There have been so many things going on lately that I find it hard to believe that tomorrow is October! How did that happen? The collegiate chapter of my sorority that I advise is back in full swing at UNL, work continues to be busy and provide new challenges each and every day, I have a new nephew (YAY!), I'm still running a lot......um.....er.....well......
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Okay so I haven't been running all that much. I ran the Lincoln Half for the second time this year and the same thing happened that I went through last year. Train, train, train, half marathon and then.....nothing. I lose a lot of motivation in the summer and our lovely Nebraska heat and humidity doesn't help matters. This was brought to my attention a couple weeks ago when I attempted to run a 10K and it just went poorly. I still had fun - don't get me wrong - and a week later I ran a 5K where I set a PR for that race, but I found myself left with some disappointment that I hadn't stayed in shape and in good running condition.
So after hearing a friend talk about a new food challenge she was going to take on, I became curious and read through the material she had posted on her Facebook page. The challenge? Eat nothing but unprocessed foods for the month of October. The October Unprocessed 2013 Challenge asks you to look at your food differently. Not necessarily cut out specific things or eat fewer calories or whatnot, it's not that type of diet, but instead to make better choices about the food you are putting in your body and getting rid of the chemicals and additives that are so prevalent in our processed foods. It's a return to eating natural, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and protein.
What is great about this challenge is that it allows you to make it work for you and your family (or you know, just you and whatever friends will eat your unprocessed cooking). If there is something you need to make an exception for - that's okay - but they stress that it's important to make these exceptions at the start - and not in the middle just because you REALLY want to eat something. For example, they mentioned a woman who was training for a marathon and allowed herself to have sports drinks and gels (pretty well processed no matter what brand you try) because it was necessary for her training. For me, I will make an exception when I have to eat dinner at the house on Monday nights. Not because they use a lot of processed ingredients, but because I know I don't have a lot of control over which parts of that are processed and which aren't. And I will make an exception for Starbucks if for no other reason than I have to maintain my Gold status (in my defense, coffee is unprocessed - lattes and Caramel Apple Spice - not so much).
I've started to look for recipes but I've found that there aren't a lot of "unprocessed" recipes out there and for good reason. You can find a way to convert almost any recipe to use unprocessed ingredients so I'm eager to try some of my favorites in a healthier way! One recipe I'm really excited to make for my lunches this month is this Southwest Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing.
Along the way I hope to keep you posted on recipes, struggles, and triumphs. I know it won't be perfect, but my goal is to at the very least eliminate the blatantly processed foods like boxed or frozen dinners, sweets, and other overly preserved foods. And if you're feeling adventurous - I invite you to join me in this challenge!
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