Over the past several years, our family has tried several different ways of eating. Some were because of intolerances, like eating mostly gluten free, but a lot were just to try out new methods, get out of a rut, or find some new recipes.
We tried eating vegetarian for a month to not only see if we could do it, but also to save some money on our grocery budget by not buying meat. Spoiler: eating vegetarian is pretty easy, except when you go out to the pizza buffet and there’s only one pizza without meat on it. Boring!
We did a Whole 30 during a month that included a birthday and Easter and managed to stick (mostly) to the rules. We discovered that while our bodies reacted fairly well to that type of eating, it was more expensive and labor intensive than we were ready to do full time. But how many paleo recipes do I cook now? A ton. Paleo is the gluten free (or dairy free) friendly cousin.
Most recently, we spent a couple weeks eating vegan. Let me tell you, just as with learning to eat gluten free and substituting ingredients that work with that method, eating vegan requires a new set of rules for baking – hello egg substitutes!
All of these different experiments have taught me things. What foods make me feel good? What is easiest to prepare? What is most cost effective? What tastes absolutely horrible? I’ve added new recipes to the mix, and the result is a way of eating that is completely unlike anyone else’s, but it works for us.
And as I try new things, it also continues to shift and grow.
And that’s the beauty of experimenting with different ways of eating: you learn something new each time.
But the only way to find out is to try. Whether you’re dealing with something serious, like a food allergy or a chronic illness, or whether you’re just in a recipe rut or you want a month-long challenge just to see if you can do it, trying a new way of eating will teach you something.
The best way to figure out what type of food is best for you? Try it. One step at a time.
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