Archive for No More Excuses
What Does “Eating Healthy” Even Mean?!
Posted by: | Comments
Most of us desire to eat a healthy diet. But how do we define what “healthy” eating is?
Well, according to all the information I’ve read over the course of my adult life, it would appear to me that, in order to be healthy, we should all be eating a low fat, no fat, high fat, low carb, high carb, vegan, low cholesterol, whole grain, no grain, soaked grain, low calorie, sugar free, soy free, pork free, dairy free, gluten free, and whatever you do - don’t ever eat real butter…diet.
I’m not sure about you, but since this pretty much eliminates everything but asparagus, I’m left feeling a little bit hungry.
Why does there have to be so much conflicting information out there, and why is there generally significant research to back up each claim? I’ve even seen studies done to show that high fructose corn syrup is actually good for you. Are you kidding me?!
About the only consistent information I’ve seen in most dietary recommendations is the advice to eat lots of vegetables and to drink plenty of water. Yay, something we can all agree on. But where does that leave us in regard to everything else we should be eating?
I think there is much that we each need to figure out for ourselves, but I will tell you where I have landed on defining what I feel is truly healthy. Am I the authority on the subject? Good grief, no. I have done years of research and feel much peace about the foods I feed my family. But I’m just the mom next door who is having a bad hair day. As with everything, don’t just take my word for it. Check into it for yourself. Pray about it. Ask God to show you what is best for your family.
So how do I define what food is “healthy”?
I believe that real, whole food is healthy.
By real, whole food, I’m talking about real butter, full fat milk and cream, grains in their whole form, real fruits and vegetables, real meat, real cheese, real oils, real salt. Fruit snacks are not real food, nor are they really fruit. Strawberry filling in a poptart is not real. Margarine is not real food. And on and on it goes when we look at the many processed foods that fill our grocery stores. If I can’t recognize the ingredients in a product, it is possible that while it is perhaps edible, it should not really be considered a “food”. I trust food that has been around forever. Stuff like Cheese Whiz? It was invented in 1953 by a food scientist. Oh, and for the record – when I was looking up the ingredients in Cheese Whiz, I actually found an article proving its health benefits! See? Told you there was “research” to back up just about any claim!
I believe that it is important to maintain a balanced approach in our diet.
I realize that many of you have special dietary restrictions and must eat dairy free, gluten free, etcetera – so of course there are exceptions to this point. But I’ve tinkered through the years with eliminating certain food groups and I’ve got to say, I feel best when I’m eating a well balanced diet full of a variety of good, whole, nutritious foods. If I have a meal with roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy, green beans and a glass of milk – wow do I feel good. But, if I skip protein or vegetables in a meal, boy do I feel it. Balanced meals are so satisfying because our bodies have received a healthy balance of a great variety of needed nutrients. And shucks, now I’m hungry for a big roast beef dinner. ;)
I believe we can over-think it and make healthy eating too complicated.
Free range, organic, grass fed, soaked, fermented – what is best? What about eating low fat, low carb, or trying all varieties of diets in order to lose weight or to be healthy? I just want to eat real food. I just want to focus on the basics. Nothing complicated. Nothing gourmet. Just real, whole foods that please my family and offer nourishment. I breathe a sigh of relief when I remember that all I really need to do is make my family’s favorite foods with the healthiest ingredients that I can get my hands on and my budget to work around. God knows my heart and my desire to care for my family in the best way that I can. I feel peace when I let go of the complicated questions I have about healthy eating, and instead simply let God be the true care-taker of my family.
How do you define “healthy eating”? I’d love to hear.
Join the Real Food – Low Cost Challenge!
Posted by: | Comments
I’ve decided to do things just a little bit differently during the next few days, just for kicks. :) Since most of last week’s posts were discussing the expense of eating healthy, whole foods - let’s do a little experimenting, putting some healthy recipes to the test. An “expense test”.
Instead of planning a full menu for this week, I have instead made a list of a few of our family’s favorite recipes – recipes that you’ll find regularly on our weekly menu plans. Throughout the next several days, I will be making each of these recipes. Then, I’ll pull out the calculator and do a price break-down to determine just how much it costs to make these healthy foods. I will post frequent updates, sharing the results I’ve found. I’m excited to see which of my recipes might be most costly to make, and which ones might be less expensive. This is not something I’ve ever done before, so I’m pretty excited about this experiment!
Now of course, I can’t help but want to challenge you to get involved in this experiment too. You knew that was coming, right? :)
I’d love for you to also take some of your family’s favorite healthy, real food recipes and do a little cost break-down on them. You might just be surprised at what you discover! Keep on the look-out, because throughout this challenge, I have a few fun surprises in store as we put these recipes to the test. Then mark your calendar, because on Thursday, February 9, we’ll all come together with a special Real Food – Low Cost Link-Up, so that you can also share with us some of your family’s favorite real food, low cost recipes.
Here are the recipes I plan to do a price break-down on during this experiment:
Be watching for lots of fun updates detailing what I’ve discovered about the specific costs of our food. You can, at any time during those posts, share some of your discoveries too.
Sound like fun? Let the challenge begin!
Keeping Expenses Low While Eating a Healthy Diet
Posted by: | CommentsBe sure to read Is It Expensive to Eat Healthy Food, Part One and Is It Expensive to Eat Healthy Food, Part Two if you missed them!
The choices our family has made, in our effort to eat as healthy as possible, have definitely caused an increase in our grocery budget - not to mention the fact that our boys are now eating a lot more food than they used to eat. I don’t feel like our eating habits can necessarily be called “expensive” to maintain, because we are making what we feel is a wise investment in our health. But yes, it does cost more to eat healthy, whole foods than it costs to eat lower quality foods.
I do what I can to keep our expenses as low as possible. Some of the following ideas may work for you. Some of them may not. I’ll just share the tricks I’ve tried that have worked for us with the hope that you’ll find some new ideas that may work for you too! I will likely go into more detail on each of these as we continue on with our No More Excuses series. So hang with me!
How I Keep Our Expenses Low While Feeding My Family a Healthy Diet…
1. We eat basic, simple meals.
Scroll through all of the Bread and Breakfast, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, and Condiments recipe ideas listed all over my site. None of those recipes are expensive to prepare. Or, if it is a little pricier, I balance it with a meal that is super inexpensive. Remember how I sometimes stretch a chicken to last give us six meals?
Whole Grain Cinnamon Swirl Bread – just over $1.00/loaf!
2. I cook from scratch if at all possible.
As far as I could figure, it costs me just over $1.00 to bake one loaf of Honey Whole Wheat Bread, which is 100% Whole Grain, no corn syrup, organic ingredient filled, top knotch bread. I’m sure if I broke down other recipes I would find that making food from scratch saves us all kinds of money. Every once in a while I splurge on store-bought packaged food, because my sanity appreciates the sacrifice. But overall, I try to make as much as I can so that I keep our expenses much lower.
3. We rarely eat out.
Eating out as a family is not an option that we ever fall back on, except for the very occasional splurge while traveling or rare special occasion or treat. This saves us so much money, making it possible for us to put our hard earned dollars toward healthy ingredients for eating well at home. For more information and inspiration, read this post titled: Eating Out Less.
4. We try to think outside the box.
We have researched, asked around, and figured out that there are many ways to save money on healthy groceries by shopping online, through health food co-ops, through local farmers and just by asking the right questions. Many people now call us and offer us their leftover fruit from trees and bushes because they know we’ll love it. Bartering and trading have been a wonderful way to gain access to healthy food for free or cheap. And remember how I shared that talking to a local grocer proved to be a great way to get organic produce for a much lower price? Try this idea – it never hurts to ask!
5. We found a food co-op that provides great prices on great foods.
Our healthy food co-op, Azure Standard, saves us loads of money on healthy foods. Check out the following post to help you find local co-ops that might be of service for you where you live: What Health Food Co-op Is Near You?
In addition to those ideas, we buy food in bulk, stock up when food is in season or on sale, can and preserve foods from our own garden, grind our own flour, and otherwise work as hard as we can to find ways to feed our family for as little as possible. Look over Our Whole Foods Pantry, Freezers, and Refrigerators Resources page to see a huge list detailing where we find most of our food.
As you work to eat a healthy diet and keep your expenses low, always remember that God is in control, and he knows your heart!
Coming up next in the No More Excuses series: With All the Conflicting Information Out There, What Does “Healthy” Even Mean?!
I know you are also working as hard as you can and doing the best you can to keep your expenses low. Share what works best for you as you work to stay within your grocery budget. I love that we can all learn from each other!
Is It Expensive to Eat Healthy Food? Part Two
Posted by: | CommentsBe sure to read Is It Expensive to Eat Healthy Food, Part One if you missed it!
As you consider your grocery budget, and try to make changes in your diet so that you can eat healthier without breaking the bank, here are three important things to consider:
1. Transitioning to Healthy Eating is a Process
If you’re looking to replace every single not so good ingredient in your kitchen with all of the best, healthiest, organic, free range, grass fed, yada yada ingredients, all at the same time – yep, you’re looking at a hefty price tag right from the get-go. Why not take a step back, make a list of changes you’d like to make, then prioritize them and start making small changes - one at a time? What changes can you make that will help you feel better about feeding your family, but that might not hit so hard on the pocket book? Read through this Simple Steps to Healthy Eating Series for some ideas to get you started. But don’t feel like you need to take all the steps at once. Any small step you take puts you on the road toward healthier eating. Some of those steps might just not cost much at all. And some might actually save you money. How ’bout that?
2. There’s Not a “One Size Fits All” Plan for Eating Healthy
What works for our family may not work for your family. My food resources are likely to be much different from your food resources. The cost of food where I live may be much different from the cost where you live. I’ve heard of free range eggs costing people all the way from $1.00 per dozen to $8.00 per dozen. I’ve gotta say, if free range eggs cost me $8.00 per dozen, I’m pretty sure we’d eat very few eggs and I’d simply buy the regular, cheap ones from the store to use when I bake. Thankfully, I’m blessed to get free range eggs for just $2.50/dozen – a great price if you ask me!
Each family has a different amount to spend on groceries each month. Every family has different dietary needs. Every family has different circumstances. There is no “perfect dollar amount” standard for how much any of us should be spending on healthy food.
I shared more on this subject in this post: “No Grocery Budget Comparing Allowed”.
3. God is in Control and He Knows Your Heart
No matter what you buy, how much you spend, what you eat, or how you eat it - your choices can honor the One who provides for our every need. If you aren’t blessed to find free range chicken that doesn’t cost the same as your mortgage, you will still honor God and your family by eating a regular ol’ chicken. At the risk of sounding goofy and sacrilegious – God can bless your chicken whether it’s free range or not. God wants us to be wise stewards of our resources and to simply do the best we can with what we have. He knows our individual circumstances and He knows our heart. He understands our desire to do what is right for our family and He will provide what we need to do just that.
Don’t leave God out of the picture and think that you must be the one doing a perfect job selecting, purchasing, and preparing food. God’s gotcha covered. Do not be so focused on trying to make healthy food choices that you lose sight of the One who matters most.
No matter where you are on your healthy eating journey – no matter where you land on specific dietary choices for yourself and for your family, God can and will be glorified.
And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.
What would you consider your biggest struggle in regard to the expense of eating a healthy diet?
Is It Expensive to Eat Healthy Food? Part One
Posted by: | Comments
As we dive into our No More Excuses series, I decided to first tackle the excuse that it is “expensive to eat healthy food”. This one seems to be the most popular complaint among those of us who are working to eat and feed our families a healthy diet. I ended up with so much to say on this topic, I divided the material into three separate posts that I will be sharing throughout the week.
To begin part one of these posts regarding the thought that “healthy food is too expensive”, let me just start out by saying, “I hear ya!”. That was my biggest complaint too, my loudest excuse, and one of the main reasons I didn’t think eating a healthy diet was possible for our family. After all, I’m the girl who used to get everything for free or cheap with coupons. The thought of actually spending money on food was painful to me when we started our healthy eating journey. I had no idea where the extra money for healthy food would come from in our already very tight budget.
After lots and lots of research, experimentation, and tweaking of our budget, we finally figured out how to make this work for our family. Ultimately, I had to surrender and let go of the idea that spending money on food was bad, and instead embrace the truth that spending money on good, nourishing food is a wise investment for our family.
But still, it is a fact that coconut oil and olive oil cost more than canola oil and crisco. Real butter costs more than margarine. Whole wheat pasta and real cheese costs more than a box of mac and cheese.
So, does that mean that healthy eating is indeed expensive? I think it’s a matter of perspective. Our grocery budget has definitely gone up since we began our healthy eating journey. The way I cook now is completely different than the way I cooked when I bought processed and unhealthy foods with coupons, but does that mean that our healthy food should be considered expensive?
Pardon my geekiness spewing forth, but just as I did a few years ago, I did a new break down of what it costs to feed my family on an average day. I think it’s very interesting to take a nitty-gritty look at what it costs us to feed one person per day, and to analyze that number to see if in fact I could or should cut back our budget in any way.
We currently spend about $600/month on food. Because there are six in our family, this means that we spend about $100/person/month. This divides into an average of $3.33/day/person, which means that it costs about $1.11 per person per meal.
I don’t think $1.11/meal/person is very expensive, but that’s just my opinion, and as I said earlier, it is a matter of perspective.
As always, remember that there is no comparing or guilt allowed. If you spend more than $1.11 per meal per person – great! If you spend less than that – great! If you could come help me clean my house – great! Oh wait, sorry. I got carried away there for a second. ;)
Above all, we all need to remember that we are all humble people, working to do the best we can with what we have. I feel like there’s a lot left unsaid in this post regarding the expense of healthy food, so stay tuned! In part two of this mini series on Wednesday, I’ll share thoughts on the following three points:
Then, I’ll wrap up the week by sharing some practical ways to eat a healthy, whole foods diet while keeping your costs low.
For today, I’d love to hear a little about your grocery budget break-down. Join my geekiness and do the math. If you care to share, how much do you estimate that it costs to feed one person in your household for each meal?
If you’re concerned that you may be spending too much on food,
I’d encourage you to read this post: Do You Need to Cut the Grocery Budget?I’d also like to encourage you to check out Once a Month Mom’s Get Real 2012!
Some Encouragement Before We Start the “No More Excuses” Series
Posted by: | Comments
I really appreciated that so many of you left comments sharing your thoughts, struggles, and insights as to why eating a healthy diet may be difficult for you or for others. I have experienced all of these same feelings and shucks, I still do sometimes.
I have definitely not “arrived” when it comes to this healthy eating journey we’re all on. My family does not eat a completely healthy diet at all times. There are many times that I compromise on what would be the best choice to feed my family. There are times I pull out cereal because I can’t make myself get out of bed in the morning to cook the breakfast I have planned. There are times when, while I totally know better than to buy the chips with hydrogenated oils in them, doggonnit, I want them anyway and I don’t care what’s in them, so there. (Which is why you should never dangle a Nacho Cheese flavored Dorito in front of me. I will eat it. I love those awful things.)
Doritos aside, there are many areas of healthy eating I haven’t mastered yet. And guess what? I don’t even know if I want to master them. How’s that for a bad attitude that sort of flies in the face of my “No More Excuses” intro post? I don’t love eating completely raw foods. Fermented foods, while they are great for digestion, aren’t my favorites. And soaking grains? I’m beginning to find that practice very annoying and am therefore becoming a bit rebellious about it. There, I said it.
I’ve run the gamut of emotion on this healthy eating journey I’ve been on for the past several years. The biggest feeling: Guilt. Now that’s a fun one.
Guilt when I don’t feed my family perfectly. Guilt when I don’t feel like cooking. Guilt when I know I could be doing better. Guilt when it feels like other moms are feeding their children a healthier diet than I’m feeding mine. Guilt when I read about what someone else is doing, but I just don’t feel like I want to go there yet.
Which is what leads me to the point of this post: Please do not let anything I share on my blog, and specifically in this new No More Excuses series, overwhelm, frustrate, annoy, or otherwise make you want to throw Doritos at me. (On second thought…) :)
I want to share my thoughts in the No More Excuses series to encourage you to consider how you might be able to feed your family a healthy diet and help you know that it is possible for you. But let’s also subtitle it the “No More Guilt” series, because we women have to stick together. We may all be in different places in our healthy eating journey, but we’re all on the same team. No comparisions allowed. No guilt. No pressure. Just encouragement and ideas, sharing and inspiring.
And maybe, the occasional Dorito. Someone stop me.
Why Aren’t You Eating a Healthy Diet?! Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsI’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but eating healthy food is really, really expensive. It also takes too much time to prepare, and besides that, all healthy food tastes like cardboard.
Those are a few things you might want to say to me if you’re interested in picking a fight. Not that I like to fight…unless you offer me a light saber or a plastic sword, of course. ;)
Trust me, I’ve heard all of the excuses. Shucks, I used most of them myself back before we began our healthy eating journey. I hated spending money on food. And I thought eating a healthy diet meant that I had to live on rice cakes, fake sugar, and some sort of fat-free cheese like product. (Let us all now pause for a moment of simultaneous gagging.)
Yes, I’ve used all the excuses to avoid eating healthier foods. I have had all the fears. I thought I would get fat if I ate high fat foods. I thought we would go broke if I stopped using coupons for all the ”food” I typically purchased at great discount. I thought my kids would hate eating healthy food and feel deprived of their favorite snacks, meals, and treats. I thought cooking healthy would be complicated and beyond my realm of knowledge in the kitchen. Plus, I had no idea where I would find healthy food in our small mid-western town.
But as I was learning more about eating a good, balanced diet filled with whole foods, I realized that something needed to give. I needed to do this for my family.
Therefore, I did a lot of research. I sought the help of friends. I learned that good healthy food is a great investment for my family’s health. I dug deep and found that there are healthy food sources all around me – I just had to know where to look. And I learned that healthy, whole food actually tastes amazingly better than anything else that comes out of a box or a bag.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing a series exploring the top ten excuses I hear from people about why they don’t eat a healthy diet. I’ll work to debunk all the myths you’ve ever heard about health food, and offer you hope if you are holding back on eating a healthy diet because of some excuses of your own.
As we begin this series, I’d love to know: What are your biggest hang-ups with eating a healthy diet? What are the excuses you use or hear most when it comes to eating twinkies instead of broccoli? If you had to make a top ten list of reasons you can’t eat a healthy diet, what might be on your list?
