To our knowledge, no wheat is grown in the vicinity, and that means no more bread for us.  We have now gone 3 ½ weeks without it, even though we have 3 slices remaining in the freezer, being saved for a rainy day. The toaster was the only appliance in the kitchen that connected us to our bread-eating days. As I was cleaning it I found crumbs from English muffins, frozen waffles, tortillas and bread.  A big part of our eating history was trapped inside.

For decades we have attempted to cut back on our bread consumption to support our weight training diet, but we have never been able to succeed.  Bread was a comfort food, one that we ate when we were hungry, tired, anxious, or just plain bored.  If it was around, bread was toasted, buttered and devoured.  We were addicted to it…but who isn’t?

It took the challenge of eating only locally grown food to break this pattern.  Knowing that there was no wheat in the area made it easier to accept that we didn’t have any choice but to stop consuming it.  There was a real commitment this time around.  This was more than a superficial desire to lose weight.  The motivations are deeper, more meaningful, driven by a purpose to eat local fresh food that will ultimately support our local farmers.

I have to confess, this change has not been easy.  Replacing my protein bars in the morning and afternoon with fresh fruit has been harder than I anticipated.  For the past 10 years I’ve had a protein bar and coffee/tea for breakfast.  Being a working mom, I ate them on the run.  The difference now is that I am learning to slow down in the mornings and sit at the table with my family for a full meal of eggs and potatoes. 

Eating eggs was a challenge in itself.  I do not like egg whites, but for my workout program I’m required to eat more protein than a sedentary person in order to maintain muscle mass.  The breakfast requirement for this program is the equivalent of 4 egg whites.  Slowly, each week I have been introducing an egg at a time and I am now up to 3 eggs.

Controlling our cravings for something sweet has been another challenge.  The protein bars were always handy when those cravings would hit.  I had to adjust my diet even more by introducing fresh seasonal fruit to compensate for the afternoon snacks that I was no longer having.  But my body was screaming for sweets!

Things that were not appealing to me in the past are now objects of desire, like the 7-month old chocolate bar I have sitting in the refrigerator. Everyone in the house wants a piece of it, stale or not.

The first week that we eliminated all processed food from our diets, Adrian and I saw a drop in weight, and with it came headaches, feelings of lightheadedness and dizziness.  We were so tired at the end of the day that we felt like we couldn’t function any more. However, in the mornings I will spring out of bed, feeling rested and full of energy.  At night, even if we eat large servings of vegetables and meat, we don’t feel overstuffed or bloated.  Furthermore, we don’t have to worry about counting calories at every meal, it’s liberating.

It was evident that the changes were happening inside and out. First our bodies reacted to the lack of sugar, but when it was stabilized again, we regained our energy.  For the first time in our lives, we are fueling our bodies solely on wholesome, fresh foods.

We are free from the Standard American Diet (SAD), and have broken our umbilical cords from the processed food industry (who continually provide products loaded with fat, salt and sugars). We have taken charge of locating and picking our own food and serving our family nourishing meals. And by buying our food directly from farms and farmers markets, we are voting with our dollars to support real, sustainable foods.

I won’t need my toaster for a while.  It has already been stored, waiting for its next time to shine. In the meantime, we have made room on our kitchen counter for new possibilities.