Revamping our eating

Nutrition:
So, I recently have made nutrition as a priority in my house. With the heart disease that runs in our family, I wanted to keep Jacob and myself healthy so that we can be around for our healthy little girl to grow up. Here are some realizations I have come to.

1. Processed stuff is fake.
I hate fake, processed stuff. I don't use margarine or processed cheese like Velveeta or Kraft Singles. I'd rather have a little of the real stuff (like unsalted butter or cheddar cheese) than all of those fake chemicals in my body. Our body knows how to break down these chemicals, and a little bit of fat we receive keeps us fuller longer.
Solution: cook from scratch. Seriously, it’s not hard, just time consuming.

2. Avoid white carbs:
We do not eat any white, refined carbs, sorry Wonderbread.. Carbs are not bad for you. You just have to eat the right ones (complex carbs) to sustain your sugar level long enough so your energy is up and you don’t crash. The sugars in white carbs spike your blood sugar then you crash, causing you to need more food. The sugars that don’t get used for energy get stored as fat (Ewwww……) but complex carbs limit that.
Solution: whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal out of the Quaker Oats container, etc. They taste much better and keep you fuller longer. You don’t have to use as much. We use half a box of pasta for a full meal plus lunch the next day.

3. Eat by color:
Generally, the darker or brighter the color, the more nutrients that are present. Bright or dark colored vegetables have phytochemicals in them, which are better for you to eat. For example, if you need beta-carotene, don’t take a supplement, eat a carrot (locally grown: farmer’s market, anyone?). The fiber will keep you full, help absorb fat from other foods, and give you awesome vitamins that your body needs. Or eat baby spinach instead of iceberg lettuce (which is nothing more than fiber and water. Not much bang for your nutritional buck). Even herbs and spices have phytochemicals! Seriously.

FYI, I’m not making it up! Dr. Dean Ornish has come up with a diet so nutritious that he was able to reverse effects of heart disease WITHOUT surgery. Check him out, just google him.

4. If you can, eat conventional raised meat and eggs
Nina Planck’s Real Food: What to Eat and Why really has inspired me. Bottom line, eat meat that was raised the right way (not in factories). Grass fed beef, finished on grain; pastured chicken and pastured pork are acceptable. The milk from grass fed beef and eggs from pastured chickens are great for you, dairy has gotten a bad rap for cholesterol. Just make sure the products are from a clean farm, with no hormones or antibiotics. The corn based grain we are feeding our animals turns the good fats that are naturally present in meat into the bad fats that our body doesn’t need. Plank’s research also shows correlations between increased rise in cancer with the use of plant based oils (like corn oil, vegetable oil, etc.)

So far, I have been unable to locate locally grown meat, eggs and milk. I would gladly pay the price for these products if it meant that my family would be healthier. It is my thought that it would even out the cost of our eventual medical bills, eh?

I encourage you to do your own research. If you have anything to add, let me know!

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