What happened to Eatin Like A Cretan?

Well, I have had some posts asking me what happened to my eating the typical diet of Crete for 3 months?  It is still happening, just a little later.  August 17th is the new proposed start date.  We needed extra time to get sponsors, find videographers and make the proper plans to make everything work.

There will be updates along the way to let you know what is happening.  We also have many requests from people who want to follow this with me.  I will be creating a means for this to happen.  Thanks to the people who are already following for your patience!

We are already on an exciting adventure!

Bill

Eating Like A Cretan, Day Two

Today was a bit more of a challenge as I was traveling.  This is when I have my hardest time eating healthy (even though I am usually traveling to teach healthy eating).  I brought my food with me and I was lucky that I went to a meeting which had Greek salad and Mediterranean wraps.  I had salad, hummus, and bread dipped in oil for dinner.

I am in a hotel.  This is where I often space out the most and go into brainless eating mode.  I am fine though.  I did space out on 3 hours of television, but just went out and found a Barnes & Noble and bought two books.

Breaking habits seems to be more about awareness and taking one step at a time than anything else.  

I was at a rest area on the Mass Pike today and there was a man dressed in a green Boston Celtics shirt with equally green shorts doing laps around the parking lot.  Wow, here is a man who is committed to getting in shape.  I ended up taking a picture of him and telling him how amazing I thought it was that he was exercising at a rest stop.

He told me that he was a manager at McDonald's.  Miracles never cease.

Eating like a Cretan: Day One Part Three:Letting go of a legacy.

Remembered a dream I had last night.

I was driving with my Mom. She was in the passenger's seat and I was going about 65 mph down the highway. We were talking and then she just opened the door and said "time for me to go" and she then jumped out. She held onto the side of the car for a moment and then she was gone.

When I woke up from the dream I was worried that it was a prophetic dream and I wanted to call her, but it was 2 in the morning. When I awoke in the morning I called and she was fine.

This evening I told my friend Robin the dream and she said that it was a really good dream as I begin this adventure of taking care of myself.

One of the legacies between my Mom and I was not taking care of ourselves. Her jumping out of the car meant I was letting that legacy go. She has let a lot of it go already. She has lost at least 150 pounds and she swims almost every day. She has the best tan of anyone I know.

In order for me to be successful I have to let go of the old legacy of not eating well. I have to be able to let it jump out the car and fade away.

Eating like a Cretan: Day One Part Two

Today was a first good step to eating like a Cretan. There were some things noticeably missing (greens, red wine), but overall, it was a good day.

I had organic hard-boiled eggs with olive oil for breakfast.

Bean soup for lunch with carrots and dressing.

For dinner I made my own hummus and some biscuits made with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. They were half white and half whole wheat biscuits.

I had a glass of white wine with dinner and a shot of grappa afterwards. In Crete, they would have raki which is a liquor made of the distilled grape skins and seeds from the wine making process. The closest thing I know of here in America is Italian grappa, although I would love to find someone who has raki.

I am beginning to switch over to an entirely organic way of eating.

I also need to begin paying attention to my exercising as I have not been moving at all for months and that is not what would happen in Crete. People had to get there own food and prepare it as well which was exercise enough.

I will be contacting Chris Marano who is a local herbalist to help me find the Cretan Horta which is also found in this country.

It is one of the main sources of the greens which were eaten every day and packed with nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids which are deficient in many (if not most) Americans.

Eating like a Cretan: Day One

I woke up feeling a bit panicked. I don't know what to eat for breakfast. I have often been asked what people in Crete eat for breakfast. What I got as an answer was usually: Goat's milk, bread, olives, feta cheese, hard boiled eggs, olive oil and of course Greek Coffee.

Don't really have much of that in my kitchen.

I have a baking powder biscuit (which I ate already).

I also made a cucumber and carrot salad with whole organic yogurt, organic cucumbers and carrots, dill, fresh garlic, and olive oil.

I will have a couple of hard boiled eggs (store bought).

Goals for the next 3 months:

To eat as traditional Cretan as possible.

To eat as organic as possible.

To learn about the specifics of the diet.

To find places in Western Massachusetts that make food the traditional way of Crete.

To find out what happens to my health in the next 3 months.

I am going to make some eggs.

Bill