Small changes

This is a shot of my grocery cart earlier this week.

This view has come a long way. My cart once was full of bread, ice cream, frozen pizza (still an occasional purchase for Tommy), frozen all-in-one meals, cereal boxes (and boxes!), milk, lots of cheese, and more.

Improving our diet (and lifestyle) has been a slow but steady progress. Here are some of the small changes we've made over the past few years:

• Replacing all white flour foods with wheat options
• Replacing bread with tortilla wraps
• Choosing fruit as dessert versus baked goods (of course baked goods are always a fun treat on occasion!)
• Shopping in the outside aisles of the grocery store, with the exception of wandering up and down the Natural Foods aisles
• Swapping spices for sauces (or marinades) on meats (I made this change as soon as I realized how many marinades out there are made with sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup)
• Avoiding pasta
• If we do have pasta during a meal, it is a side dish instead of a main dish and made with whole grain pasta
• Avoiding casseroles and creamy soups/sauces
• Regularly reading and educating ourselves about nutrition
• Choosing to go on a hike instead of to the movie theater
• Along the same idea, going on a long walk instead of renting a DVD
• Replacing unhealthy instant lunches with protein-packed green smoothies
• Learning to LOVE sweet potatoes!
• Replacing all processed sugar/syrups with one of the following: 100% pure maple syrup, liquid stevia and/or honey
• Replacing vegetable/canola/corn oil with coconut oil or applesauce in baked good recipes
• I'm currently working on teaching myself to drink coffee black... but it's a long process. ;)
• Using exclusively coconut oil or olive oil

I am a fan of doing things slow and steady. Instead of an overnight change that may fail quickly, we're tackling this issue in our lives one small step at a time. Every now and then I look up and realize... we've come a long way. And earlier this week I stopped to capture one of those moments with my camera phone. :)

Here's to the journey! We still have so much to learn.

lessons in eating clean... pt 3

If you're just joining in, check out part 1 and part 2 of this series. It is also important for you to know that all of the information I am sharing here came from a presentation by Dana Mcgehee, a local mom who is passionate about healthy eating. I know what I have been sharing is barely scraping the top of the massive amounts of information out there about eating healthy. I think Dana's goal was to share the starter tools to help us make better choices in the grocery store. In my opinion, the most valuable thing she shared is her method of reading nutrion labels and deciding if food items have enough nutritional value to consume.

Below is her tutorial:

Step 1: Go get a product from your pantry or fridge and flip to the nutrition facts label. Seriously, go get one. It will help you learn and remember this process so you can use it when you are away from the computer. :)

Step 2: Look at the list of ingredients. Ingredients are ordered from the most-used to the least-used ingredient. If the first ingredient is sugar that means it has more sugar in it than any other ingredient used - put the product back on the shelf.

Step 3: Look at the sugar content (under carbohydrate information). 9 grams is good, 6 is better, 4 is BEST. If there are more than 9g of sugar in one serving - put the product back on the shelf.

Step 4: Look at the calorie count. Then look to the right and observe how many calories from fat are listed. Multiply the calories from fat by 3. If the answer is greater than the number of calories in the product, it is very high in fat content. Put it back.

Step 5: If your food still qualifies to be added to your cart, glance at the fiber and protein counts. This is where you find the nutritional value. Obviously, if they are 0, there isn't much nutritional value. Use your own judgement when deciding if the food has enough nutritional value for you at this point.

With that information, I feel confident walking through the grocery store and choosing items based on their nutritional value. As I said earlier, all of this information is just the beginning of educating ourselves about living a healthier lifestyle. Below are some resources I plan on using to further educate myself and help inspire me to keep stepping forward in this journey. I hope you will find some of them helpful as well!

Resources for your journey (* denotes a recommendation by Dana)

Books:

• The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno*
• Ellie Krieger's books and website
• Healthy Choices for Women (a devotional)*
• Food, Fitness & Faith (for women)*
• Made to Crave
• Deceptively Delicious (cookbook)*
• The Sneaky Chef (cookbook)

Websites / blogs:

• Finding Our New Normal
• Happy Foody
• Pure Goodness
• Skinny Taste

And lastly, I want to wrap up the series with a few other random pieces of info that Dana shared:

• Children should consume between 20 and 40 grams of fiber DAILY
• Thursday are grocery clearance/sale days locally.
• Hummus is an awesome power-food and easy to make at home.
• Too much sugar is hard on the liver.
• Consider this a JOURNEY, as it has no end.

"If we neglect the Bible, we cannot benefit from God's wisdom. If we neglect to have faith we cannot benefit from God's love. And if we neglect our physical health we cannot benefit from a long, healthy life."

I hope all of this information has helped encourage you to make small changes that can make a big difference in your life. I will try to continue to share bits of our journey, including recipes and new information I learn along the way. Good luck!!

lessons in eating clean... pt 2

If you missed part 1, click here to read a list of practical ideas to help start your journey to a healthier you. When people say it IS possible to eat healthy foods on a budget, it's some times hard to believe. That's why I LOVED that Dana actually gave us a sample grocery list to get us started on this journey. She started this part off with a list of groceries she saw in women's carts throughout the store... let's see if I can remember (I didn't write that list down):

• pop tarts
• toaster strudels
• frozen pancakes  & waffles
• hot pockets
• macaroni and cheese (a HUGE weakness of ours!)
• pre-packaged chips (for lunches)
• pre-packaged cookies
• sugary cereal
• ice cream
• frozen pizza

Her list was extensive, these are just the few things I remember. Then she rattled off our new grocery list and this is what I was able to jot down:

• whole chicken/turkey/ham (on sale)
• brown rice
• fruit (on sale)
• canned beans
• salsa
• tomatoes
• celery
• oats
• spaghetti sauce
• carrots
• organic milk
• yogurt
• whole wheat pasta noodles
• natural, unsweetened applesauce
• canned pumpkin
• canned sweet potatoes
• flour
• whole wheat tortillas

A couple of notes about the grocery list:

• The thing I loved about her presentation was that it wasn't extreme. Beginning a journey of eating healthier is no small step, but she presented it in such a capable, non-intimidating way. There are a few things I disagreed with about her list - for example, anything canned. I don't agree that it is the most nutritious way to approach things, but it's low-cost and it's better than a lot of what we are eating now. So while there are things she suggests that may not be the BEST option, she keeps it real. And I appreciate that.
• Boxed Macaroni & Cheese is "THE WORST." This was the WORST news ever as it's the one exception I make as far as buying preserved food that will last forever and ever (gross). We eat ridiculous amounts of macaroni & cheese. But, between the insane amounts of sodium and the dyes, it happens to have no nutritional value whatsoever. So... we will make this a rare treat around here from now on. (sigh)
• I prefer to make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch... err... with canned tomatoes. I have read that canned tomatoes are some of the worst foods you can eat. This is very unfortunate (for me) and I am not sure yet if I should buy spaghetti sauce or find an alternative way to make it (like, *gasp* from actual fresh tomatoes!).
• Regular milk is LOADED with additional sugars (news to me!) and if you must buy and drink milk, buy organic.
• Anything orange is dyed (even oranges have artificial dyes added to them): Yellow cheeses, kraft macaroni & cheese, orange soda, etc.

Okay, more to come in Part 3. I'll try my best to explain how to read Nutritional labels and throw in the last few of the notes I took as well. I don't know about you guys, but this is really fun for me! :)

lessons in eating clean... pt 1

Yesterday I spent almost two hours listening to a presentation about ways to eat clean on a budget. The presenter was another mom. A normal mom. Someone who used to eat like the average American and life changes forced her to learn a better way. I mentioned the presentation on Facebook and had a few people ask me to share what I learned so I thought I'd type up some of the info so others can also benefit. Plus it helps drill things into my head a little bit more. :) She shared so much great information that I am having a hard time organizing it all. So I'm going to share it with you in pieces: a list of tips and small changes you can make to help add up to a new, healthier lifestyle, a sample grocery list for families on a budget, and how to read (decipher) a nutrition label.

First, let's start with this encouraging tidbit: It takes 5 days to stop cravings, 10 tries or more to go from "yucky to yummy" and about 30 days to form a habit.

Below is her list of tips and small changes you can make to help add up to a healthier lifestyle. This is all completely from her, and as soon as I know "her" name and source information, I will share that with you!

1. Learn to read labels.
2. Learn the basics of nutrition.
3. Life is a series of choices: bad, good, best.
4. Learn to buy only what is on sale.
5. Use coupons and price match. Shop several stores for your needs.
6. Don't eat out, save that money and use it to buy better quality food. Set an eat out limit of once a month. (Fact: 1/3 of our nation's income is spent on eating out!)
7. Shop the perimeter of the store first.
8. Cook more. You are the heart of your home. You cannot get good, quality, nutritious meals unless someone is cooking them from your kitchen.
9. Invest in good, healthy cookbooks.
10. Buy whole hams, turkeys and roasts and use them for sandwich meat. It's cheaper and tons healthier.
11. Look for foods high in fiber and protein. (Fact: Protein helps children have better focus!)
12. Pack your kids school lunches. Cafeteria food is high in fat and sugar. Pack at least 2-3 fruits and veggies. Make your own baggies with raw veggies and PB dip. Use leftovers for next day lunches.
13. Invest in a picnic basket for on-the-road lunches and snacks during sports season. This will save you money so you don't have to eat out and your kids have healthier snack options.
14. Swap high sugar cereal for oatmeal, whole wheat toast & jam, and a fruit smoothie for breakfast.
15. Buy organic when you can and go to your local farmer's market.
16. Buy Greek yogurt and add your own fruit. Greek yogurt has twice the protein.
17. Use eggs & egg whites for dinner. Eggs are inexpensive and high in protein.
18. Make the switch from white to whole grain or wheat. Invest in a good bread machine and make breads, pizza doughs and jams from home. It's easy and much better for you and it will save money in the long run.
19. STOP BUYING JUICE! It has NO nutritional value and is liquid sugar. Teach your kids to choose water. For special occasions select juice that has vegetables or an organic juice like "Honest Kids."
20. Be creative with cooking and use things like whole wheat wraps for sandwiches. (Ex: Wrap, PB, sliced bananas, sprinkle almonds & drizzle with honey. Roll and serve.)
21. Cook with applesauce and agave nectar instead of oil.
22. Bake cookies, muffins and breads for snacks. It is always better when made from good, quality ingredients from your kitchen.
23. Use purees in your cooking. Kids won't know that they are in there and they boost the nutritional value of the meal.
24. Avoid HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) when you can.
25. Have at least 2 fruit bowls on your kitchen counter for quick, to-go snacks anytime.
26. Allow treats on occasion!
27. Love yourself enough to not allow yourself to eat food that is bad for you (sugar!!).
28. Stay away from fat-free products. When the fat is taken out, more sugar is put in to make up for flavor.
29. Always look at the ingredient list. The first ingredient listed is what the product has the most of. If it says sugar, put it back on the shelf!
30. Stay under 9g of sugar per serving. 6 is better, 4 is gold!
31. By large quantities of fresh fruits like berries, peaches and grapes in season and freeze them. This will save you money.

So encouraging! I'll share the rest of the information in the next few days. I am excited that I learned how to read a nutritional label - FINALLY. I feel like I am armed with the information necessary to make better choices and I can't wait to share it with you, too!

For more info, read part 2 here.