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mamaslearning
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 7:59am | IP Logged
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My head is spinning with too much information and I need some direction. I really want to start off this year with a change in diet, but I'm overwhelmed with where to begin. Do I cut all convenience, canned, boxed food and go to scratch cooking? Should I focus on buying organic? What about just limiting boxed/canned food to those without perservatives or dyes? How about starting with eliminating all sugar? (I already try to avoid HFCS).
Would Nourshing Traditions be a good starting point? Any other suggestions for a starting point? I'm just overwhelmed and stuck with where to start. I'm also overthinking this, as I always do. I have made great headway with cutting back on eating out (a major vice of mine) and now I have to retrain myself to prepare meals at home with simple ingredients. It's amazing how much one can crave fatty, greasy foods.
Thanks for you help!
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Lara
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CrunchyMom
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I think that Nina Plank's book Real Food: What to Eat and Why is a better starting place than Nourishing Traditions. It has a good bit of overlapping info, but its much more accessible and less sensationalist, imo.
BUT, if you think you need to cut out fatty foods, these aren't the books to start with  (or rather, imho, ARE the ones to start with because I agree  ) They really challenge the idea that fat is the enemy. Butter, cold pressed oils (like olive and coconut), and real lard are all considered acceptable choices. Its the processed oils which they believe are bad for one's health.
Anyway, it IS all overwhelming, and most people can't change everything overnight without completely burning out. I recommend reading the book and then choosing one area to change at a time. Perhaps beginning with sugars and working your way out from there?
Also, keep in mind that for this to work best, it isn't simply about eliminating bad foods but about including more good. You can't do this in a vacuum. For instance, some people, when changing to a Nourishing Traditions type diet, will put so much energy into obsessing how to properly prepare grains or legumes and have nothing left for trying to include more fermented foods (like kefir or homemade lacto-fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and other veggies) which will have far more of a beneficial impact on health than soaking your oatmeal the night before.
I had PPD when overhauling our diet (it was my motivation in treating it naturally) which gave me some OCD, but I would FRET about eliminating EVERY. BAD. THING. If I could go back and advise myself, I'd remind myself not to lose my peace over any of this. Do your best, gradually, and at a manageable speed.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 9:34am | IP Logged
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Lindsay's advice is excellent and I completely echo it!!!
** Choose one area to work on at a time **
Your budget and family tastes usually revolt if you do too much at once!!
Another area that we have had the most success with is in trying to redeem/modify our existing menu offerings. For example, if your family really enjoys a particular dish, rather than eliminating family comfort foods, we try to just make favorite comfort meals as healthy as possible with better choices. Good fats. Whole grains. More veg and fiber overall. Less sugar. Healthy meats (if you are a meat eating family).
I'll give you an example - simple spaghetti!
BEFORE: jar of spag sauce, regular spaghetti noodles, meat off the shelf.
AFTER: homemade spag sauce (because almost ALL jars of spag sauce contain a lot of sugar...there is only brand that doesn't which I keep on my shelf for emergency nights --> Classico brand Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic), regular spaghetti noodles (because that was one area my family totally rejected --> whole wheat pasta - they don't care for the texture), pasture fed beef or turkey for meatballs.
They're just simple, small changes really.
mamaslearning wrote:
| Do I cut all convenience, canned, boxed food and go to scratch cooking? Should I focus on buying organic? What about just limiting boxed/canned food to those without perservatives or dyes? How about starting with eliminating all sugar? (I already try to avoid HFCS). |
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All of these are really good places to start! I'd pick one or two and look at them closely to see how you can begin to make some changes in that area. At the same time, do some reading as Lindsay suggested. Remember overall balance as you read.
I found that cutting back on convenience foods overall meant my budget could sustain other shifts toward more organic produce and pasture fed beef & poultry. It also meant I had to be really on top of menus and lists...as well as the execution of those menus. BUT...I don't cut convenience foods out entirely! I try to make healthy choices there as well, but consider them "panic meal choices". So...we might keep frozen pizzas in the freezer or a nice veggie lasagna or a good frozen fish filet for a night that I really need help in the kitchen. AND...if we hit a crisis time...I do not have a problem enjoying more convenience when it's necessary and a help!
I know how you feel, Lara! This is a very overwhelming area to try to learn about and overhaul!!! And there are so many different yet passionate opinions one can read about. I found I really got into a good and comfortable place when I kept my family (tastes) in mind, didn't sweat the small stuff (like regular pasta when it was clear that changes in that area would not be welcome), and kept a common-sense, budget appropriate approach to providing meals for my family. Good luck to you!
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Jen Mackintosh
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 10:28am | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
I think that Nina Plank's book Real Food: What to Eat and Why is a better starting place than Nourishing Traditions. It has a good bit of overlapping info, but its much more accessible and less sensationalist, imo.
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My library actually has a copy of this! I'll pick it up tonight for reading this week. Thanks!
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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Betsy
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 10:43am | IP Logged
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First, I agree with what was said above. Start slowly, like in any habit changing, and don't get overwhelmed!
I will say that I am very much a proponent of Nourishing Traditions, but it's a lot to take in when you are just beginning. However, reading just the beginning part of the book is very good and make a two inch thick book much more manageable.
With that being said, I do believe that starting with the book, Metabolic Diet Typing is another great place to start.
The two main points are that there is no one diet fits all solution. Nourishing Traditions is great, but not every great recipe or super food will be great for everyone. The second, is that this book will help you determine if you are a Protein Type or Carb Type or somewhere in between! Therefore, you can find the good foods that satiate you the longest and make you feel good. Plus, you can apply this information to just about any nutrition information that you find so that you know if it's right for you.
I have also found it helpful to have an idea of what type of eaters my family it. For instance I am a Protein Type and my husband is a mix. We both like chicken...but it will not fill me up for very long unless I add in some good quality fats (lot of gravy, white sauce, etc) where as a chicken breast and a salad is perfect for him. The same goes for a few of my children who seem to always be hungry! I know what to add in to help fill them up.
Lastly, the good news about this book is that it's quick read, because it's mostly just a quiz to find out what you are....so it's not tooooooo overwhelming!
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JodieLyn
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and don't try going totally to scratch without planning for your "oh no I have 30 minutes and need to have dinner on the table and/or I'm exhausted or sick" nights.
Now it is possible to do those from scratch but it requires advance prep and storing things for those meals.. like homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer.
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Betsy
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 1:23pm | IP Logged
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Another first step is to make a menu.
I always eat better when I use a menu and I cook more because I don't have to think too much about it before I start cooking.
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JodieLyn
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I don't like a menu telling me what to do  but having a reminder text sent to me from google calender to start dinner is very helpful.. gets me moving early enough that dinner is when we need dinner.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 4:26pm | IP Logged
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Drat, the metabolic book isn't at our library. I'll have to try ILL for that book.
Quote:
and don't try going totally to scratch without planning for your "oh no I have 30 minutes and need to have dinner on the table and/or I'm exhausted or sick" nights.
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This is my downfall and why I am relying more and more on convenience foods. I hope to turn that around this year. Once, a few years ago between baby 2 and 3 I was starting to adopt better habits, but alas, the last two pregnancies sapped my energy and put me in survival mode.
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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violingirl
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| Posted: Jan 10 2011 at 6:37pm | IP Logged
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Jodie, I don't like to have a menu plan tell me what to do either! I do have a list hanging on my fridge though that tells me what I have in the freezer and pantry. :)
Our first step was Nina Plank's book as well. My first focus was to stop buying convenience foods, but I was concerned with the "panic mode" thing too. We figured out 3 menu items that were easy to keep on hand as emergency dinners- tacos, spaghetti and quesadillas. At first I didn't go to making my own sauce and all that- we switched to healther tortillas, healthier spaghetti sauce, etc. Then over time I started making my own tortillas and sauce.
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Angie Mc
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Replying to the OP without reading replies, here is what has helped us to eat pretty well (no allergy/weight concerns)...
Eat foods in as close to their natural state as possible (I first ran across this principle via La Leche League) - 80% of the time.
When choosing prepared food, read the labels and choose foods that have no coloring, additives, preservatives, etc. - 10%.
Allow foods that aren't "natural" but do fill a need for celebrating or convenience - 10%.
Learn how to cook whole grains.
Use food color to simplify planning (ex: green + red + white + brown = rice and beans with a romaine salad topped with tomato.)
Limit sugar but don't fuss over form of sugar.
Use a menu template with reminders of principles (Tuesday lunch is leftovers, Wed. dinner is pasta, Snack is a smoothie, etc.)
Find a few slow cooker recipes that are versatile (ex: boneless, skinless, chicken thighs can be flavored in a variety of ways - greek, italian, mexican, asian, bbq, etc.)
If I think of more ideas, I'll be back! Praying you find a good fit for yourself and your family with food. Enjoy!
Love,
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Angie Mc
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cornomama4
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Lara, your post speaks right to my heart now! I've been struggling with the best choices for change and am frequently overwhelmed by the task!!
One thing about your family is that your kids are young enough to be "modified" before they get mired in preferences. That's been my biggest challenge/excuse is that "if I try to serve x,y,or z no child will eat it!" Of course that's not true since they will eat if hungry enough, but I'm not prepared for the battle yet.
I would recommend not going balistic from the start. Extreme changes are usually doomed to fail. I'd look at the labels of your packaged foods and get rid of anything with dyes, MSG, HFCS and anything else that gives you the willies. Closest to natural is best.
For organics, there are lists of the foods that get you the most "bang for your buck" to buy organic...sometimes it's not such an advantage, other times yes.
One thing we did right after my dh was diagnosed with cancer was he went vegan for about 2 months. Later he realized this was not really going to help and then spent 6 months with a feeding tube, but in that time I realized that adding many more veggies to the diet was a huge thing! Look at your diet. Do you eat enough basic green and orange things? (not M&M's ;))
Can you dump any obvious things like pop, chips, Hostess, etc. (serious Hostess issue here when we were getting baker's racks of expired bread and cake for our pigs...it wasn't all expired  )
Here's another thing most folks can do even in the city...grow some produce. I don't know where you live, but come spring see what you can get in pots and planters and enjoy your fresh produce..can't go wrong there!
I'm giving you advice I need to take. We have free range eggs, raw milk, home-rendered lard, pastured beef, pork, and poultry and tons of produce but I'm still addicted to Diet Coke, fast food, frozen pizza, etc. I think it's more of a mindset than anything. And you can raise your kids with the healthy mindset!!!
Rambling now....I guess I mean to say look at the big picture, don't get mired down in details (you can always do that later) and listen to your instincts. I'll bet you know what's good :)
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mamaslearning
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For some reason I am just resisting these changes right now. I also need to lose about thirty pounds after this last pregnancy, and I can't even motivate myself to get up and at least walk everyday (I love to exercise and used to go three times a week to an aerobic class).
It's like trying to overcome nicotine all over again. (I quit eight years ago) I know intellectually what to do, but my will is so weak. I'm praying for strength!
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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Trinity
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There is so much good advice in this thread. It really is a step by step process. I would love for us to be to grow most of our fruits and vegtables, but we are not there yet.
This past year one of our local farms started two CSA programs and they have been wonderful. One of them you would pay $90 and receive a $100 card for the farm store. It had no expiration time, but we still managed to go through three cards last year. We also participated in the other CSA they offered where you pay up front for a box of fresh produce every week. I love that we supported local farmers and that our produce was so fresh. It is also nice to be able to talk to the farmers and find out what, if any, pesticides and such they use. A lot of the time we are getting organic produce, it just isn't certified.
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Trinity
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Talk to me about food
