But this post isn’t about our lost reverence for food.

What I’ve been contemplating lately is how those of us who take food issues seriously take one of two basic approaches to the topic :: Food Safety or Nourishment.

Safety is crucial of course — although what that means varies from person to person. I am all for safe food and I commend those who are fighting to keep our food supply safe, even if I don’t always agree with the methodology.

But those of us who buy into this “real food movement” — which is really just about getting back to a more traditional way of eating — believe that food should be much more than just safe.

I propose that food should be nourishing. In fact, I would go so far as to say that food should be our medicine — or at least our first line of defense.

Food shouldn’t just keep us from starving. Food should nourish our bodies and minds. And it should be cherished and enjoyed. That is what it was designed for, after all.

But with the industrialization of our food supply,  it seems we have lost all appreciation for what food can do. Instead, we’ve reduced it to the lowest common denominator, and our chief goal is to make sure it is free of bacteria and foreign organisms — and by so doing, we eliminate most healthful benefits it might have ever had.

I am still learning. I’m a product of a typical American home, although my mom was more conscientious than most when it came to our food. But I still didn’t really have an appreciation or even a basic understanding of the depth and breadth of the benefits of whole foods until I discovered Nina Planck and Joel Salatin and Sally Fallon.

For example, did you know?

1. Onions boost good cholesterol, help thin blood & ward off blood clots, help prevent coronary heart diseases, lower high blood pressure, and protect against cancer.

2. Raw garlic reduces risk of cancer, thins the blood (who needs an aspirin a day??), boosts good cholesterol, helps control blood sugar levels, acts as a decongestant, and kills infection-causing bacteria.

3. Carrots boost the immune system and fight lung, colon, esophageal & skin cancers. By the way, carrots are better digested and absorbed when they are cooked and eaten with butter.

4. Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are cruciferous veggies. These little wonders fight breast, uterine & colon cancers; help ease asthma, arthritis, and hyperthyroidism; and prevent stomach ulcers, osteoporosis, and even morning sickness. (Word of warning: cruciferous veggies are best digested when cooked lightly.)

5. Yogurt and other fermented foods work as antibiotics and immunity boosters, sooth ulcers, and fight yeast infections.

6. Red peppers have twice the vitamin C of an orange, and their high levels of antioxidants that help protect against lung cancer. They also help prevent high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. (These are also highly sprayed and part of the Dirty Dozen, so buying organic is very important. Yes, they’ll set you back a pretty penny. Stock up when they are in season.)

7. Olive oil lowers high blood pressure, helps regulate blood sugar levels, lowers the bad LDL blood cholesterol while boosting good HDL cholesterol, an protects against heart disease. (Quality and a clean source is important.)

8. Brazil nuts have high levels of the important mineral, selenium, which protects against lead and mercury toxicity, and also helps thyroid function. (Some say you should soak your nuts to break down anti-nutrients.)

9. Cinnamon has antimicrobial qualities and combats nausea and upset stomach. It also can stimulate the performance of insulin, helping the body process sugar.

[source] I don’t agree with everything this article says, specifically about replacing animal fats such as lard and butter with olive oil) but there is a lot of great info in here!

10. Butter is rich in an easily absorbable form of Vitamin A, which helps maintain good thyroid and adrenal health. It’s a great source of vitamins E and K and the mineral selenium and helps prevent tooth decay. Add to that, Vitamin D found in butter is essential to absorption of calcium. So butter your veggies! [source]

11. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. FOR REALZ. Apples are rich in dietary fiber, which helps keep you regular. *grin* They also have antioxidant properties, protecting the body from cell damage that leads to heart disease and cancer. They may even protect brain cells against Alzheimer’s. [source] (Also, #1 in the Dirty Dozen. BUY ORGANIC, please. They are easy to find.)

12. Coconut oil benefits the hair and skin, provides stress relief, and helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels. It also aids in digestion and helps the metabolism function effectively. Due to the presence of lauric acid, it has antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing properties. [source] Quality is key. I buy Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil*. In fact, I have it on subscription through Amazon.

13. Raw milk . . . I know. Hold onto your hats! Clean, raw milk from grass-fed cows was actually used as a medicine in the early part of the last century to treat, and frequently cure some serious chronic diseases. I’m dead serious; it is well documented. Read more at The Milk Diet.

14. Organ meats from grass-fed animals are one of the most nutrient-dense foods available and are packed with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients. Liver is an excellent source of folic acid and iron as well as vitamins A and B; and it contains CoQ10, which is important for cardiovascular function. It protects against cancer adn emphysema, boosts the immune system, provides bone and colon support, improves vision and enhances joint mobility. [source]

It wasn’t that long ago that organ meats were considered a delicacy. I am always amazed at what foods our ancestors prized. I wonder if they knew instinctively how nourishing they were.

15. Fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, lower heart disease risk, improve vision and neural development, and help fight cancer. [source] They may also may also protect against symptoms of depression, dementia, cancer, and arthritis. [source]

16. Chicken stock (ideally homemade from organically raised, pastured chickens) can help reduce inflammation in nasal cells, supports muscle building, and possibly helps reduce abdominal fat. [source] There’s a reason your momma made you chicken soup when you were sick! I try to keep some on hand at all times.

There are SO many more foods that I could mention. I could go on and on and on.

You might notice a theme:

There is no sugar in this list, no processed foods, no imitation or low-fat foods. These are by in large foods that can be found in nature and require very little in the way of preparation.

Don’t get me wrong, we eat our fair share of processed foods in my house. I’m of the opinion that we all have to pick and choose what we are willing and able to do and then come to peace with the rest of it. Very few of us are “doing it all” when it comes to the real food lifestyle, and those who are probably do little else.

Here is what we try to do.

I cook most of our meals from scratch, but there are those nights when I just don’t have it in me to cook so we order a pizza or hoagies. This happens at least once a week.

When I buy processed foods, I buy organic whenever possible and try to select products that have short, recognizable ingredient lists such as tortilla chips and pretzels and Triscuits and pasta.

I make my own bread, but I buy crackers.

I make my own granola, but I buy granola bars and an occasional box of cookies.

I make my own popcorn but I buy cheeses and spreads.

I make my chicken stock but I buy the beef.

I often make my own ice cream but sometime I buy Breyers.

I have a yogurt maker but I’ve never used it. (I buy our yogurt from a local farm.)

I DO refuse to buy soda or fruit juice. You’ve gotta draw the line somewhere!

But I don’t ferment my foods, soak my grains or grind my own wheat. And I don’t cook with organ meats.

Would I like to do all of those those things? Sure!

COULD I do all of those things? Of course I could. But I haven’t made them priorities, and I am at peace with that. For now. Only time will tell.

It’s a process, and we’re all at a different point, and we all have different priorities. I don’t write this post to sound like I have arrived, or to make anyone feel like lesser of a wife or mom or person because they aren’t where I am on this journey.

But I do think this information is important and worth thinking about.

And I do think we can all stand to do better (myself included . . . oh how I am included!!!)

With so much prepared food readily available, why bother?

I have seen so many of my family’s medical issues improve with our diet changes over the past couple of years, that I just can’t keep quiet about it. It has been gradual . . . so gradual that I almost forget how sick some of us were.

My son’s asthma is pretty much gone. There was a time when he was almost hospitalized for it every winter.

My digestive issues are in remission. (I don’t dare say cured . . . every time I say that, they crop up again, but they have been NO WHERE NEAR as bad as they once were . . . when I was so debilitated that some days I was unable to care for my family.)

My depression issues are gone. (I believe this is due largely to exercise, more so than our eating habits.)

I used to be sick off and on throughout the winter. I caught every respiratory bug that came down the pike. I also battled chronic bronchitis. These days I only get sick once or twice a year, and it’s usually fairly mild and short-lived — but nothing like the severe, prolonged viruses that would keep me home from work for a week at a time. (Why do I have this horrible feeling that I am jinxing myself here?)

With the notable exception of my husband’s bout with Lyme’s Disease last fall, we haven’t had an antibiotic in this house for years.

Not only does eating well help build a healthy immune system that fights off those nasty germs we come in contact with ever day. But sugar actually depletes the immune system! Seriously. It works AGAINST you. (Not to say that I avoid sugar at all costs, she says as she swallows the last of her Udi’s chocolate muffin . . . ) But it’s a good thing to keep in mind, especially during cold and flu season.

All this to say, I believe our eating habits have SO VERY MUCH to do with our general health and well being. We would all do well to make food purchases and preparations a high priority in our lives.

I’d love to hear from you.

Do you eat for nourishment or just to make it through the day?

If you’re on this real food journey with me, how do you make time for the preparations that are necessary to keep it up? How do you fit it into your budget?

Have you noticed a difference in your health and overall quality of life since making changes in your eating habits?

I’m always encouraged when I hear stories about how food has healed people or improved their quality of life in some way.

*Affiliate link.

I’d like to know how you got into running. Did you try other exercises first and they just didn’t appeal to you? I’ve been trying to get into an exercise routine, but I just can’t find one to keep my interest.

And . . .

I’m interested in how you balance everything you do. I can’t seem to find the time some days to even put dishes in the dishwasher AND exercise. It’s one or the other. Your busyness and organization amaze me.

Okay, so these are really two different topics, but I can address them together. I’ve written before about not doing it all. NO ONE DOES. We all make choices, and while it may SEEM like I do a lot, there are plenty of things I don’t do that you may do. We all have 24 hours in a day, and we can’t beat ourselves up for not doing more than time allows.

I have struggled my whole life with finding the time and motivation to exercise.

When I casually mention running and working out, please don’t think that it’s second-nature to me. I love this image I found on Pinterest.

source: Nurse on the Run via Nester Smith on Pinterest

I love it BECAUSE it is such an awesome reminder that we all make time for what is important to us. And we will always let slide the stuff we don’t really care for. This is why my house is rarely perfectly neat and clean (except on Thursdays for about an hour after the cleaning lady leaves.) This also why I don’t do crafts or scrapbook or watch much TV or hang out at the mall anymore.

And of course, at different times in our lives, we make time for different things. I used to take a lot of time and pride in decorating my home, but nowadays it is an afterthought at best. I used to be an avid scrapbooker, but that went quickly by the wayside when I discovered blogging.

Ironically, I’m busier now that I’ve ever been, but exercise is a regular part of my life because I have made a conscious effort to fit it into my schedule even though there are always a dozen other things I feel like I could/should be doing instead. Exercising keeps me off of depression medication and keeps my digestive system working. {Dead serious.} If I go too long without running, I start to feel like my digestive system is backing up. And a few years ago, it was running that got rid of my seasonal affective disorder and allowed me to stay off meds that I was considering. Ever since, I have referred to running as my mental health insurance.

I’ve never been athletic and I never really enjoyed exercise. It was always a means to an end, or something I felt like I should be doing. I have tried everything from The 30-Day Shred to power walking to Jane Fonda’s aerobic workout videos to weight lifting to running to Pilates . . . I think the only things I’ve never tried are swimming and yoga. (And yoga’s on my list!)

At several times throughout my life, starting in high school, I tried running and could never stick with it. But I always wanted to like it. I wish I could tell you how and why it finally clicked, but I honestly do not know.

It was a few years ago when I was doing the 30-Day Shred and had worked up to the third level when I injured myself. I pulled an abdominal muscle and couldn’t do the workout for a few days. I didn’t want to lose my momentum so I decided to go take a walk. It was a pretty spring day, and I was enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine, but I soon got antsy and wanted a harder workout so I started to run. I just ran a little ways, until I felt winded, and then I went back to walking. After walking for a while, I got bored again and started to run. I probably ran/walked a couple of miles that day.

Fueled with a sense of accomplishment and also with the freedom of allowing myself to walk or run, whichever felt good, I went back out again. I started working up to running more and walking less, but I always allowed myself to walk when I wanted to. I bought myself an iPod Shuffle and put some fun music on it and started to really enjoy the time to myself. Before I knew it, I had tired of the Shred but I was running/walking fairly regularly.

Running used to bore me, but these days, running is my escape from work and kids and house. And having a killer playlist helps immensely! Even when I don’t feel like running, all I have to do is turn on my music, and I’m raring to go.

I have been exercising with some regularity for several years now, which is a HUGE record for me. When I went through Dinneen’s counseling program, she made a point about exercise that has stuck with me ever since, and I credit her with my ability to keep it up for this long.

You see, in my mind, I was always exercising or I was not. There was never an in-between. I would do whatever I was doing at the time 2 or 3 days a week, for several weeks or months, but once I went away for a vacation or got sick, and missed a week, that was it. I wouldn’t do anything strenuous for months or years at a time until the next exercise fad.

Dinneen pointed out that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. She encouraged me to look at exercise as a regular part of my life, and not to get bogged down in how long it had been since my last workout or how much strength or endurance I might have lost. I was allowing the failures of the past to inhibit me from getting out there again. I felt like there was no point in “starting up again” if I was going to quit.

In fact, it was the simple fact that I viewed all those other times as failures that was my stumbling block. Dinneen freed me to see all those past exercise attempts in one big picture, not a bunch of separate illustrations. There is no such thing as an exercise failure — every single time you get your butt out there and move, it is a success story. In reality, I have been exercising my entire adult life. At least, that is the way I look at it now.

And it is taking that perspective towards exercise that has enabled me to keep going for so long this time. See that? I still fall into that habit. I don’t run as often as I’d like, but nowadays, even when I’ve missed a week, I get back out there. I don’t let how long it’s been affect my psyche anymore.

Last fall I started going to the gym again (see that? again . . . old habits die hard) and working out with weights. I am also taking a TRX class. I always loved how I felt when I was working out with weights, and the older I get, the more I feel the need for strength training.

My mom likes to say, “You do aerobic exercise to extend your life, and you do strength exercise to improve your quality of life.”

Because I have paid for classes, I am committed to going. Truly, that is the ONLY thing that gets me to the gym most days. I go twice a week, and it pretty much kills the entire morning. I hate losing the time from work or home commitments, but I am determined to fit it in because I know it makes the rest of my life that much more enjoyable.

I think everyone has to find what works for them, the type of exercise they enjoy, the time of day that they can fit it in, and most of all — a reason to keep going. For me, it’s not so much about weight loss or even body toning, but it’s about my mental health and my quality of life. I love feeling strong and energetic. When I let a few days go by without doing any physical activity, I don’t like how I feel, and that motivates me to get back out there.

How about you? What exercises do you enjoy? What motivates you to get out there?

In my New Year, New You post, I mentioned my commitment to staying hydrated this winter. We all know we should be drinking lots of water, but that’s not the ONLY thing we can do to keep ourselves hydrated. Here are 5 other ways to stay hydrated this winter.

5 Winter Hydration Tips

1. Watch your caffeine and alcohol consumption.

While all beverages do provide some hydration (yes, even coffee! woot!) you don’t want to overdo it with the caffeine and alcohol. Alcohol, particularly, is dehydrating. So try to focus on water, perhaps some naturally flavored water beverages, or green tea. If you do indulge in an alcoholic beverage or two, drink an extra glass of water for each glass of wine or beer.

READ MORE at The Skinny . . .

I also made a really tough decision last week. I am going to be leaving All Things Chic. Unfortunately I have too much on my plate to do it all well, and something had to go. I can’t wait to see where Melissa takes the site. We are still close friends, and I’ll be there to cheer her on and lend a helping hand from time to time, but she is taking over ownership of the site.

Meanwhile, I have been thinking about where I want to go with my other endeavors and how to prioritize my time, so yesterday I made a list. I divided it into personal goals and business goals. Would you believe, they actually worked out to 10 and 10??? I actually had to delete a couple to keep it to 10, but I was surprised how close each list came to that number.

source: unraveleddesign via Jen Senecal on Pinterest

Business Goals:

1. Implement time blocking, and plan my computer time better. (Time blocking works great . . . when I actually DO IT. I need to get back to that.)
2. Utilize Google Plus to build SEO and gain traffic.
3. Learn to use Pinterest more effectively. (Inspired by The Nester.)
4. Use Stumbleupon more intentionally. (Stumbleupon is now my top referrer. My blog traffic has almost doubled since using it. I want to keep this trend on the upswing!)
5. Use affiliate links more effectively. Hey, I might as well make a bit of spending money with all the links I post, right??
6. Start a monthly newsletter for Musings of a Housewife and build my subscriber list. I have this in the works, but I haven’t actually put one together yet.
7. Continue to grow our PSMM Workshop Series and make it a better resource for our blogging community.
8. Attend more blogging conferences (with sponsorships, ideally!)
9. Continue working with like-minded brands through ambassadorships and sponsorships.
10. Continue doing blogger outreach and replace my blog design income with brand-related work.

source: Nurse on the Run via Nester Smith on Pinterest

Personal Goals:

(Not necessarily in order of importance . . . )

1. Pray daily.
2. Continue working out at the gym 2x weekly.
3. Continue running and work up to 3-4x a week. (I’m only running once or twice a week at the moment. It’s hard to fit it in with my current schedule and the cold, dark winter mornings. But I need to ramp. it. up!)
4. Run a 5K in under 27 minutes. (Okay, THIS is a lofty goal, but that’s just a 9-minute mile, and I did a 9.22 min mile in my first 5K, so… I’m going to see if I can accomplish this!!)
5. Make time each week to read blogs and leave comments. And also, subscribe to more blogs by email. (I put this in personal goals because this is for fun! I miss blog reading, and I have neglected many of my good friends since allowing myself to get too busy. Also, I find that the best way to make sure I keep up with my blogging buddies is to get their posts delivered right to my email inbox. You can do the same with Musings, if you like! *hint hint*)
6. Set a “Give Goal” each month and follow through on it. This month we will start a ”Give Jar” in which to save change through the year to help someone in need next Christmas (inspired by Mary Kathryn).
7. Get back to making bread weekly. (Sigh . . . I have been really lazy with this one. And my family misses it.)
8. Continue to take regular date nights with my husband.
9. Incorporate pattern into my wardrobe. (WHAT!? Everyone should have at least one fashion goal for the new year, yes??)
10. Be “all here” for my kids when they get home from school. That means walking away from the computer and focusing on each of them and their needs and making sure they know I am mentally AND physically present with them.

Okay, so some are certainly more important than others! But I am keeping these lists on a “Post It Note” on my computer’s desktop so I can see them every day.

How about you? What are your goals or, ahem, resolutions *cough cough* for 2012??

In keeping with my re-evaluation process, I’ve been thinking about this blog and where I want to take it. I’ve always seen it as a potpourri of whatever I’m interested in at the moment, but most of my posts fit into one of three or four main categories — fashion, food, family and faith . . . and of course my crazy life stories. I’ve never known quite how to categorize those!!

I’ve contemplated moving away from a traditional chronological blog layout and dividing the front page up into those categories, but I always come back to the fact that I prefer to read traditional blogs like this one and I’m afraid of losing my audience if I go that route.

I’ve also discovered that my recipe posts are by far my most popular. Does that mean I should post more recipes because that is what my readers prefer? Or is it simply that those are the types of posts that bring in the search engine traffic?

These are the things we crazy bloggers ponder. I would love it if you could give me some feedback. In that vein, I put together a quick survey. I’ve been meaning to do one of these for a while, and this is as good a time as any, I’d say!

I truly value your feedback and appreciate your time in filling this out. It’s a bit, um, lengthy (no surprise there, right??) but none of the questions are required, so just fill out the ones that resonate with you. It is also completely anonymous. All that I ask is that you be honest, courteous and constructive with your feedback. Again, I appreciate your time.

If you can’t see the survey displayed below, you can view it in your browser.

Bring In The New Year With Radiant Health — Divine Health

I have helped countless people make better decisions about what they eat and helped them to make small gradual changes that actually stick. A lot of times people do not know where to start when they desire to change their diet and often just give up from the start. I can help with that. I can guide you in where to start for you and how to maintain as well as make forward motion and real progress that shows results. Results that last, results that will inspire you to not look back.

Lydia is offering a 25 % discount on any of her consultation packages. If you’ve been wanting to change your eating habits but aren’t sure where to start, or just need some guidance and direction, here’s your chance! Lydia is the one who finally convinced me to try the gluten-free diet, and she’s one of my best sources for information on eating a more traditional diet. I am no where near where she is, but I’ve come a long way!

Favorite Winter Herbal Remedies: Colds and Coughs, Stomach Viruses, and Headaches — Keeper of the Home

We choose not to use any form of over-the-counter or other pharmaceutical products in our home — at least not without an excellent reason (and we haven’t found one in the last three years).  Certainly we don’t for the run-of-the-mill winter blahs, like colds, flu, stomach viruses, and so on.

That doesn’t mean we suffer, though!  We’ve developed some pretty effective herbal remedies that we turn to when we’re in need of a little boost.  Today I’m going to share our top choices with you!

I admit, we don’t use a lot of herbel remedies, but I also don’t take much over-the-counter medication, and I’d like to experiment more with natural remedies. I’m already convinced that apple cider vinegar cures almost anything, lol. Fortunately we don’t get sick often, and when we do, it’s usually mild. *knocks on wood* But just the same, it’s good to be prepared. I might stock up on a few of these items so I have them on hand when/if we need them.

The Type of Food that Will Slow Nearly EVERY Inflammatory Disease… — Mercola.com

You’ve probably heard of enzymes, and you probably already know they are important for your digestion. But you may not be aware of just how necessary enzymes are to every cell in your body—not just for digestion but for ALL your physiological processes.

<snip>

Insufficient enzyme production is at the root of much “tummy trouble” in our country. Digestive problems cost Americans $50 billion each year in both direct costs and absence from work.

I’ve been struggling with digestive issues since . . . well, I guess since my last pregnancy. I’ve tried a lot of different tactics, and I admit, taking digestive enzymes seem to help, which is why I found this article particularly interesting. I admit, I do not eat much raw food; in fact, I’ve seen some information that contradicts the value of raw foods. But the necessity of digestive enzymes is quite convincing.

5 Steps To A Healthier 2012 — Kelly the Kitchen Kop

This post contains some great, basic advice for those seeking to eat healthier.

And, finally, one lone blogging-related post . . .

ABCs of SEO for Bloggers :: Type A Parent (hat tip to She Posts)

SEO or Search Engine Optimization refers to the practice of writing for the web in a way that makes it easier for search engines, like Google, to rank and list your site.  Industry jargon can make learning about SEO seem like an overwhelming task. Bloggers, especially those whose primary purpose is informational, can and should keep SEO in mind as they write for their websites.

This article won’t appeal to everyone, but it’s a great read for bloggers who are interested in improving their search engine rankings.

HAPPY SATURDAY!

If for some reason the video doesn’t load for you, you can find it at Ted.com.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I don’t know about you, but I’m about to ramp up my intake of these foods.

Hat tip to my friend Grace. 

One of the most interesting discussions (in my opinion, anyway) to date is the one on Eczema and Gluten. I am still shocked to hear that some doctors don’t acknowledge the correlation between eczema and food allergies. I thought it was pretty much understood to be common knowledge, but maybe I’m wrong. (It’s been known to happen!)

My daughter had horrible eczema as a child, when she also had allergies to dairy and eggs. She outgrew the dairy and egg allergies as well as the eczema (thank the Lord!) but the topic is still of interest to me.

Check it out.

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Once again, I found myself back to the building stages because my feet and legs had to adjust to less supportive shoes. All in all, switching to Vibrams was the best thing I ever did, but it took time to get acclimated to them.

I just recently got myself back to the point where I can run 3 miles, and the 5K has been on my mind again. I feel like it’s the next step in this unexpected hobby I’ve developed. I started to imagine myself running alongside hundreds of other runners, and I visualize the finish line ahead at me at the top of the big hill that is the end of my course. It’s like I’m a part of something bigger, and I want to see it and feel it.

So when my family decided to take part in the annual Drumstick Dash in my hometown this weekend, I immediately asked to be signed up with the runners. (The rest of my family walked it.)

We only made these plans a week ago so I had no time to “train” or research racing techniques. I’ve had no running instruction at all, but I figured I could wing it. My only goal was to finish in under 30 minutes, and I knew I was pretty close to being able to do that since I’ve been timing myself in the neighborhood. But I wouldn’t truly believe I could do it until it was official.

On Wednesday night when we arrived in Roanoke, my mom gave me my bag with my Drumstick Dash tee-shirt, my bib (the number I pin to my shirt), and the chip to attach to my shoe that would record my race time down to the mili-second.

It was official! I was going to run a 5K!

The sun rose and shone brightly on Thursday morning, and the temperature was a balmy 45 degrees. I donned my Drumstick Dash tee-shirt and my favorite yoga shorts and, of course, my Vibrams. I attached the red tag with my racing chip. I was ready to go.

We drove downtown and parked. Here’s my cheering section.

As we walked towards the starting lines, we were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd.

There were 14,000 people at this event. I don’t know what I had been expecting, but it was wall to wall people. Probably not ideal conditions for one’s first race, but this was the hand I’d been dealt so I was going to have to go with it.

As we waited around, the crowd continued to grow. The atmosphere was quite festive, it was Thanksgiving Day after all.

Soon I joined the throng of people gathered behind the Runner’s starting line.

Is it cliché to say the anticipation was palpable? Because it was.

I couldn’t help but notice how everyone was decked out in their Under Armour and running tights and fancy headbands with the ponytail holes and sport watches and iPods attached to their arms with fancy carrying cases.

I stood alongside them in my standard issue Drumstick Dash tee and my oldest cotton shorts, holding my (NEW!!) iPhone in my right hand (I didn’t have time to order a fancy arm band) with the cord to my headphones dangling free and my silver fashion watch gleaming in the sun, feeling totally out of my element. But there was no time to contemplate my lack of proper equipment.

The gun went off, and the first group departed. I watched the huge mass of humanity move down the street as one.

I went ahead and started my music, eager to get my heart pumping. I didn’t hear the second gun go off, but soon I was being carried along with the second herd of runners as they started off down the street. The race was on!

It was surreal. There were 3763 people running in this race. The group set the pace, and for the first block or two, I jogged along with them. My adrenaline was begging me to go faster, but I couldn’t see a way out of the pack so I let myself ease into it and hoped I could make up lost time somewhere along the way.

Soon I noticed certain runners pushing through, eager to break free from the crowd. I followed in their wake, taking advantage of the path they were creating. I quickly learned how to navigate the mob and that I could go faster if I ran on one sidewalk or the other. I also learned how dangerous running with this many people could be, as I watched several people wipe out as they were trying to bypass slower runners. I tried to avoid making the same mistake and decided to be content sticking with the pace set by the group.

The crowd did lighten up a bit along the longer stretches, but every time we approached a corner, the swarm thickened and I found myself again thwarted from setting my own pace. I took advantage of the opportunities I had to speed up and make up time, and the rest of the time I enjoyed the chance to catch my breath.

I had forgotten to look at my watch when I crossed the starting line so I really had no clue how I was doing on time. When I passed the First Mile sign, I had that awful, “I’ve only gone ONE MILE???” feeling, but I kept plugging.

After a while I started looking for the Second Mile sign, but I never saw it. Without my watch to guide me, I had no idea how far I’d gone, but I began to think that I must have missed the Second Mile sign. If not — if it was still ahead, I was pretty sure I was going to cry. I was getting tired but I was determined not to walk.

Finally I saw a sign that said, “You’re almost there! You rock!!” I decided that surely that was a good sign (no pun intended!) and I picked up my pace a bit despite my body’s desperate attempts at protest.

Then when I thought surely I was going to have to stop and walk and give up on any hope of finishing the race in under 30 minutes, I saw someone pointing.

The Finish Line was in the distance.

I wasn’t on my last song yet, and I knew that meant I was doing well on time. I tried to run faster, but it was still very crowded, and frankly I was wiped out. I had assumed that I’d get a surge of adrenaline as I approached the finish line, but in fact I just felt tired and ready for it to be over. Fortunately, it was.

I triumphantly crossed the finish line with the masses, and set off to find my husband who was supposed to be waiting for me there. He saw me before I saw him, and he snapped this photo of me in all my sweaty glory.

It was such an odd feeling. A few moments before I had thought I would die if I couldn’t stop and walk, and now I felt like I could do it all over again. I happily collected hugs and congrats from two of my biggest fans.

I was giddy with accomplishment and dying to know my final time. It would be hours before I would find out, and we actually had a rather comical misunderstanding where we thought I’d somehow miraculously managed to run the race in 26 minutes. I even pronounced my victory on Twitter and Facebook before we realized that we were reading from the 2010 race results.

The 2011 results came in much later in the day, and I in fact ran the race in 29 minutes, 4 seconds — just under the goal I had set for myself.

I would have been euphoric if I hadn’t believed for several hours that I’d done it in 26. At least now I have a goal for next time!

Yes, I said next time. I’m sure there will be a next time, and I hope it’s sooner rather than later. I probably should sign up for one now, while I’m still on a high.

The rest of my family soon joined us, including but not limited to these little beauties:

They had been with the walkers but finally cut out and came to find us. I guess the walking group was quite pokey. You can only imagine — with 10,000 people!

So that’s that! My first race. And now I can cross one more item off my bucket list.

How about you? Have you ever run a 5K?

And how did you spend Thanksgiving Day? I hope it was full of food and family, as was mine.

I can’t believe I’m saying that. I have never kept up any form of exercise for more than 3 or 4 months, but I have now been running somewhat consistently for 2 years? Maybe 3? I don’t even remember when I started.

I don’t run as often or as fast or as long as I’d like, but I’m still getting my bootie out there, and that’s what counts, right?? This morning I ran 3 miles in 30 minutes — a new record for me. WOO!

I’m not really into it for time and speed, and I try to keep my expectations low. I don’t want to lose the fun of it. I say “run” because it makes me feel athletic and powerful — two things which I am certainly NOT — but truthfully it is jogging with a bit of walking thrown in there. At any rate, I’m still going strong.

One of the biggest incentives to get out there is having new music on my playlist. I try to change it up often. Here’s what I’m running to right now. I’d love to get some suggestions to replace some of the songs that are starting to get tired.

Warning: not all of these songs are family friendly. I choose music for this playlist that has a beat that gets me moving, and that is my only criteria. So, with that said, here it is.

What music do you have on your exercise playlist???

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It didn’t take much to convince me, as I’ve never cared much for boxed breakfast cereals myself. As a child, I thought they all tasted the same (which, they do, if you pay attention — as an adult, I have determined that it must be the synthetic vitamins they fill them with) and I preferred other breakfast cuisine.

When I bought cereal, I always bought fairly “healthy” cereals, with the occasional box of Lucky Charms for a special treat. But as I started reading up on our food system and what actually goes into breakfast cereals and how they’re made, I came to the conclusion that at best, they aren’t very nutritious, and at worst, they could be harmful. So I immediately stopped buying them, much to the distress of my children.

There are several issues with boxed breakfast cereals.

1) grains and sugar content

2) fortified with synthetic vitamins

3) GMOs

4) extrusion process

I’ll break it down for those of you who might not have spent hours researching the dubious nutritional benefits of boxed breakfast cereals.

Grains & Sugar

The jury is still out on how much grain we should consume, if at all, but I’m pretty sure that most of us eat too much of it. My kids take sandwiches to lunch almost every day, and at night we often have rice with our dinner. So I figure if I can get protein and even veggies into them at breakfast, rather than more grain, they will be better off for it.

And also? The sugar content in cereals is out the roof – even healthyish cereals are high in sugar, which is the last thing a child needs in the morning before going off to school.

If I AM going to serve a carbolicious breakfast, I would prefer it to be homemade waffles or french toast with homemade bread. Why not a bowl of cereal? Read on.

Fortified

I am highly skeptical of the habit the food industry has of fortifying denatured foods with synthetic vitamins and minerals. If there are no nutritional benefits there to begin with, then why bother? (I know, it’s quick and easy, and, well, people like it!) But think about it. Our bodies aren’t designed to assimilate synthetic vitamins, and we probably eliminate them as soon as we ingest them. (This is why I try to buy food-based vitamins, not synthetic ones.)

Plus, food that is otherwise dead and totally denatured and then fortified with vitamins and minerals give a false sense of security. You THINK you are getting the nutrients you need, when in fact, you are getting chemically enhanced junk.

PLUS ALSO. Your body needs fat to absorb vitamins, and what do most people put on their boxed cereal? Skim milk. At LEAST if you’re going to eat boxed cereal, put some whole milk on it. (You know I had to get a plug for whole milk in there somewhere!)

Basically, it comes back to this. You are much better off getting your nutrients from nature, as they come in whole foods. Your body will assimilate them better, and there are other benefits to real food beyond the nutrient content, like enzymes and good bacterias. Boxed cereal is a dead food. But feeding your body and brain with eggs and meat and vegetables at breakfast time will power your body and mind for most of the day.

GMOs

Unless your cereal is organic, it most likely contains genetically modified corn and soy ingredients. Even Kashi has had to admit that their cereals may contain GMOs. I’d just rather steer clear of that hot mess. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about when I say GMO, read this. I don’t know how reliable that site is, but the information explained pretty much sums up what I’ve learned from a variety of sources.)

Extrusion

Extrusion is the process by which they make cereal into those cute little shapes. Some say the extrusion process destroys nutrients and creates toxicity.

In his book Fighting the Food Giants, Paul Stitt has tells us that the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

In addition to all that, read this article, Puffed Grains and Breakfast Cereals, should we eat them? by Sally Fallon. Now, grain of salt. HAHAHA. No pun intended. Sally Fallon is brilliant but I like to balance her information with other sources. Still, I think this experiment is fascinating.

Researchers at Ann Arbor University were given 18 laboratory rats. They were divided into three groups: one group received corn flakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the corn flakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the corn flakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The last corn flake rat died the day the first box rat died.) But before death, the corn flake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. The startling conclusion of this study is that there was more nourishment in the box than there was in the corn flakes.

I don’t know why the results from this study weren’t published – perhaps there were issues with the validity. Or perhaps the company didn’t want the information out there and found a way to bury it. I don’t know. But if it’s anywhere near true, it certainly gives you pause! (I also want to know why a similar study hasn’t been conducted. How hard would that be? I’d do it myself if I weren’t so wigged out by rats.)

So there you have it.

My Conclusions

I am still pretty adamant about not buying breakfast cereals. It was an easy line for me to draw, I guess. But I have lamented about my Breakfast Woes, and sometimes I wonder if I am being too legalistic about the breakfast cereal issue. My kids actually beg for Kashi’s Heart to Heart. I KNOW. But as healthy as it might sound, Kashi is not organic, and they are rumored to use GMO ingredients. See #3 above. And it is probably also extruded (see #4), as that is the only way to make those adorable hearts. Plus it has high amounts of soy, and I’m pretty much anti-soy these days. But I digress.

My point in writing this post is not to cast judgement on those who choose to buy boxed cereals, nor is it to make anyone feel guilty or like less of a mom. PLEASE KNOW that I am so not where I want to be when it comes to my family’s eating habits. This is just one area that is do-able for me so I stick to it (for the most part.)

Since reading Real Food and Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, our eating habits have evolved. But only to a point.

I WANT to be one of those die-hard real food types who make everything from scratch, sprout grains, brew kombucha, and raise chickens; but I just am not that person. I’m a wanna be. We have had to prioritize our commitments because I have come to the conclusion that I do not want to devote the time and effort to living that lifestyle, even though I do believe it is optimal.

I am adamant about some things — making my own bread (for the most part, we have to pick up a loaf here and there when I have a busy week); buying locally grown and hormone free meats and eggs; buying raw milk raised locally without chemicals; using coconut oil, butter, lard or olive oil rather than vegetable oils; buying organic produce whenever possible… but there is a limit to the things I will do.

Notice, I say will and not can’t. We all CAN do it. But not all of us WILL (I know I won’t!) and I’m okay with that.

We have lots of boxed snackfoods in our cabinets, for instance. I usually buy organic to avoid GMOs and superfluous ingredients that I can’t pronounce, but they are still dead foods that we have on hand for convenience, not for their nutritional benefits.

Also? I confess that I run through the Chick-Fil-A drive through from time to time. I KNOW. Just keeping it real, yo.

There are plenty of other things I buy and eat that are not optimal. (Like, HELLO. Halloween candy much??) This is real life I’m living here, and it’s not always perfect.

So while I admit, the breakfast cereal thing is not a hill to die on, it is a line I’ve drawn for our household. If it’s a line you choose to draw as well, here are some better choices for breakfast.

Alternatives to Breakfast Cereal

Cheese Strata

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Egg Nog

Gluten-Free Homemade Granola

Ham ‘n’ Cheese Egg Bake

Oatmeal Pancakes

Refrigerator Apple Bran Muffins

Sausage Scramble

Spinach, Bacon, Egg and Cheese Omelette

For all my recipes, check out my Recipe Index!

Also, Lydia has a great list of 40 Healthy Breakfast Ideas.

If you’re interested in knowing more about whole foods and how to eat a more traditional diet, you can also read what I jokingly call My Whole Foods Conversion Story, which is peppered with links to various posts I wrote along my journey.