WELCOME...

Let me start by saying, "Hello and thank you for stopping by".  I have thought long and hard about starting a blog to share my own personal journey to better health, my favorite better for you recipes and the like.  I do not have a degree in health or nutrition or any special training.  However, through many, many hours of research and reading pages and pages of material, I feel I have a good foundation for the basics of health and nutrition.  At least I have found what works for me and wanted to share it with all of you. 

For me it's all about balance.  I don't claim to be a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian.  Nor do I eat a completely raw diet.  With that being said I will say that about 75% of my meals are vegetarian.  The other 25% I try to eat lean chicken, turkey and fish and only a small amount of red meat.  I try to eat mostly whole foods as close to their original state as possible.  I have really cut my intake of processed foods and refined sugar (I have a story on that and I will do it in another post).  I guess you could say I'm a self proclaimed "healthitarian". ;)

Since getting serious about my health over a year ago I have lost 17 pounds.  Although I wouldn't mind dropping a few more, my new lifestyle is not primarily about weight loss.  It's about overall health and energy.  About feeling good and staying active the older I get.  Not only do I not count calories or fat, but I can tell you I consume a good amount of fat on most days.  I make sure the majority of my fat consumption is from heart healthy fats (more on why we need fat to be healthy and great sources of healthy fats in a future post). I truly believe you can consume more fat and calories without gaining weight when eating real, whole, healthy foods than when eating a high processed diet.  The wonderful thing about that is you never have to feel hungry!  What I try to pay attention to is the amount of protein, fiber and overall nutritional content as well as the amount of added sugars and unhealthy oils.  

Although I've come a long way since first starting my healthful journey... I know I still have a lot to learn.  No matter how much research I do... I know there will always be more to learn and improve upon.  I guess that's why it's a journey not a destination.   I hope you will check back often or sign up to receive updates via email, become a follower or find me on Pinterest and Facebook.

A side note... some of my information will show up as Bug Junkie.  While I'm new to blogging about health...I've had a paper crafting blog for a long time and that is my paper crafting user name.  Since I still paper craft I am going to leave it as is.  If you enjoy paper crafting, card making or scrapbooking I would love for you to check out my other blog... HERE. 

If you have stayed with me this long... Thank You! :)  My first recipe post coming very soon!