Goal 1: Done!

Dare I say it?  The goal that started this whole healthy eating overhaul thing has been attained!  Back in October, B's blood pressure was way too high.  So I took that as a challenge to get our family eating better.  We started with the low-sodium DASH diet.  That was a great start but it needed to be a lifestyle change for the changes to take effect in the long term.  So I decided we'd all cut out sodium as much as possible.  Now we don't bring the salt shaker to the table, I use (literally) a pinch of salt in recipes instead of the usual teaspoon, and I started using fresh and dried herbs to flavor our food.  I know that isnt a lot, but the salt really does add up.  The most pivotal piece of information on our quest to low-sodium eating was found in a diet article.  It suggested never buying a product that listed more than 5% in the daily sodium allowance column (per serving).  I was amazed at how sodium laden our foods were, even the ones we thought were healthy.  So now, 4 months later, we are living a low-sodium lifestyle.  We occasionally eat something that has 10% in the sodium column, but it is rare, and we make adjustments as needed.  (If we have a higher sodium lunch, we'll make sure dinner is lower, for example.)  When I tried to buy products with (actual, not label touting) low-sodium, I found it nearly impossible.  So thats how the whole-foods thing came along.  I started really reading labels and realized how truly awful most of the processed foods are. 
So that brings me to the next nutrition goal:  reducing sugar.  It seems like diabetes is the new normal for everyone.  I'm only mildly surprised when someone tells me they have been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes or are borderline diabetic.  Thats not right.  With diabetes on both sides of our family, our whole family is predisposed to the disease.  I had Graves disease as an adolescent which gives me a heightened risk.  We need to work NOW to avoid diabetes.  So we will.  It should be an easier feat now that we are on a whole food diet and the foods we eat are already more nutritionally friendly but there is definitely some sugar to eliminate!  Today I have no idea how I can live without sugar in my coffee, and I don't know how to pack a spill-proof drink for P that doesn't come in a pouch or box but I'll bet I can figure it out!  Hopefully 4 months from now I'll be writing about how we conquered the sugar habit too!