Health Journey

 I have been studying the human body's microbiome.  Essentially, it's trillions of bacteria that live in your body.  Some of this bacteria might be disease, but lots of it is really important for healthy body functions- like immune systems, digestion, nerve function, brain health, and lots of other areas. It affects gut health, blood sugar, weight, and heart health.  Your gut microbiome has to be fed, and it improves with variety and diversity of foods, particularly plant-based foods with loads of fiber, and fermented foods. The magic number is 30 different plant-based foods in one week. Plant based foods are: all veggies and fruit, all (raw) nuts and seeds, legumes, and whole grains.  I limit whole grains so there's nothing with gluten, but it still leaves plenty of options.

Shandee and I have been challenging each other's "plant points" to hold each other accountable.  This past week I invited my own little family to join us in counting and it's been fun!  I'm proud of my girls for racking up plant points- I think they had over 12-15 different types of plants, which is great!  I've tried to remind them that for anything they eat with sugar, they have a protein and veggie with it.  We're coming along. 

I'm pretty proud of myself!  I'm at 29 different ones, with lots of them more than once.  One left with one day to go. Here's what I had in the last six days:

Spinach 

Broccoli

Carrots

Peppers

Sweet potatoes 

Green onions

Mushrooms (I'm making myself tolerate these b/c I really don't like them)

Peas

Corn

Cauliflower 

Apples

Bananas

Kiwi

Pineapple

Strawberries

Avocado

Grapes

Olives

GF Oats

Brown rice

Millet

Chia seeds 

Flax seeds 

Walnuts

Pecans

Pinto beans

Kidney beans

Almond butter

Kombucha (lemon & ginger)

I've still followed what's best for my body, which is no more than 3 fruits in a day, spaced out, meat/protein with all three meals, and a fat and carb.  Besides meat, just about everything else I have is plant-based.  Every time I have a little dairy, I'm reminded that it just doesn't sit well with me. Same with anything with wheat. I instantly get a headache now, and a stomachache.  My doctor said if it makes me feel sick and uncomfortable (if anything makes me sick or uncomfortable), it's wrecking havoc on my insides.  Today I tried cheese made from chickpeas, which I didn't count as a plant-point because it's processed.  Might be better than no cheese, but the jury is still out.  

I've worked really hard to learn what's best for my body and bodies in general and I hope my efforts bleed into my girls a little.  God gave me this body.  While I believe that all bodies are good (because it means we're alive!), I also believe one purpose in life is to learn about the miracles they are and to take care of them.  

It's a journey!

I made these ridiculous charts to follow them. It's a little anal but everyone's been using them all week!