.currently researching: clean eating.

Sometimes something happens to someone you love that makes you take a good look at your life (and even things you have been struggling with but have yet to overcome) and gives you the immediate motivation to change for good. Recently, my mom endured gallbladder removal surgery after years and years of pain and discomfort that she had always assumed to be Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Her gallbladder was absolutely rotted, inflamed and hard as a piece of wood, according to the doctor. Do you know what causes a gallbladder to go bad? Your diet.

Greasy, fatty foods -- yep, they're terrible. But think about all the processed "food" we put into our body on a daily basis. Chemicals and ingredients we've never heard of and likely can't pronounce. If we knew how much MSG was hidden in the foods we buy at the grocery store, we would be shocked. Even food that is marketed as "healthy" is often anything but. It's actually quite overwhelming when you start thinking about it!

It got me to thinking - what have I been putting in my body? And if it's not natural ingredients, how does my body know how to process it?

Before I go any further, let me say, I promise I'm not going all "crunchy" on you. But I know without a doubt I need to make changes in my eating habits and what I'm fueling my body with.

I'm talking a lot more fresh fruits and veggies. Replacing white flour with whole wheat flour. Buying blocks of cheese to shred myself as opposed to buying bags of shredded cheese. 

Basically, I'm going to start paying much better attention to the ingredients in something, and the less that are listed, the more likely I'll buy it.

This new way of thinking about grocery shopping and eating habits has led me to research clean eating in attempt to determine which elements I can practically incorporate into my life (and which I will leave for all the "crunchy" folks to obsess over).

One website I've been studying lately is The Gracious Pantry.

It appears to be a great source for a beginner like myself. She offers links to explain what clean eating is, recipes, grocery lists, and ingredient substitution suggestions.

We recently got a Fresh Market. Up to this point, I have only been inside it once, and that was to explore. I'm looking forward to going again, armed with a purpose, to explore the aisles with new-found interest and knowledge of what I'm looking for.

Wish me luck as I explore this new way of life!

Here's to a healthier future.