Big Changes

Our lives have changed profoundly over the last couple of weeks: we've made a complete diet change. And no, I'm not talking gluten free. (I don't even meet with the GI doc until tomorrow.)

The day after my last post, the Dancing Queen saw her cardiologist because of all of the symptoms I've been noticing (swelling, pain, coughing with exertion).  The cardiologist had no explanation and decided we needed to cut out any extra sodium from DQ's diet.  DQ wasn't placed on a low sodium diet, but we were instructed to cut out any needlessly salty (sodium-filled foods), such as processed foods or restaurant foods.

I was very angry in hearing because I felt it was a cop out and, in the end, it didn't help with DQ's symptoms. What it did help with is convincing the kids of the changes I had been trying to implement in our family over the last couple of months. Since I had DQ's cardiologist explain directly to DQ that she had to make the change, the message sunk in.

The biggest change to our lives is not eating out as frequently. It is so difficult to find the time to cook a meal and make sure the kids still get to bed on time, especially when you throw in a doctor's appointment after school (and we're still burnt out on crock pot dinner). But, we've been working on no dinners out.

Since we don't really eat canned soups or processed cheese and the Mad Scientist tends to make most dinners from scratch, there wasn't a lot of change there. However, we did have to cut out canned beans--a staple in our house. We used canned beans in everything from soups, sauces, chili, burritos. Those are a go to for a working mom or dad looking to make a homemade meal since they were already cooked, high in protein, and not fatty like meat.

So, I have spent the last two Sundays soaking and cooking beans. We've made our own refried beans (well, they're not fried, but smooth and perfect for mexican fair).  Soaked beans for chili. And today, I've made tomato sauce from whole tomatoes (rather than canned) for a lower sodium lasagna (thanks to the lady in the store who gave DQ a sample and hooked her on the idea). We also have beans soaking to make our own hummus. 

So, what exactly is the profound change? The way we think about food. The Mad Scientist and I took this opportunity to further instill in the kids the importance of good healthy foods. We've always believed that fresh is best, but now we're placing fresh as a priority rather than a luxury. It takes a TON more time (which is precious to us), but we're all worth it. All you've got is your health. I want my family healthy. If that means I spend my weekend soaking beans, so be it.