A New Year, A New Start

The beginning of a new year is a time when most people reconsider their diet and resolve to make improvements.

Like the rest of you, I too decided that I needed to make some healthier lifestyle changes. So, of course, I took action. I pinned more healthy recipes and exercise routines on Pintrest. Good to go, right?

Come on, people! Let's take real action this year! In addition to my pinning, I also watched a great documentary called "Chow Down." In this documentary, it showed that you can actually reverse heart disease and other illnesses just by adopting a plant based diet! I was amazed and encouraged at this information.
But, I was even more surprised at the comments of some participants in the documentary. They were complaining that eating healthy costs WAY more than eating junk food, that it doesn't taste as good, and that it takes significantly longer to prepare.

I couldn't disagree with these three statements more. So, out of my protest, the idea for this blog was born.

IT CAN BE DONE, PEOPLE!

You can maintain a healthy diet that is delicious, affordable, and doable. And I'll prove it to you.

But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Meriana and I am not a nutritionist or a dietitian or anything like that. I'm an English major and a preschool teacher. So, I'm not prescribing a lifestyle for anyone. However, I am describing a system that works for me! Maybe you'll try it too!

Neither am I a financial guru. However, I am refuting the idea that healthy food has to be more expensive. My husband and I are undergrads in college. I work part time and he works full time. We do not make a lot of money and we grocery shop on a very tight budget. There is a popular idea that "healthy" means overpriced organic "specialty" foods from hipster grocery stores. But this is really pushing the "health" thing way too far in my opinion. No matter what store they come from, fruits and veggies are better for you than fast food. That's just common sense, people.

Also, I am an extremely busy individual! As I mentioned, I am a full time college student and I work and I am a wife! One of the documentary participants complained that cooking healthy food takes too much time. She lamented that cooking healthy pizza for company took TWO HOURS. Ladies and gentleman, you do not have to be a professional chef to make healthy food taste good and it most certainly does NOT need to take two hours!
Granted, cooking well does take a little practice. But, I find cooking fun and relaxing! When I share recipes, I plan to share how long they realistically take to prepare.

Finally, I am all about the yum. I'm from the South, and around here we like our fried chicken, mac and cheese, and our mashed potatoes and gravy. So you can be assured you are dealing with a real live person like you. A person who craves the ice cream and the chips. And I'm not crazy enough to think that you'll EVER joyously agree that baby carrots taste better than brownies. Come on, people. Get real. But, I do think that we can learn to like fruits and veggies. We learn to like the feeling of feeling good and making healthy choices. Over time, it gets easier to choose the carrots because the results are worth it! I was astounded that people interviewed in the documentary would rather have surgeries and take medication rather than eat veggies!! WOW! It's worth it! Try something new and you just might like it.

Here is my proposal for the blog:
Grocery list (proving that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to eat right!)
Recipes and photos (proving that healthy food tastes delicious)
Real life commentary (how long it takes and how realistic it is for busy daily life)
Results! (honest feedback on the benefits of a healthy diet)

If you're tired of reading blogs about how to save money on groceries and finding lists of cheesy, greasy meals OR if your tired of reading blogs about healthy meals with outrageously priced ingredients you've never even heard of, SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW ME!

It can be done, people. And I'll prove it.