It’s okay to Go slow…
With Grocery Shopping; When we first started our Unrefining Project, grocery shopping took about 4x as long. Every label was scrutinized, gram of sugar counted, and unfamiliar ingredient searched. Just going for one item became an arduous process.
But it was worth it. And, after a while, we got more familiar with the process and understood ingredients and labels to the point that we could decipher if a product followed the principles or not in seconds instead of minutes. If you find yourself in a small puddle in the bread aisle, don’t worry. It’s both normal and, thankfully, temporary. Slow and steady is the key here.
With Your Pantry; It’s unlikely that you are starting with nothing in your fridge or pantry, but that doesn’t mean you have to clear everything out to get going. Instead, use them as normal and swap them out for the real, healthier version when you’ve run out. Or, go ahead and clean out the ingredients you don’t want. That’s okay too!
The point here is to go as fast or slow as makes you comfortable. It’s more important to be able to commit fully, no matter how long it takes, than to transition quickly. If you have a lot of junk food, sodas, or sugary foods, maybe throw away as much as you can and have a slow detox if that’s what it takes.
With Your Family and Friends; We were lucky in that both of us were on board from the first moment we discussed it, but that doesn’t happen with every couple or family. For whatever reasons, you might be the only one in your family or friends who wants to take on the Unrefining Project. Not everyone gets on board quickly or sees that the food they are eating and lifestyle they are living is bad. Remember, even though we were on the same page from the start, it took CANCER to get started! Just reading a blog like ours, reading a book, or watching a documentary may not be enough…yet.
If that’s the case for you and you aren’t having luck getting your group on board, then don’t let that stop you from changing for yourself. You may convince your group just by the progress in mood, appearance, health, and other outward results that come with it, but its better to have those benefits yourself even it doesn’t convince them.
If you’re the grocery shopper or cook for your house, you can simply start substituting ingredients or products one by one. We know several moms who have made the same meals but with real ingredients and the household loved the new real version or didn’t notice. If your house is used to eating a lot of junk food, that will not be as easy. But, again, changing slowly is way better for your family than never changing or, worse, starting and reverting.
Also, if you haven’t bought 100 Days of Real Food, do it now. Her recipes are easy, delicious, and family tested!
With Yourself; One thing we determined quickly is that this is a lifestyle, not a diet. One bad meal will not kill you any more than one good meal will save your life. Food trends and fads tend to generate unbendable rules that, broken once, ruin any progress. This is not that kind of program!
We operate with an 80/20 rule – 80% (or more) of the time we eat and live unrefined and 20% (or less) of the time we allow for a variation in the rules. This isn’t so that we can cheat so much as it keeps us from worrying too much when we go out to restaurants, visit friends and family, or travel outside of our means to stay on target. Give yourself a margin and it will not only save your sanity, but your friends will thank you for it as well.
Next, time to do a Chemical Detox!
