Are you ready to start on a better health journey? Here are some helpful suggestions to get you started!
- Talk with your spouse about why you want to start eating healthier and fitting in exercise. Maybe highlight any health problems or bad habits that need to be addressed. It is important you get your spouse on board and have their support because this will help keep you motivated. But don’t worry if it does not happen at first. When he/she see’s how good you are feeling after incorporating healthy foods and exercise they soon will catch on and probably want to join you!
- Also talk to your kids. Tell them you will be making and buying different foods some they may not be used to. Ask them to try things and be open to change. Explain you are doing this for their long -term health and that you want them to reach their full potential. Teach them what foods are good and bad and the reasons why. Either way, get the conversations going and prepare the family for the health/food changes you want to make. Stay confident in your choice to eat and cook healthy, you are saving your family from obesity, diabetes, mood swings, heart disease, even cancer.
Now that you have put the plans out on the table for the family its time to revamp the kitchen. Donate or toss any boxed, bagged, canned, or frozen food that you do not understand the ingredient list. This will probably mean buh-bye to all the processed food including crackers, chips, cookies, cakes, bars, cereals, frozen dinners/pizza’s. DON’T WORRY you will survive without those OREO’s I promise! You are doing what is best for you and your family.
Remind yourself “why am I doing this?” Oh yes! This is why….
- The choice of what to feed our children comes down to us the parents.
- The CDC reported in Feb 2012 that 12.5 million kids age 2-19 are obese in the U.S.
- Our kids need REAL food. This will save them from exhaustion, poor school performance, and lack of concentration, depression, fatigue, mood swings, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
- HEALTH is the ultimate WEALTH
- So back to your kitchen, junk food is gone now onto beverages. Replace juice, Gatorade, and pop with plain or naturally fruit flavored sparkling beverage (no artificial sweetener), homemade pitchers of ice tea, or homemade juice made from a juice press in your home.
- Next are condiments. Say no to salad dressings made with vegetable oils (boo to GMO canola and soybean oils) and scary ingredients, ketchup full of sugar and corn syrup, premade spice packets, or fake pancake syrup. These are all considered processed foods believe it or not and they are full of fake toxic ingredients. Use pure spices and read labels because sometimes partionally hydrogenated oils get snuck in or MSG a highly toxic additive that comes from soy.
What’s in the fridge? Your fridge should be the main spot for getting snacks and meals. Fill it with fresh organic fruits and veggies, full fat dairy options like whole organic milk (preferably raw) plain full fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and raw cheese, and pastured butter. Get rid of skim milk, low fat sugary yogurts, and fake butters. Fat free products are stripped of good fats and then extra sugar is usually added to make up for it also stabilizers and preservatives. YUCK! These foods again are just fake and over processed.
Take time to wash berries and have them handy along with cut up veggies. Create a nut drawer your kids can reach and put a variety of raw nuts in. Stock up on delicious nut butters and put them in the door. Have containers of olives handy for snacking, or good pickles without additives. Hummus near the veggies is good too! Make guacamole or just smash avocado and add in some celtic sea salt and lemon juice for a nice dip.
You have to get the food in your kitchen in order. Get the junk out and the good stuff in.
If your kids or spouse are resistant to getting rid of a particular thing then find a way to make it but with healthier ingredients. I know sounds hard but really its not. Chips – make you own with potatoes, slice thin place on baking sheet bake with sea salt and a lot of pastured butter till brown and crispy around the edges.
For cookies just look up recipes for grain free options using coconut flour or almond flour and stevia to sweeten.
Even ice cream you can make healthy on your own and store in the freezer.
Now that you have the food in order you are closer to eating and getting in the habit of picking healthier food options!
What do I fill my pantry with now ? 
Where should I shop?
Fill your pantry with BPA free canned tuna/wild salmon, raw beans, sprouted lentils, quinoa, brown rice, brown rice pasta, extra nut and seed butters, seeded crackers, and crunchies, trail mix, or homemade granola for quick on the go snacks. Basically REAL WHOLE foods 🙂
Shop around the organic section in your larger chain grocery stores and see what you can find. Many times there is a select area for produce, organic frozen berries, Gluten free oats, but still even if it’s organic and in a package read the ingredients!
If you don’t understand it don’t buy it.
Also check out your local little corner shop health stores. Many times you will find good grass fed meats, cultured veggies and fresh homemade things from area farms. www.doortodoororganics.com is a wonderful online source of home delivery organic produce. Get on a schedule, take your older kids to help, write down where to go for what, and cook and prep foods ahead of time. COOK ! COOK! COOK at home! I can’t say it enough! At least most all meals and not from a box!
It really is baby steps and I hope I am not bombarding you with all this info! But it’s the truth that packaged processed grains and fast food and pop are slowly poisoning people. The food you decide to put in your body has the potential to really help or really hurt you. Kids do deserve to know what is REAL food, what a farm is and where and how food grows.
“You have total control over what you bring into your home, and what you choose to do there. Small changes can have a big impact on your family’s health and happiness and on the food industry, agriculture, and marketing practices.” Mark Hyman, MD