So you’d like to eat healthier but don’t know where to start?
Well the first step is to realize that most foods that you buy in the grocery store are not created to make you healthy, nor will they give you much nourishment. Just try to read the ingredients of most boxed and canned items in the store. If it reads like a science experiment, don’t consider it food.
Over the last several years, my goal has been to only bring food into our home that has as little processing as possible. I look for food as it was created by God, not man.
Well the first step is to realize that most foods that you buy in the grocery store are not created to make you healthy, nor will they give you much nourishment. Just try to read the ingredients of most boxed and canned items in the store. If it reads like a science experiment, don’t consider it food.
Over the last several years, my goal has been to only bring food into our home that has as little processing as possible. I look for food as it was created by God, not man.
As you can see from this box of hamburger helper, there is very little actual food in the box. MSG is listed not once, but twice! That's what yeast extract is. Natural flavor is also very possibly, MSG. So it may be listed 3 times!
Next step, get rid of “foods” like this. Become a habitual label reader. If in doubt, don’t buy it. If you don’t know what it is, why in the world would you put it in you mouth, much less that of your children!
I then gave away or threw away much of what was in my cupboards. Folks at church loved that!
For those of you that are old hands at this, please remember, this is a starter's guide. All people change at their own speed. This is how I started.
I mostly stayed out of the center aisles of the store and just shopped around the outer edges. We would stick to “real” foods. Produce, meat, cheeses (real, not processed cheese food), eggs, frozen vegetables (plain, no sauces), frozen juices (not juice cocktails).
You may have noticed I didn’t include milk. That’s because it was one of the first things we changed. Because I live in a state where the farmer can’t legally sell me fresh milk, I went underground. Suffice it to say, I can now get a safe source of healthy, delicious milk. There is more information about fresh milk elsewhere on this site, if you would like to check it out further.
Next, I learned to cook from scratch. This actually is easier than it sounds. Most meals I can have done in one to two hours, some even less.
The slow cooker became my best friend. Slow cookers can make anything taste awesome and tender. Seasonings are part of the secret. The best thing about slow cookers is you take 5 minutes to throw everything in, first thing in the morning and supper is ready at the end of the day!
I will try to include some simple recipes in future posts.
Next step, get rid of “foods” like this. Become a habitual label reader. If in doubt, don’t buy it. If you don’t know what it is, why in the world would you put it in you mouth, much less that of your children!
I then gave away or threw away much of what was in my cupboards. Folks at church loved that!
For those of you that are old hands at this, please remember, this is a starter's guide. All people change at their own speed. This is how I started.
I mostly stayed out of the center aisles of the store and just shopped around the outer edges. We would stick to “real” foods. Produce, meat, cheeses (real, not processed cheese food), eggs, frozen vegetables (plain, no sauces), frozen juices (not juice cocktails).
You may have noticed I didn’t include milk. That’s because it was one of the first things we changed. Because I live in a state where the farmer can’t legally sell me fresh milk, I went underground. Suffice it to say, I can now get a safe source of healthy, delicious milk. There is more information about fresh milk elsewhere on this site, if you would like to check it out further.
Next, I learned to cook from scratch. This actually is easier than it sounds. Most meals I can have done in one to two hours, some even less.
The slow cooker became my best friend. Slow cookers can make anything taste awesome and tender. Seasonings are part of the secret. The best thing about slow cookers is you take 5 minutes to throw everything in, first thing in the morning and supper is ready at the end of the day!
I will try to include some simple recipes in future posts.
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