Going back to GF/CF and more veggies.

I thought I ate well before.
When I first decided to eat more plants and less animal products I noticed that I had to really choke down the veggies.  It seemed like such work.
Vegetables are strong in flavor and require lots of chewing which in turn meant that one must be more mindful when eating.  Its interesting that it seems to work that way but I like it.  It is not easy to do though and I can see why people have a hard time choosing to eat more veggies on many levels.  Yet I also see now that eating more veggies has a positive affect on more than just how I physically feel.

I feel mellower.  I used to have to work hard to enjoy preparing my food.  It just took to dang long.
Now, I enjoy preparing my food and find solace in it without trying.  I wasn't expecting that.


  I don't live a super busy every day kind of lifestyle but even I found it strange at first to be forced to be mindful when eating more veggies.  You have to chew.  So what do you do when you are gnoshing like a cow chewing cud?  Well, you think.  What to think about, how to be alone with your thoughts? Not easy stuff.

Good for the soul but should be noted that eating healthy is not just what you put down your throat hole and be aware that you will feel differently.
Take it one bite at a time.  It gets easier and happier.  Stick with it for a few weeks and force that kale down and soon you will notice the change and it will occur to you that you actually like it and feel better.  You have to believe it will get better.  Not what I expected to be such a profound realization or that I would have to work so hard at first.

I can see similarities in eating more veggies and running.  At first it seems really hard and two miles seems like a thousand and then you find a few months later that maybe 5 miles feels like an easy run and so on.  Same with eating.

Now I am noticing that the more veggies I eat, the more I want them.
I am eating more and loosing weight.  I track my calories so I can be aware of the differences.

  After reading again some of the arguments on gluten intolerance and  the side effects and in particular how it pertains in treating MS, I am going gluten free again.  I was gluten free for a few years so not hard to go back.
I am also going casein free as well.  This was done by testing out Kefir again.  I was casein free for a few years so not hard to go back to being dairy free either.

  I used the kefir to treat stomach issues and now that those are gone I am laying off the dairy. It is too hard to digest and sucks energy that I don't have to spare.
I used dairy and wheat as tools over  the winter when I was having lots of stomach pain and energy issues.  It was a godsend to feel the ease of digestion and quick simple energy from bread when complex foods would exhaust me.  The wonderful coating of my stomach from eating the kefir allowed me to heal.

  Now that my energy levels are coming up and I am getting better at strategically approaching how I eat, I just don't need the bread anymore and I don't want to risk undue inflammation when I am trying to reduce inflammation. The trade off is not in favor of them anymore.
For now quinoa and sweet potatoes are a fine replacement among others.

I am a work in progress inside and out.

Any good recipes?  How do you fuel and run?  Happy July!
Cheers,
Angie Bee