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I love the idea of getting “more nutrient bang for caloric buck.” I love thinking about food in terms of nutrients, and it feels good to know I am doing something positibe for my health by simply being mindful of the nutrients my food contains.
I have been eating this way for almost 3 years now. It was a gradual change, but especially over the last 2 years, I have been pretty close to being a vegetarian/vegan. I never knew what to call myself until reading Dr. Fuhrman’s Book– Eat To Live. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Dr. Fuhrman has so much knowledge and his words are easy to read and absorb.
Most of the recipes I now feature at the blog reflect the change in our eating habits. My whole family is now eating this way, which happened slowly and over time. With my kids, it truly was educating them as to why I eat the way I do, and they have slowly adapted the changes themselves. When we are home, we eat Nutritarian. When we go to others homes or out to eat as a family we eat more “normal.” When Todd and I go out on dates, we prefer places that allow us to eat Nutritarian. It it crazy how tastes buds change– we have found that we prefer whole, natural, high-nutrient foods.
Other resources that have highly influenced my way of eating:
Forks Over Knives by Gene Stone
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn
The Engine2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn
So…again…what is a Nutritarian?
~They eat lots of high-nutrient, natural plan foods. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts & seeds.
~They eat fewer animal products and choose healthier versions of these foods.
~They eat much less or almost no foods that are empty of nutrients: sugar, sweeteners, white flour, processed foods & greasy fast foods.
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Got questions for me regarding the Nutritarian lifestyle? Ask away! It may spur on more posts in this series.
About Michelle, the Author of The Repurposed & Upcycled Life
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Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse
Goal Setting & Reflection Date
December 2012
Goal
Invest in the social and emotional health and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2013. The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book. The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice. Specific goals include:
Goal Status
Partially Completed
Thoughts – UPDATED
Amy & I have identified the books we will read together and discuss in 2013. The goal was to select two books, but we ended up choosing three.
The marriage book we will read is Love & Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs. I don’t know much about the book, but Amy has friends who recommended it and she liked the parts she came across while browsing through it.
We also chose two additional books to read together both on the subject of nutrition. Both are written by Dr. Fuhrman.
Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician, best-selling author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He is the father (creator) of nutritarian eating. A key component of nutritarian eating is the Health Longevity Equation which he also created.
H (Health) = N (Nutrients) / C (Calories)
The first nutrition book we chose to read is Eat To Live. This is the first book Dr. Fuhrman wrote and I wanted to start at the beginning to understand the foundational theory and evidence behind his approach to nutrition.
The second nutrition book we chose is Super Immunity. This is Dr. Fuhrman’s most recent book and focuses on foods that offer the most nutritional benefit according to his Health Longevity Equation.
The first book provides theory and evidence on why nutritarian eating is the most effective way to eat. The second book provides clear advice on the most healthy foods.
We will read and discuss one chapter each week. On weeks we go on a date we will discuss the book over dinner at a restaurant or coffee shop. On weeks we stay home we will discuss the book on a Friday or Saturday night before we start a movie. We will both highlight parts of the books we consider important and want to share or discuss.
Thoughts – ORIGINAL
This goal has become a yearly tradition and one that has proven to be very beneficial to our marriage.
Strong marriages don’t just happen by accident. They need to be nurtured through commitment and sacrifice.
Reading a marriage book together is an opportunity to prioritize our marriage. It will allow us to focus on what is important to keep our marriage strong. Reading a second book of Amy’s choice is an opportunity to enter Amy’s world. It is an opportunity to learn what is important to her and show her I care about the details of her life.
In future posts I will share the books we chose and some things I learned from each selection.
Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1
Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Purposeful Living Outline
Correct Priority
Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse (Social & Emotional Health)
Goal Setting & Reflection Date
February 2012
Goal
Invest in the social and emotional health of my wife and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2012. The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book. The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice. Specific goals include:
Goal Status
Completed
Thoughts
It took the entire year, but Amy & finished reading and discussing The Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman. This is a book I needed to read. Below is a summary of what I learned.
Most interesting is the idea that each love language has various dialects that differ from person to person. It is not enough for me to know that Amy’s primary love language is Words of Affirmation. I also need to know what specific words are most meaningful to her. I need to understand her dialect.
Through discussion I learned very specifically how I can best affirm and encourage Amy. She doesn’t need me to notice and affirm her in every area of her life. But she does appreciate it when I notice and affirm her in the areas she values most.
I also learned that there are different kinds of affirmation. This love language includes verbal compliments, encouraging words, kind words, and humble words.
{Words Of Affirmation Do Not Have To Be Elaborate or Complicated}
I especially resonated with the idea of kind words. This has to do with the manner in which we speak. There are times in a marriage when it is appropriate to communicate hurt, pain, or even anger. But even these items should be communicated in a kind manner as an expression of love.
I desire to make kindness a principle not only in my own life, but to see it become a part of our family culture. An attitude of kindness should permeate all of our communication.
In addition to Words of Affirmation, I also asked Amy to explain her “dialect” in the other four love languages as well. I now have a long list of very specific ways in which I can demonstrate love for her in a way that is meaningful to her.
I have set some specific goals to improve in all of the five love languages over the coming year, specifically in the area of affirmation. The end of each chapter in the book lists great ideas and I chose some of these to implement.
But I won’t embarrass Amy by sharing specifics. Suffice it to know that this is a priority for me in 2013.
Thoughts – ORIGINAL
The marriage book we will be reading is The Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman. My plan was to allow Amy to select the book, but instead I decided this is the book we needed to read. Rather, it is the book I need to read. I know Amy’s primary love language (Words Of Affirmation), but I still stink at it. I am hoping that reading the book will allow me additional insight regarding how to do a better job of showing love in a way that is not natural for me.
Thoughts – ORIGINAL
The first couple years of our marriage Amy & I read a marriage book together as a New Year’s Resolution. By year three we discontinued this tradition and I’m not sure we have read a book together since. It is easy to get lazy in marriage (especially for men).
During some reflection and goal setting focused on my wife I decided it was time to bring this tradition back.
Strong marriages don’t just happen by accident. They need to be nurtured through commitment and sacrifice.
Reading a marriage book together is an opportunity to prioritize our marriage. It will allow us to focus on what is important to keep our marriage strong.
Reading a second book of Amy’s choice is an opportunity to enter Amy’s world. It is an opportunity to learn what is important to her and show her I care about the details of her life.
Reading a marriage book with Amy won’t by itself lead to a perfect marriage. Reading a book of Amy’s choice won’t by itself patch over all the times I failed to take interest in her day. But they are steps in the right direction. And lots of little steps will eventually get us where we want to go.
In future posts I will share the books we chose and some things I learned from each selection. It might be a few weeks before this goal is completely finished, but I am committed to getting this done this year.
Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1
Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Purposeful Living Outline
Links To Additional Posts In This Series
Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 1
Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 2
Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 3
Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 4
I’m super excited to tell you all about this awesome ebook I just finished reading. I have been in bed most of the day, not feeling quite myself. It DID give me time to catch up on reading, and after reading Clean Mama’s ebook I am SUPER eager to get up out of this bed and take steps to PULL MYSELF TOGETHER!
I don’t know about you, but once the New Year hits, I am always ready to pack up all the Christmas decorations and get my organization on! This year, I really enjoyed the holidays, to the point where I really ignored this house. Now it is such a mess that I feel a bit overwhelmed with where to start…or should I say…”felt” overwhelmed. After reading Clean Mama’s new ebook, I have the tools I need to tackle this house and pull it together! I will be taking photos and sharing my organization progress with you on the blog. Can’t wait for you all to see my nasty ‘before’ pictures!
Do you want to join me? Then keep reading, this is step one! Clean Mama makes it so simple and easy, and will give us you the motivation, just as it did me. Let me introduce you to Clean Mama’s new ebook…
*This post may contain affiliate links.
If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.
Goal
I need to always be reading one life giving book focused on growing in my relationship with God. Specifically, I need to develop a process for identifying great books to read.
Goal Status
Completed
Thoughts – UPDATED
I spent a couple weeks after setting this goal looking through my library of books at home, doing some internet searches, and getting book suggestions from others.
Nothing peaked my interest until I came across a book I read years ago in college – The Pursuit Of Godby A.W. Tozer. Apart from the Bible this is the most influential book I have ever read.
I was excited because he has written many books of the exact type I am looking for. I want to grow in my relationship with God. There are few people write about this topic more passionately and profoundly than Tozer.
After browsing through all of his books I selected Man: The Dwelling Place of God by A. W. Tozer as the next book I will read to supplement my Bible reading. As an added bonus the Kindle version of this book was only $.99 on Amazon.
The first paragraph of the Introduction to this book is fantastic and I want to share it with you below.
Thoughts – ORIGINAL
I’ve been reading through the entire Bible over the last couple of years which has been a great use of my time. But I also want to supplement that reading with literature focused on nurturing my personal relationship with Him.
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Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1
Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Purposeful Living Outline