unprocessed.

Hello there. It's been a while, I know. I haven't had much to say on the minimization front, although I'm pleased to report that it's still going well. We haven't reaccumulated anything that we minimized; in fact, we continue to downsize, and no longer have TV. Best of all, I haven't experienced a single moment of missing anything that I let go. It's been pretty great.

With the arrival of spring cleaning season, and nothing left in our house to declutter, I decided to take a different approach. I love an opportunity to hit the "reset" button, and this year I've decided to apply the reset button to my diet. Although I've been a vegetarian for many years (and occasionally a vegan), I am often guilty of eating on the run and/or making a meal out of french fries and wine. (What? That's not a thing that everyone does?) I know how to eat properly, I know how to cook well, and I know that I feel awesome when I'm doing those things. Unfortunately, knowing the truth is not the same as living it.

For my spring cleaning effort this year, I decided to apply the basic principals of minimalism to my diet: quality over quantity; want vs. need; and thoughtful decision-making. For me, all roads lead to the same place: real, unprocessed food (aka, the Lloyd Dobler approach).

So, for the next 30 days, I'm committing to only eating whole, unprocessed foods -- i.e. nothing that has more than one ingredient or comes in a package (unless the package contains only one ingredient). No salt, no oil, no sugar. No refined anything. No (gasp) alcohol. I'm just going to eat as much good, simple food as I need, and leave it at that. 

Today was Day 1. I started the day with a green smoothie, snacked on some nuts, ate a bowl full of brown rice, veggies, and beans, and finished with another bowl of plain Greek yogurt, banana, and unsweetened almond butter. I feel full. I feel like I'm going to sleep well.

I feel like the next 29 days are not going to be so easy.

So, if you're interested to see what happens when a woman who treats nachos as a primary food group attempts to go completely unprocessed for 30 days, please follow me here.