Why?

What prompted my natural food journey?

A few things.

I'm not gonna lie. Parts of the decision were totally superficial. I had been thinking about it for a while, and then I read that Bob Harper, Biggest Loser trainer, was 47. Seriously. Homeboy looks like he's mid-30s to me. So I was impressed.

Also, my family has a history of colon problems, including cancer. Eating more natural foods helps increase digestive health and decrease risks of these types of diseases.

And it'll be nice to not have to worry about calories or supplements. Eating more real foods means you'll likely eat less, they'll digest better--letting all nutrients absorb, and if it's mostly veggies you can basically have all you want. Not to mention, food should start tasting better in a couple of weeks and I'll lose any excess baggage (physically speaking).

Having seen some friends succeed and even thrive with natural living, I thought I'd give it a try.

Why not go total vegetarian?

Okay. This was tricky. I honestly did consider it. But I was reading up, and the only way to get B-12 is through animal products. B-12 is an extremely important vitamin for your nervous system and cells. Your whole body needs it in order to function. Vegans and vegetarians have to take supplements for it.

Because I'd rather live supplement free, I'm choosing to stick with meat. This will be in moderation. I plan to have most of my breakfasts and lunches meat-free, so I can eat whatever meaty goodness the hubs serves up at dinner.

It would be nice to do this part organically as well, but hubs can't pass up a good deal on meat of any kind. And we're definitely not rolling in money, so that's a transition for another time. I'll have to get everything else as natural as I can so I won't worry so much about that.

It's all better than it was before.