Most of us didn't grow up eating traditionally prepared whole foods. We grew up eating convenience foods and Crisco. Sometimes we smeared the Crisco onto our convenience foods. (Not really. At least I didn't. Maybe you did. Or maybe it was that weird kid down the street. I did eat Wonder Bread and Mustard sandwiches, though, which isn't much better. Don't tell. It's a well kept secret and I wouldn't want it getting out. I have an image to uphold. So...shhhh.) Anyway, most of us didn't learn how to eat things with recognizable original sources. I mean, what tree, exactly, do Cheetos grow on? What naturally occurring grains are used to make CocoPuffs? And what cow makes the dry powdered cheese that is used to make Kraft Macaroni and Cheese? (Somebody give that cow a drink, because she must be mighty thirsty.)
Because most of us don't have a real basis for whole food, and especially traditionally prepared whole food, it can seem pretty overwhelming. Where do you even start?
I would recommend going slow. Try changing one or two things at a time. Try switching from fake, high fructose laden foods, to foods sweetened with cane juice, maple syrup and honey. (Once you get used to real maple syrup on your pancakes, you will never want to go back. When you eat high fructose corn syrup, your body thinks it has to have it. But when you get free from it, you realize how wonderful the real thing tastes.) Try changing from white rice to half white, half brown rice, and eventually to all brown rice. Be open to trying new things.
When one change becomes a habit you can add another change. This is especially important when you have a somewhat reluctant family. I was blessed with a family who will give about anything a try if I can explain why. One thing that many people don't realize is that traditionally prepared whole foods taste wonderful. It makes the convenience foods taste bland and insipid. Flavorless cardboard health food, this is not. Once you find a few really great recipes, it will be easier to sell your family on the idea. Just don't push them too fast. This is a lifestyle change, and that takes time.
If you are interested in beginning the change, here are a few resources to get you started:
Of course, my favorite "go to" cookbooks are by Sue Gregg. They are like taking a course in whole foods. I tell more about them here.
Here are some blogs and websites to check out. These have tons of information, how to's and recipes:
Cooking Traditional Foods
Food Renegade
The Nourishing Gourmet
Nourished Kitchen
100 Days of Real Food
There, now. That ought to be enough to get you started. Have fun, and let me know if you have any questions. Maybe I'll even know the answer.
Angela
That's what we have done. Mustache was only a couple years old when we first started embarking on this feeding adventure. In those days, we did it for his health, which wasn't good at the time. Now, a decade later, we are pretty committed to it because the results in the health of our entire family has been so dramatic. Of course, we believe in divine healing, but we also believe in good stewardship. Practicing both together is a powerful way to live. We just don't seem to get sick. :) Keep me posted on how it goes for you and what changes you decide to make first.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Well, last year after I read that book and realized how much better our family could be eating, Travis and I both decided we wanted to switch over to whole foods and organically grown foods. So one day I set out on a mission to Ozark Natural Foods to replace our pantry with only organic stuff. After I spent like $200 on 4 items (slight exaggeration, but you get the point) and a lot of ignorance on how to use whole grains when my time at home during the week is so limited, I realized it was going to have to be a gradual change. Lol. Since then, the only thing we have really done is buy organically fed beef and we started a small garden, but that's it. I guess my first step would probably need to be to buy a mill or high powered blender, but if you have any tips on how to prepare whole foods traditionally on a tight schedule (like both of us working full time) that would be awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI think we have all spent way too much on healthy food only to realize it wasn't going to work for us. Live and learn. As we have learned more, we have found places to buy in bulk, learned what to keep on hand, how to make our own and saved our budget from the Health Food Leach. We have more kids now and actually spend far less on our food budget than we did in the beginning. It is a process.
ReplyDeleteOne great way to incorporate more whole grains into your diet when you are on a tight schedule is with the Two-Stage (Pre-soaking) method. Especially for breakfasts. You can start some oatmeal, muffins or waffles before you go to bed. In the morning, when you are scrambling to get out the door, it only takes a couple minutes to add the last ingredients in. While it is cooking, you can be doing something nearby to get ready for work. Smoothies are another quick and healthy breakfast (depending on what you put in them). If you are using the Sue Gregg breakfast cookbook, there are lots of recipes for mostly made ahead breakfasts and smoothies that only require a blender (mine cost about $30, just make sure it has a good motor. I burned out a much pricier Kitchen-Aid. Oster has a model with a good motor.) A grain mill is closer to $200 for a good one.
When you have time to cook, you can bake some bread, or make some granola. Pop some of it into the freezer for later. Muffins also freeze well. You can soak and cook legumes and beans, then freeze them 2 cups to a bag. When you are making something that requires canned beans, you will have cheaper, organic beans with no additives. For a high protein lunch, you can pull out garbanzos or other beans, drizzle with a nice vinegar, salt and some herbs, maybe a little olive oil. Have some sliced cucumber and you have a healthy lunch that didn't take long to make. The bean salad can be made ahead and stored in the fridge to take to work. Meats can be cooked ahead and frozen so that dinners are quicker to prepare when you are tired or busy.
Freezer cooking is always a great way to save money and eat healthier. I will have to do a post on that. You can spend a day or two on a weekend cooking, and fill your freezer with entrees to last an entire month. Because you are cooking in bulk, the process is very streamlined. It doesn't take nearly as long as cooking all those different meals individually would take. All you need to do during the week is pull out an entree in the morning before you leave for work and then pop it in the oven when you get home. Add a salad and a whole grain bread. Done.
The big key is to cook in bulk when you have time, so that it is fast and easy when you don't.
Thanks so much for these tips! I think prepping ahead will be the biggest key for us in making the transition successfully. I am going to get one of those Oster blenders, and I visited Sue Gregg's site. Wow! What a great resource she is! I sent in a recipe request from the site, and once I get the blender I'm going to try out a few of the recipes you gave too. I'm excited to get started experimenting! We all love waffles, so I'm pretty sure that will be one of our first recipes to try! :) Thanks again for your advice, and I'm sure I'll have more questions! Lol.
ReplyDeleteFunny that getting dressed is so helpful to everyone - I quit eating breakfast in my pjs because I felt so lazy if I did.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that comment somehow got on the wrong blog post!! It was supposed to be on the one on daily routine. lol.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to! Either blogger (or whatever it is) or I hit a glich there.
ReplyDeleteThanks! ;)
ReplyDelete