We celebrated the new year with a party and friends. Some stayed very late...which pleased us greatly! Dennis and I actually slept in until 10:30 the next day! I tried to analyze any symbolism that may have been attached to that unordinary act of sleeping in...what does this mean for 2011? Should we have a restful year? A lazy year? Still not sure, but the days of sleeping in have been limited to one this year..so probably not indicative of the rest of 2011!
On the first Monday of 2011, the Bessette's began a new diet...The Liver Cleansing Diet (LCD) by Dr.Sandra Cabot. This is an 8 week cleanse that eases into a Vegan diet. Not only is it Vegan, but it is no sugar, no sugar/fat-substitutes, no white flour or white rice! WOW! very different from the Bessette's normal diet. With the abundant supply of meat, eggs and dairy we have here at the farm, I confess that our plates have gotten out of proportion. My meals were centered around which meat we would eat. Then I would have the obligatory side of grain/veggie.
We are pretty much sticking to the new diet(minus Den's Birthday and a couple of other special occasions). The results have been remarkable. We have all lost some weight. We feel so much more energetic. We have generally not had food/sugar cravings. I realized what an emotional attachment I have had to my favorite food and how much I over-used them. Bacon, butter and cream/cheese are my comforts....I had been a big "supporter" of the Weston Price Foundation (which is almost anti-Vegan). This foundation claims that meats/fats eggs and dairy products are very good for you as long as they are raised without conventional farming methods. They too discourage the use of refined products such as sugar/white flour and oils/fats that are processed or produced in high temperatures (unless expeller or cold pressed, even olive oil can fall into this category). Unfortunately, I approached my diet "cafeteria style" picking out what I liked about each food philosophy and ignoring the biggies.
We would justify over-eating of our farm products because they are "healthy". Even though I own and milk a Jersey cow, I still bought butter at Sam's in 4# quantities. I'm sure I would use much less butter if I had only home-made butter to use. Same with tubs of sour cream or pounds of processed cheeses. I think it is not the dairy that is an issue, but the processed dairy products. I would justify drinking Jones Soda because is had real sugar instead of the evil High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup! 2011 realization....white sugar is harmful too.
So, I think after the "cleanse" is finished, the Bessette's come out of it with a more balanced approach to life in the year 2011. We are really enjoying our vegan meals and beans/rice combos. We really don't miss white flour that much. We ate way too many desserts in 2010. We did not eat enough vegetables. I still LOVE cheese...and bacon...and butter.
My new-year's resolutions look like this:
*Have a super-big vegetable garden this year!
*Raise fewer animals... because we are eating less meat than ever! So we can swim/relax more during the time we used to be managing animals for food!
*Chose wheat over white, green-tea over coffee, drink more water.
*Make more of the foods we love instead of buying them at the store...my gut says that raw-milk products and free-range eggs are just fine for our health. (Why not try home-made mayo? I should make butter/cheese/yogurt and sourcream consistently and NEVER buy these products at the store.
These bodies that we carry around for 70-80years on average, are entrusted to us to be used here on Earth for God's work and for His glory. I want to be a good steward of this gift. I acknowledge that my health and well-being is in the hands of a merciful and loving God! So, in the end, I resolve to pray to Him more, that he will guide us to ways that would serve Him. What an abundance He has provided for us... to actually be able to pick and choose what we eat instead of just "surviving". God, I want to be satisfied with whatever you provide for nourishment to our family and grateful for your provision. May our 2011 honor you Lord!
