Ingredients for Change

I know changing the way that you eat, but more importantly cook can be pretty overwhelming... especially when you look at a recipe, and realize that you have NOTHING you need to make it!  I found myself in that situation more than a few times in the beginning...

I guess the first thing to understand is that everything WILL change, the way you shop, the way you read labels, the way you prepare your food.  But, you will also find a new standard of "normal".  This way of life IS more work, but it's way worth it. There are a lot of things that you'll find you can substitute for healthier alternatives. There are also certain substitutions that just can't be made.  For the most part, I've accepted that candy and cake are not going to be a part of my daily existence, and I won't purchase them.  Another "substitution" a lot of people make the mistake of making is junk food, in organic form.  If it's an item that would be junk food if NOT organic, then I generally consider that it would be junk food if it IS organic.  In this list are items made with "organic sugar", like organic candy, items made with "organic white flour" (crackers, cookies, cakes, etc), organic fried potato chips and the like.  Being organic does NOT always mean healthy.  I still won't buy an organic pasta sauce if it has added sugar, for example. 

I have found that most processed food that has been tampered with by human hands is depleted nutritionally to an astounding degree.  I truly believe most Americans, while overweight with full bellies, are essentially starving, because there is no nutrition, vitamins, trace minerals, enzymes, etc to sustain the health that God originally intended. 

Here are a few things that I've found I use on a daily, or at least weekly basis.  These are things that you may want to consider just going out and buying to keep in your pantry.

As you go through this list, you'll notice that all these foods are given by God in nature, raised naturally, unprocessed and unrefined.  In other words, raised the way God intended, and eaten just as they naturally occur in nature, because God apparently knew what he was doing the whole time!

Raw Honey - After researching all the different sweeteners available, I've decided this is the best choice for our family.   A lot of vegans won't eat honey, as it's technically an animal product.  But because our family's choices are based on nutrition, not on avoiding all animal products, it makes sense for us.  Raw honey has amazing healing properties, both topically and internally.  It is anti-bacterial and anti-microbial.  It has all of the B-complex, A, C, D, E, and K vitamins, minerals and many trace elements. The live enzyme content of honey is also one of the highest of all foods.  No other sweetener I am aware of can pack so many benefits into something that tastes good! 
*Please note, most honey purchased on supermarket shelves is NOT raw, it is pasteurized, stripped of nutrition and approximately the nutritional equivalent of sugar water. 

Raw Coconut Oil - The benefits of raw coconut oil (also known as "virgin" and/or "unrefined") are so ridiculously many that I really would encourage you to research this on your own!  Besides being one of the only sources of Medium-Chain Triglycerides (here's a good article listing why this is important) it is delicious, good for you and can be used topically for nearly anything you can think of!  It can be used medicinally in many ways... the list is nearly endless as far as benefits of this super food go.

Sea Salt - Sea salt is healthier for you than table salt.  It is not processed, more natural, and contains many more trace elements and nutrients than it's dead, nutritionless table salt cousin. 

Chia Seeds - Perhaps you remember Chia Pets?  Yup, one and the same!  Chia seeds are amazing little things, that you'll find I'll add into any food I can manage!  Once again, the benefits are so numerous it's easier to just read this article on these amazing little seeds than have me ramble on!

Almond Milk - Organic and minimally processed.  Generally used as our substitution for cows milk, for reasons seen below.

Unpasteurized Milk Products -  This is a hot topic with many passionate arguments on both sides!  Pasteurization did not become the norm in America until early in the 1900's.  Before this nearly all products were bought and sold raw (unheated).  Pasteurization also kills many beneficial enzymes, vitamins and minerals found in pure products.  My personal opinion is that when milk is produced in dirty factory type settings, instead of on organic farms, (which this switch became mainstream around the same time pasteurization became the norm) the way it was originally intended, the odds of contamination are drastically increased.  Not to mention that these same farms routinely treat their animals inhumanely, and many are sick and infected... One of the leading reasons to pasteurize your milk is to kill the infection from all the pus in your milk!  I prefer my dairy products pus-free, and therefore buy milk either raw, from small, local, organic farms, or if I absolutely need milk for something and can't get a raw version I will ALWAYS spend the extra money for organic milk.  I also purchase raw, unpasteurized cheeses, and if I can't get the milk, cheese, cream, etc., raw, I will generally just forgo it as a part of our diet.  It is also important to note that there have been EXPONENTIALLY less sickness and deaths recorded in the last 100 years from unpasteurized milk products than there have been from pasteurized milk products.  Yet unpasteurized milk is routinely touted in the media as one of the most dangerous foods available.  PLEASE do research on this subject before you buy into the media frenzy of pasteurization.
*Also, along the same lines, cows that are grass fed and pastured have nearly no occurrence of e. coli in their gut, compared to the high levels of e. coli present in factory raised, corn-fed animals. 

Truly Raw Almonds - Most people think that when they buy "raw almonds" in the grocery store, that's what they are getting.  But these are mislabeled!  They are PASTEURIZED!  I don't know of any way of getting truly raw almonds except online.  Instead of repeating points from above, just trust me that anything raw is much healthier for you!

Organic Quinoa - This is a favorite in our household when it comes to grains!  Nutritionally dense and packed with protein, it is easily replaceable as rice in almost any dish.  Even Kelly loves the flavor!

Farm Fresh, Cage Free, Free Range Organic Eggs - Best purchased FROM a local farm when available.  The nutritional profile is much higher, and much more dense than regular old grocery store eggs. 

Organic Bananas - We eat a ridiculous amount of bananas!  They're a staple in many desserts and breads (either raw or baked), they're awesome frozen and blended for banana icecream (great with cocoa added too!), a fast snack, etc.  We usually buy about 5 bunches at a time, and they'll last a few days, if we're lucky!

Organic Fruits and Vegetables - This should be a no brainer.  Our local grocery store and health food store here in Gillette are both extremely limited in what's available, unfortunately.  I usually buy whatever I can get, and plan meals around what's available!  If Bountiful Baskets are available in your area, I highly recommend purchasing one each week!  For $25 I get a basketful of fresh, organic produce worth easily twice that amount.  I do the best I can, but sometimes 100% organic isn't an option, in which case we'll buy conventional produce.  (Except corn!  Nearly all conventionally grown corn is genetically modified, and it's just not worth it.  I'll buy organic frozen corn until I can get it fresh and organic on the cob!)



As I think of more things to add to the list I'll update it in future blog postings.  But just these few things are a great beginning!