We have a dilemma, my husband and I. We are getting tired of
the eating regimen we have adopted out of necessity; that is, having to eat
more dried (including grains) and frozen foods because the closest place to buy
organic (or at least, chemical-free) food is two and a half hours, either north
or south.
We are both sick of grains. I would strongly prefer a mostly
raw Paleo-ish diet, but we have been eating grains for lunch, and DH has been
additionally eating them for snacks. The only grains our son will eat without
complaining are sweet brown rice, oats, and Ezekiel 4:9 bread.
Even without muscle testing, I know that my ideal diet is
one that does not include grains – not because of having read any books,
although I have, but going by how I feel after eating a plate of grains. Muscle
testing does, however, confirm the fact. While I can be healthy eating a
limited amount of grains a day, my ideal diet would nix them
altogether.
I am also sick of cooked eggs, and all Mr. Picky (AKA our
son) wants is sweet things (AKA fruit and fresh milk, at least in this
household which is managed by a health nut). The egg issue is easily remedied:
I can put raw yolks in my smoothie and toss the whites, like I used to do.
Giving up grains and replacing them with more fresh
(not frozen or dehydrated) fruits and vegetables is a bit trickier. We need to
start going to the local farmer’s market, but the nearest one is a
thirty-minute drive away. I did not move out into fresh air with the idea of
adding more pollution to the environment by having to drive more in order to
get healthy food.
The long-term plan
Within three years, between the large garden and a small but
intensely-managed orchard, we should not have to depend on anyone else to
supply us with fresh produce. I even plan, by then, to be growing our own mung
beans and lentils to sprout and eat raw in salads.
But three years is a long time. And except for Ezekiel 4:9
bread, DH would rather not continue to eat grains for meals and/or snacks for
that long. I dare not even eat the bread, as the gluten gets to me (yes, Matt
Stone, even if I eat it every day for several weeks to try to force my body to
adapt to it).
Raw milk would be a great substitute for grain (if you can
forget how much more expensive the former is), but I cannot tolerate the
lactose (yes, Matt Stone, I have tried making my body adapt to that, too -
you try being a pre-menopausal woman with a sensitive digestive
system).
So, what is a health-conscious family living out in the
middle of nowhere to do in order to obtain chemical-free produce?
Compromise
We have decided to sacrifice a couple of mornings a month,
get up super early, and drink smoothies in the car on the way to a farmer’s
market. I can keep most things fresh for two weeks; certain items such as stone
fruits I can freeze. I don’t mind frozen, as long as it’s fresh when I buy it and
I freeze it while it’s raw.
I am never happy about getting into a car and driving so
much – our gas bill will go up, too – but I am much less happy with being
confined to a semi-vegan, mostly cooked
diet. Besides, it’s only for the next two or three years.
The moral
When you set out to drastically change your lifestyle, you
have to allow for a long transitional period. You may have to bend your
personal standards, especially if you’re a perfectionist like me.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither has any homestead
ever been. I choose to enjoy the relative freedom we have, thank God that wecan afford to do what we’re doing, and bend my
rules a little so that we can really enjoy ourselves when we sit down to fuel
up.
