I realize not everyone can own a milk cow. Or chickens. Or pigs. Or a garden. I used to be that person. I think a good rule is:
Do the best you can with what you’ve got.
I realize there is a grammatical error in that rule. Aside from grammar, it is a good starting point.
When I lived in a neighborhood with 42 children in our back-court I couldn’t raise my own livestock, but I wanted to do something. I ground fresh wheat & made bread. I planted blueberry bushes in my landscaping. I even planted a raised garden bed for 2 months before the HOA saw it and demanded immediate demolition. Dang HOAs!
I was still basically a nutritional disaster. I ate cereal (the bad kind that turns the color of your milk) every day. I fed my children Tyson Chicken Nuggets. I drank pasteurized, homogenized store bought milk. It wasn’t even organic. GASP!
At least, my family was getting some good nutrition in the bread. We have always been big fruit and vegetable eaters – that was good.
Give yourself permission to take small steps. You don’t have to go from 0 to 100 in 1 week. It has taken me years to change my way of thinking about food, the way I shop for food, they way we live to raise food. It has been a long process and it is far from over. I am still learning every day. I still have a Boston-cream doughnut problem. I still eat Frito’s on my homemade, organic, venison chili.
Just do the best you can with what you’ve got.
10 things you can do this week to be healthier:
#1 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Change Your Oil
Instead of Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil or Crisco use real butter, olive oil or raw coconut oil.
#2 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Low Pasteurized (or no Pasteurization) Organic Dairy Products
Buy low-heat pasteurization, organic milk. Not all of the beneficial bacteria have been destroyed by the high-heat of pasteurization.
#3 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Use a Cast Iron Skillet
Buy an Iron Skillet. Once they are seasoned they are naturally non-stick (so you won’t need as much oil). They do not contain any harmful chemicals that are found in non-stick pans. An iron skillet will leach iron into all your food you cook in it, which is good for you.
#4 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Eat Your Veggies
Eat a rainbow. Colorful fruit & vegetables add fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet. It’s the phytochemicals in the plant that give the food it’s bright color. These powerful nutrients are disease-fighters.
#5 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Drink Sodas with Real Sugar (not Corn Syrup)
Buy Sodas made with real sugar instead of softdrinks with corn syrup. No soft drink is good for you, however, if you’re going to have a pop with that cheeseburger – skip the high fructose corn syrup.
#6 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Use Cane Juice Crystals
Use raw cane juice crystals instead of white sugar (often made from GMO sugar beets). It has not been through the high-processing like white sugar and even contains trace minerals. We use cane juice crystals for everything (baking, coffee, hot chocolate, ice cream) and can’t tell a difference.
#7 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Use Organic Flour
Buy organic flour. If you gave me a choice between unbleached wheat flour and organic white flour, I’ll chose the organic white every time. In order to get flour, Wheat is grown. Then it is cut & thrashed (to bang out all the little grains – called “wheat berries.” The wheat berries are then stored in silo’s until they are sent to the mill to be ground into flour. In the growing process there is a problem with bugs & critters. In the storage process there is a problem with bugs & critters. In order to run off the free-loaders chemicals are used. Insecticides, Pesticides, Fertilizers. Don’t believe me? Go here. This explains how to “Control Insects in Stored Grain.” So, the end product is wheat that was sprayed in the field with chemicals, sprayed before storage with chemicals, and sprayed in the silo with more chemicals; if they find more bugs & critters in the silo they spray again; then it is sent to the mill where it is processed into flour. YIKES! Would you like some flour with your Insecticides, Pesticides, and fertilizers? Yes, please let me pay 5 times as much for the organic flour.
#8 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Enjoy Avacados
Eat avocados. Avocado’s are packed with nutrients and heart-healthy compounds. They even contain oleic acid which can help lower cholesterol. Because they thrive without the need of fertilizers and chemicals you don’t have to worry about icky sprays. They are full of good fat & keep you feeling satisfied for hours.
#9 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Eat Eggs from Pastured Chickens
Find a place near you to get farm fresh eggs from free range chickens. Did you know that eggs laid by a free-range chicken is one of the healthiest foods on the planet? This is tricky, because most “free-range” hens are not truly “free-range.” By Free-range, I mean: 1. no cages & living on pasture 2. no corn 3. eating whatever it needs from nature. This means the chicken is getting most of hits nutrition from grass, bugs and plants. According to Mother Earth News an egg from this hen can contain:
1/3 less cholesterol
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene
#10 Way To Be Healthier this Week: Nuts
Eat nuts. Just a few can pack your diet with protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, and important vitamins and minerals. Not only are nuts filling, they also can help lower cholesterol, improve health, help control weight and even lower risk of cancer.
There are many more ways to improve your health. These are just a few of my favorites that pack a punch and can provide a fresh start to a healthy future.
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Happy Eating!
Candi
