With that said, some good things that I have learned that will benefit me and have had an immediate effect is making sure that my diet is packed with nutrient rich foods. Knowing now that it is extremely important for vegetarians to get all of the essential amino acids has been the best thing overall to learn. It's not just about eating fruits and vegetables, it's about making sure I'm eating the RIGHT kinds and making sure that I am not experiencing deficiencies in any areas. Learning how to not overcook my food is also a benefit in making sure I am not stripping my food of it's value and not adding free radical damage that can occur when doing things like cooking with oil.

I am raising a teenage boy who is not a vegetarian. I have learned to make better selections with the type of foods I choose for him as well. I am also doing my best to make sure that whether I am shopping for him or for myself, I choose organically grown foods. Sure it's more expensive and sometimes time consuming with reading labels and all but I care about his well being and his future children's well being. By that I mean, eating and buying organic makes a huge difference in helping not only our environment now but what's to come in the future.

I will continue to spread the word and continue to support local grown and organic farmers if and when I can, it's important to changing what is so very wrong with our world right now. I'm starting by changing what's in my personal lunch line. What's in yours???