I have gotten pretty used to not trusting the most widely accepted approach in life. Becoming pregnant and then having to make pregnancy, birthing and now parenting decisions I realize that upon researching I typically go against the grain. I see that this trend seems to be spilling over into how I view my health as well. Before getting pregnant I was diagnosed with a condition that although it seems harmless at my age will most likely leave me with some pretty ugly chronic illnesses down the road. Modern medicine would advise that I go on the birth control pill to mask the symptoms and then when I develop diabetes and heart disease in however many years I will be treated for those symptoms when we reach that point. Well, I'm not happy with that scenario. I would much rather take control of my health at this point and hopefully avoid those icky chronic conditions all together!
Here are some ways in which I plan to take control of my health:
- Get into a regular exercise routine, that includes cardio as well as weight training.
- Buy more locally grown produce.
- Buy exclusively organic produce or at the very least the ones that are known to be the worst ex. strawberries, spinach etc.
- Buy only produce that is currently in season.
- Stay 100% clear of anything genetically modified....VERY difficult.
- Avoid processed foods.
- Cut out dairy, besides kefir and organic yogurt.
- Stop eating red meat. (Not excited about this one.)
- Only eat whole grains and preferably cut out wheat all together.
- Increase our fresh lake fish consumption.
- Only buy chicken and turkey that is free range and fed properly.
- Drink 3 litres of water a day minimum, and stay away from tap water as much as possible.
- Include the top ten superfoods into my regular diet.
- Make sure at least 70% of each meal is raw.
Looking back at my list I can see that it looks very ambitious and I'm sure many people would look at this and think that many of my points are unnecessary. I look at it this way, our bodies are temples, we are commanded time and time again in the Bible to honour God with our bodies. I believe that to do this we really need to start taking how we treat our bodies more seriously. I know it may cost more money, taste a little less flavourful, and be more difficult but isn't God's temple worth that!? We have a responsibility to Him to guard these temporary dwelling places that we've been given.
I know I won't be making all of the changes at once. It's a process, one which I have only just begun, it's slow but it's coming along. I would like to see where I am in a year from now. I would like to say that I will be doing all of these points full heartedly. We'll see....
