Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update



My SMART goal is I will only eat 3 servings (serving= 3 oz) of hormone-free, grass-fed meat, per week. I did a good job at achieving my SMART goal.

My successes were once again being able to find hormone-free meat, eating out less, having more of a variety of foods, and influencing others. Since I started to look over the meat I eat I do not feel as bad when I do eat it. By having more meat in my meals it has added variety because I was getting bored with, my usual veggie sandwich. Over Thanksgiving break I talked to my family about what we have been learning and my SMART goal. My mom and sister were very interested in what I had to say. My sister is already a bit of a "freak" about her meat so I think it is safe to say I have her on "my side". :) It was also a great experience being able to see first hand a farm that raises animals the natural way. Shepard's Homestead raises grass-fed cattle and hormone-free chickens.

My challenges have still been when I do go out to eat or when I go home. Going out to eat has not been as big of a challenge since I cut back on that but with the holidays approaching I have been going home a lot. When I go home, meat is definitely one of the items on the menu for every meal. When I asked my dad if the deli meat was hormone-free he gave me the funniest look. Looks like I still have some rubbing off to do on some of my family members.

I feel I am doing very good on being consistent with my SMART goal. A couple of times I have slipped up but I got right back on track. I am happy with the outcome so far. I learned this past week that with accurate information you can really make an impact on others' lives. I took everything we have learned from Environmental Health and told it to my family in a nutshell. We ended up having about a 30 minute conversation about how some animals are butchered and how unethical it is (We didn't have this chat at the most ideal time either...after stuffing ourselves with Turkey).

I think for next week I am going to change my goal to: I will eat 4 servings (serving= 3 oz.) of hormone-free meat, per week.
Since I have started to eat more meat I realized how many of my meals before were blah. I plan to keep up with this goal while influencing others to do the same.


"Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain."




5 comments:

  1. Great job on your goal this week! I love that you are sharing your experiences with your family. Keep up the good work Alicia!

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  2. Alicia, awesome job on staying on track with your SMART goal over Thanksgiving break! It's great that you're able to advocate and get your points across to your family and friends regarding environmental health. I definitely know how challenging it can be on going out to eat and I'm glad you found a way to cut that out to some extent. It's nice to see that you're consistent with your goal along with influencing others to do the same in the process. Keep up the good work. Nice post.

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  3. Alicia, that is so awesome that you're having such an impact on your family! I know older family members can get a little weird (at least mine do) when you have some "unconventional" ideas about lifestyles. I'm glad you were able to stay on track this week even given the holidays! Keep up the good work!

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  4. Haha Alicia, I know how you feel about your dad not really being on the same page with the hormone free deal. It's hard to get the older generation to change but if you keep up your goals you are helping out the environment and setting a good example. I know its hard but its so worth it in the long run!

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  5. It is interesting how you mention your family in this post. Sometimes, getting people around us to comply or help us is the hardest part. When we want so badly to do something, we need a support system. Hopefully you can use your skills as a health educator and increase awareness about the choices you are making and your goal. Good luck these next couple weeks Alicia!

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