P.O.W.E.R. Clean Eating Challenge Debrief

We recently wrapped up leading our first Clean Eating Challenge.  Several of our POWER girls said they would love to see a debrief blog post.  You asked, we deliver! 

First, a huge THANK YOU to those of you who took the time to fill out surveys for us!  We (& many of you) really wanted a face-to-face debrief meeting with all of you at the conclusion of the Challenge.  But, because May very well may be the craziest month of the year, especially for those of us with school aged children on a traditional school calendar, we were not able to make it work out this time.  Which is why your feedback was even more important to us!  Thank you!

What you LOVED:
1.  The Kickoff/Q&A at LeAnne's.  You loved being together as POWER women.  You loved the opportunity to ask questions and to sample some clean eats.
2.  The Meal Suggestions.  It sounds like this was your favorite element of this Challenge, when compared with previous Challenges.  Having meal ideas made you successful, when you might otherwise not have been.  We loved the positive feedback on this!
3.  Knowing you weren't doing this alone!
4.  Our Snack Suggestions, Favorite Breakfasts, and Favorite Simple Lunches
5.  The Whole Foods Field Trips.  You LOVED seeing actual products that were Challenge approved.  You wished we could have spent more time there.

Your suggestions:
1.  Weekly, or at least halfway point meeting(s), to connect with others and just chat about the Challenge - a chance to share ups & downs, recipes, ideas, etc.  An end of Challenge celebratory meal together.  These are absolutely two things we think are necessary, for us to feel more connected to you, and for you to feel more connected to others.  Community is a HUGE element of healthy success!
How your lives have changed:
1.  You learned to read labels on your food.  Bravo!  This is HUGE and will serve you well!
2.  Many of you said you upped your fruit and vegetable intake as a result.  Many of you said you will continue meatless, because of how good it made you feel.  And others of you said you will for sure continue to have several meatless meals each week, as you realized they could be equally, if not more, delicious, and potentially better for your health.
3.  Your dairy consumption has decreased.  Some of you will continue to go without, with occasional small amounts of cheese or cream in your coffee.  Many of you realized you did not need all that added dairy (cheese, sour cream, etc.) for your food to taste amazing.
4.  You've eliminated refined sugar from your diets and try to pay close attention to sugar amounts in processed foods.  Several of you eliminated soda for the first time in years, and you don't plan on going back!
5.  Many of you said you won family members & friends over in the process.  Happy dance!
6.  The way you view food completely changed.

Finally, we want to share with you, with her permission, one of our favorite results of the Challenge.  One of our POWER girls, Tracy A., shared with us the results of some bloodwork she had done.  On March 2, she had bloodwork done to obtain a life insurance policy.  On May 25 (after 4 weeks of eating plant-strong), she had a similar panel of bloodwork done to get a "healthy lifestyle" credit on her family's medical insurance.  The results speak for themselves:

                                                         3/2/12                      5/25/12
Total Cholesterol                           182                             148
HDL (good cholesterol)                53                               54
LDL (bad cholesterol)                  115                             82
Chol to HDLC ratio                        3.4                              2.7
Triglycerides                                    70                               58

The proof is there.  The numbers speak for themselves.  A plant-strong, unprocessed, sugar free diet is the path to optimal health!  She is SOLD and is over the moon about her new, healthier life!  Way to go, Tracy! 

As we head into summer, we would love for you to leave suggestions of things you want us to blog about or research.  Leave us your thoughts in the "comments" section of this blog.  We really want Grab Your Greens to be about community and encouraging/inspiring each other on to well-rounded, healthy lives!

Thank you again for allowing us to be part of your journeys.  It is truly an honor.  Take time to enjoy all the fresh flavors of summer with your families and friends.

hugs & green things-
dawn & leanne