I gave myself 10 goals this year. Well...in reality, one of those goals is like 200 all in one. I did get a head start on it and it's something that's always been lurking in the back of my mind, but this is the year that I decided we would work really really really hard at cutting out over processed foods.
We've always been big on fresh fruits and veggies. We've been on again, off again consumers of local, organic, grass-fed beef. My Mom gives us farm fresh eggs from her chickens. I've always been an 'Ingredient Reader' and I like to know what we're putting in our mouths.
But, in reality, we eat fruits and veggies because we like them. We bought local, organic, grass-fed beef because it was fun to know where I was buying it {not because I knew about all of the health benefits}. I like free eggs. And, although I read the label, it didn't always mean I put the Cheeto's back on the shelf after realizing they had around 30 ingredients...half of which I can't pronounce.
About a year ago I started reading this blog. I was pretty inspired by their story and totally jealous of this mom who had all of this time to really work at this. I kept following and reading her stories....the information she put out about some of the food we eat is pretty gross, disturbing, scary, and life-changing, but the ONE thing that put me over the edge was this: Children today have a lower life expectancy than their parents, simply because of the food they eat.
Yep, that puts it into perspective.
At about this same time {which was around three months ago}, Parker stopped wanting fast food {can I get an amen!}. He said it smelled funny. Because I completely agreed with him, we decided to stop eating fast food. Also at about this same time, I started reading up on what all of these crazy ingredients in our food do to our bodies, which of these ingredients are actually banned in other countries, the major major health benefits to eating grass-fed beef, eating organic foods, eating free-range chicken eggs and organic chicken, cutting out hormones in meat and in cows that produce milk, etc. Let me tell you, it made me want to make a huge change in our lives.
So, three months ago, I made some minor changes. We started only eating local, grass-fed beef. I started buying organic milk, eggs, and other produce {which isn't easy in Ottawa, KS}. I REALLY read the ingredients on our food....and I made some little changes because of that. We switched the brand of bread we normally buy to one that had sugar as one of the last ingredients {instead of high-fructose corn syrup as one of the top ingredients}, we stopped buying pre-made frozen waffles and pancakes, no more frozen pizzas, and I even managed to convince Andrew that the Annie's chocolate bunnies were waaaaay better than any Hershey Kiss.
And, do you know what happened?! Since the day I decided to do this {knock on wood}, my kids have not been sick. They've had more energy. They ask for healthy snacks and 'treats'. At the grocery store, they ask for Cuties and fresh Pineapple over fruit snacks and sugary cereal. Parker likes my homemade pizza {with whole wheat crust} better than other pizza. And, Andrew has literally become my little meatball {with whole wheat bread crumbs} because that's his favorite meal. They now have a taste for the healthy stuff!
While I know we haven't even touched the surface of what we need to do with our eating habits, just by making these minor changes, I can see the impact it has on my kids and their health. And, I feel good about it. So, this goal of mine....there's so much more we can do this year to improve and continue on this challenge to eat more 'real food'. And, everyday I feel like we find a new way to cut something bad out of our diet and replace it with something that is actually good for us and serves a purpose for our bodies.
I firmly believe that there's no way my family will be able to cut everything that's not 'real' out of our diet, but I'd like to come close. So, wish us luck this year, and if you have any advice, tips, or recipes to share, please do so! I'd love to know what other families are doing to bring 'real food' back into their lives.
I'm going to leave you with some photos of our favorite foods....and keep in mind that we live in Small Town, USA...where there's not many options for buying groceries. I am trying to buy organic, but when that's not possible, we get the next best thing by looking at the ingredients.
{We've used this to make muffins, pancakes, and pizza crust. It's quickly become a staple at our house!!}
{MJ Ranch is a local ranch in Lawrence. Their beef is 100% grass fed, organic, and super fresh. Have you ever looked into the processing that goes into the beef you buy at your local super store? You can see the difference in this meat...and taste it.}
{While this bread still has more ingredients on its' list than I like, it's the ONLY loaf of bread at our local superstore that didn't have sugar or HFCS in the first five ingredients. I would love to be able to make our own bread - it's something I am going to do this year.}
{This is the milk we've been buying.}
{This is one of the boy's new favorite snacks. Brandon and I have always loved Edamame and a few months ago we introduced it to Parker and Andrew. They liked it!}
{Our favorite peanut butter! The ingredients: Peanuts, Oil, Sugar. That's it.}
{The 'better-than-a-hershey-kiss' chocolate bunnies that Andrew loves.}
{Andrew's favorite: Bananas, Parker's favorite: Cuties....I especially like the new fruit bowl I picked up at a local antique store!}
This is by far our hardest goal this year, but it's a life change that will actually prolong our lives. I am so excited about this adventure {and a little nervous too} and I am looking forward to finding new ways to eat 'real'. Here's to our hardest goal and to changing the little things to make life better for our kids!
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