My New Goals in Eating:

As with any project I take on, I made some realistic goals.

For myself:
1. Significantly reduce gluten (later I pretty much eliminated, realizing I was much more intolerant to gluten than I thought, but that's another story)
2. Eliminate processed foods, meaning eat foods in their most natural forms
3. Eat protein with every meal and snack

For my family:
1. Take gluten out of snacks.
2. Eliminate processed foods
3. Give them less carbs from bread (pretty close to number 1)

So why would I give up all these foods?  I really didn't give up anything.  I found healthier substitutes, they leave me feeling better.  I found I actually enjoy eating these foods more.  I have not spent more money on groceries either since I am substituting new foods for less the healthy alternatives I use to buy.  I've also noticed a change in my children's behavior too.  They are happier and less temperamental.  With the addition of protein in every meal and snack I don't get the sugar crashes between meals and snacks and I'm pretty sure my kids don't either. 

Of course, it would be way too overwhelming to change everything at once.  So, I made a small goal each week, changing just a few foods, taking as long as I need to completely convert to achieve all my goals.  I will admit, that first trip to the store I felt a bit out of my comfort zone.  I am a typical sale shopper, coupon cutter.  These foods don't often go on sale or have coupons, so I realized I had to be a bit more creative.  I began buying foods I had never bought before and for much more than I typically paid for those types of foods.  But, the key was, I left a lot of foods off my list, making the total price equivalent when I went to check out.  But, I was a bit anxious leaving some "comfort" foods behind.  Later I found I enjoyed my new foods much more as they were delicious and left me feeling great and not hungry for longer periods of time.