It's very difficult to eat healthy these days.

It's very difficult to eat healthy these days. I've almost given up finding healthy foods in the big shops. I'm growing my own veggies now and try to do source everything else from undisturbed nature. You have all these refined foods, like refined carbohydrates and refined sugars that only fills your stomach and make you believe that you have eaten something, when in fact you are only fooling yourself. Refined carbohydrates are devoid of almost all nutrients, because of all the 'polishing' to make it appeal better to the consumer. The consumer is much to blame for this in being finicky about the appearance or the consistent taste, that all the methods used to satisfy the consumer renders the food almost useless and sometimes simply dangerous.

In your daily diet of consuming food.. Do you think you stick to a good diet and think you eat healthy?

Or are you having trouble eating the daily nutrients of food? Are you planning to eat healthy soon because you fear for your health?

Tell us on your eating habit and how healthy you think you are eating these days!

Is there anything more delicious than the taste of the fruit of your own labors?

Today is the 29th of September. I have beautiful squash plants growing, and some decent lettuce seeing as how it’s hot here. I have a few good herbs, BUT I have creatures who are eating all of the tomatoes. I decided yesterday that if they want them, they can have them. I planted more flowers and nurtured what is still "mine". This garden is better than the last one, which is the goal, but sharing all of the food was not part of the plan. Still the joy comes from planting and working in the dirt, so I guess we’re all winning.

My homemade eggnog pie

I have loved eggnog pie since I was a kid, but I’d only ever had it from the cartons in the dairy aisle. I’d never had fresh, homemade eggnog pie before. Until Sunday night. My wife and I put up our little fake tree, put on the Christmas carols, and I made eggnog pie (courtesy of a recipe from Alton Brown’s Good Eats). It was AMAZING.

I think I probably over-beat the egg whites, but other than that, it’s GLORIOUS. (I also changed the bourbon to spiced rum; I’m a rum man. And it was great.) It’s got a lot of ingredients to remember, but I think if I make it another couple of times I should have it down. And if not, well, Christmas is only once a year: I think I can be forgiven for having to look it up!

I picked this goal for my 101 in 1001 list

I picked this goal for my 101 in 1001 list, but then I realized that "learn to mix drinks" isn’t really very measurable. I have since decided that this goal will mean the following:

Be able to mix 30 different drinks from memory, 10 of which my wife likes.

Because if I’m going to mix drinks, I’m going to need to learn some important ones that I’ll actually use once or twice a year.

My wife likes these drinks

I’m going through quite a few tastings and trials during the summer vacation, because this is a time with: (a) a lot of time off and (b) a lot of opportunities to pour drinks for me and my friends.

I’ve tried a few horrible, horrible drinks (the Horse’s Neck? UGH), but a few that were good enough to stick in my memory and remain on the list:

Black Russian (2 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahlua, in an old-fashioned glass over ice)
White Russian (1.5 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahlua, 2 oz cream, in an old-fashioned glass over ice)

These two are drinks my wife likes, with a few alterations (a little more creme de cacao in the Brandy Alexander, a little more cream/milk in both), so that’s filling up nicely as well!

[3rd Week] I’ve gone three weeks now without any soft drinks.

I’ve gone three weeks now without any soft drinks. I don’t feel as crappy as I did when I first came off them, but I don’t feel the benefits I thought I would either. Maybe I need some more time for my metabolism to regulate.

I’m marking this as done though, because three weeks is a good marker, and I feel confident that I can avoid them mostly for the rest of my life. My only issue is the use of a mixer. For this purpose, I may permit myself a splash of sugar free cola, but I haven’t really decided yet.

I’m going to keep adding new goals aimed at helping increase my energy and quality of sleep.

[2nd Week] Today my throat has felt about 80% bearable

Wow, if you thought last week was bad, this is like Week One: The Motion Picture. I’ve developed tonsillitis about two weeks after having flu and was told today that it’s probably due to giving up soft drinks because removing an addiction weakens the immune system.

Today my throat has felt about 80% bearable, meaning I haven’t wanted to curl up and scream for most of the day, but I’ve also got this pounding headache on top of it which is refusing to go away.

Come on pain gods, do your worst.

[1st week] Almost a full week with no carbonated, sugary beverage.

Almost a full week with no carbonated, sugary beverage. I feel like total crap and I’m only just starting to get breaks in my near constant headache. Although this is compounded by a bout of the flu I’m recovering from.

Mostly, I’m getting through it by telling myself that the reason I feel so bad is because of the soft drinks, so drinking them is just going to bring the problems back.

Also, I’m paying close attention to all my physical symptoms. Working out when I’m really thirsty and finding what will alleviate that. Soothing my headaches with the right painkillers, moderately taken.

I’ve been drinking some kind of Cola almost every day without fail for about ten years, with a break at one point of about three weeks. And it seems quite horrifying when I think of it like that. I just don’t want to be a slave to anything. I want my actions to be my own choice, my own responsibility.