Food in Germany

I just have to say that after living in Europe, I feel really sorry for Americans (and for the food I will have to go home to). European food is so much tastier and healthier.

A healthier home in 5 weeks: {week 1}

As I began searching for resources on organic eating, I came across information about chemicals that are all around us. I was surprised to learn how many of these toxins were in my home. In fact, it seems like almost all the products I use on a daily basis from tupperware to shampoo to sunscreen contain toxins that have damaging long-term effects anywhere from ADHD to cancer.

I made a goal to eliminate whatever toxins I could from my home immediately, and those that I can't do now, I will eliminate when we move this fall. I realize spring cleaning is over, but summer is a great time to prepare for the upcoming school year.

I've broken down the most frequent toxin exposures into 5 easy weekly steps. Obviously it's impossible to eliminate exposure to all harmful things, but there are small simple steps you can take to limit the risk to young (and unborn) children.

{Week 1 Challenge: Organic Food}

Buy organic produce, meats and dairy starting this week!

Chemicals directly sprayed on fruits and vegetables cannot simply be washed off, some residue will remain no matter how diligently you scrub. These pesticides have been linked to cancer, ADHD and autism.

If you cannot afford to buy 100% organic, then buy these dirty dozen as organics and the clean fifteen you can buy non-organic.

Dirty Dozen (contain the most pesticide residue- Buy Organic!)

celery

peaches

strawberries

apples

domestic blueberries

nectarines

sweet bell peppers

spinach, kale and collard greens

cherries

potatoes

imported grapes

lettuce

Clean Fifteen (little to no pesticide residue)

onions

avocados

sweet corn

pineapples

mango

sweet peas

asparagus

kiwi fruit

cabbage

eggplant

cantaloupe

watermelon

grapefruit

sweet potatoes

sweet onions

Why should you buy organic meat? The main reason is because 70% of antibiotics in this country go to farm animals. That's right, cows and chickens. Why? Because they are fed unnatural diets that fatten them up faster and live in cramped quarters- they are fed antibiotics to prevent them from dying before they go to market. Unfortunately, these antibiotics create superbugs (heard of MRSA?) which spread to humans from contaminated meats or crops (like spinach) contaminated by animal waste. Even chicken feed is found to contain high levels of arsenic that is passed on to our children.

Here's a great article about why it's worth it to buy organic eggs (try finding someone local!) and how buying hormone-free milk reduces your risk of cancer.

I know you're really not going to like this one, but I have to put it out there. Studies have shown that processed meats cause cancer. This includes lunch meat, hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni and my favorite, bacon. Fortunately, you CAN buy organic versions of these foods that do not include the cancer-causing nitrates! Applegate Farms is a favorite brand of mine, found at Whole Foods.

Week one is definitely going to be the most challenging week, but it will also have the greatest long-term impact on your family. You'll find that organic meats can be quite expensive, which is another great reason to base your meals primarily around vegetables and use meat sparingly. I have quite a few meatless meal ideas on my Fabulous Foods website. The thing to remember also is exposure amount- a tiny amount of chemicals won't cause immediate harm, but repeated exposure over time can, so don't feel guilty if you have to resort to fast food or "normal" food from time to time but try to limit exposure if you can.

Also, and this is my personal non-scientific opinion...I believe that a normal healthy body is designed to fight toxins including those used in pesticides and if we feed our body healthy foods most of the time then it will be prepared to combat the toxins we do introduce from time to time. However, if we are fueling our body primarily with junk, it won't have the tools to effectively combat the toxins and  then our body starts to break down and results in headaches, fatigue, weight gain, and possibly even cancer.

Continue to Week 2

Real Food: Decoding labels

Up until just a few months ago, I would shop like most other people, wandering up and down every aisle, occasionally checking the back of the box to see how much sugar or fat was in it, and not really paying attention to anything else. Now when I pick up a box, I see something totally different. Ingredients. Amazing how I never really noticed them before.

As I start to read the labels I see all sorts of strange things that I have never heard of before. Do I really want to eat those things? Um-no, I don't. But sometimes the lovely food companies try to trick you into thinking something is not there when it really is, or lure you into believing the claims written on the box like "fat free!" "no added sugar!" and "all natural!"

It is amazing to me when I shop at a "regular" grocery store now, almost every single thing (including canned fruit) contains one or more of these additives. I find that now, unless I'm at Whole Foods or similar store, I only shop the perimeter and never buy anything from the center aisles.

Here are three rules to help you decode the labels:

1. Ignore claims on the box: "All natural", "whole grain", "healthy" and "real fruit" mean nothing. They are simply marketing terms to draw you in. Unless it says USDA Certified Organic, it's not. Don't be fooled into buying something based on what the package says. And don't worry about calories and fat- worry about ingredients- your body knows how to process natural foods.

2. Read the ingredients: The best thing to remember when buying food from a box, can or jar is to look at the number of ingredients. The fewer the better. Then actually read the ingredients. Do you know what they all are? Now I whip out my iPhone and google any ingredient that I'm not familiar with to see if it's really something that's ok to eat, even in the health food store.

3. Look for sneaky ingredients:

"Sugar Free" claims usually mean they have substituted an artificial sweetener in place of sugar. Artificial sweeteners are NOT good for you, they will NOT make you skinny and they are NOT better for you than sugar. Instead they could make you obese, get breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, birth defects and more.

Brown Rice Syrup included in some "healthy" products in place of sugar, is actually linked to high levels of arsenic. Not good.

MSG is thought to have been removed from many products due to negative effects from headaches to nausea to sudden cardiac death. Instead, they disguise the name and keep it in the food. Here are common sneaky forms of MSG to watch out for (and yes, some form of msg is in nearly every fast food hamburger, bun and sandwich bread- if you look at the ingredients on their website- those brave enough to post them- you will see some of these listed). For the complete list click here and here.

Yeast Extract, Autolyzed Yeast, Textured Protein, Calcium/Sodium Caseinate, Gelatin, Glutamate/Glutamic Acid, Monosodium/Monopotassium Glutamate, Carrageenan.

Food Dyes are in many products, even ones you wouldn't think need food coloring. Unfortunately these dyes are linked to cancer, ADHD, allergies and tumors. Here is a great article outlining specific food dyes, what foods they're commonly added to and the effects.

Conventionally Grown in the produce section is a nice way of saying "we used pesticides and/or genetically modified seeds". Why does this matter? Pesticides have been linked to ADHD, Autism, Cancer and who knows what else... Here are the Dirty Dozen foods to definitely buy organic (buy in season produce for lowest prices). And here's why you want to avoid genetically modified corn, tomatoes and other "food". Buy USDA Certified Organic, or grow your own.

Here are 12 dangerous food additives to avoid Be sure to add these to the bottom of your shopping list so you aren't confused and misled.

Fish you should never eat, a great list of toxic fish as well as a list of clean fish you should look for instead.


Here's a great example of reading labels- what my husband and I chose for dessert when on vacation (he was completely shocked when he compared his to mine)

Real Fruit Frozen Yogurt

This is my family's favorite "ice cream" in the summer. It's so delicious and the best part is it's 100% fruit (yogurt is optional) and absolutely no sugar added.

When your bananas start to turn brown, just peel them and freeze them for ice cream. In a blender mix the frozen bananas, one ripe mango, 1/4 fresh ripe pineapple and a handful of strawberries. For a creamier ice cream stir in 1 to 2 cups of yogurt and enjoy! Read the full recipe here.

Homemade yogurt

After eliminating processed foods, I started buying plain yogurt. Having grown up on sugary store-bought yogurt, it was a BIG change. A hard one to swallow...literally. I tried adding honey and fruit and could manage it down, but I didn't love it, and neither did my boys. I had heard of people making yogurt before, and frankly thought they must be some kind of crazy to make something that really didn't taste that great. But lately I'm experimenting with crazy so I figured we'd give it a try...

You really don't need a yogurt maker, there is a crockpot method, but I kind of like having them in jars and it seemed like a yogurt maker would be more convenient, so I got this one from Cusinart for around $30. I was seriously intimidated by the thought of making yogurt and put it off for months after buying my yogurt maker. But, after getting our Magic School Bus Science Club Kit in the mail about bacteria, I figured it was now or never. After reading several websites on yogurt making, I wanted to just plunge in and do it the easiest way possible, even though it was slightly different than what the yogurt manual said.

9 hours later I removed the lid and stuck my finger in one of the jars for a taste. I was really surprised. It tasted more like whipping cream than sour cream. In fact, it was good. I put the jars in the fridge and waited impatiently for 30 to 40 minutes for it to cool more, finally just pulled it out and grabbed a spoon.

It had a slightly sweeter taste than the store-bought yogurt (I've tried regular and greek) and it was so creamy it reminded me of the heavenly European yogurt that I indulge in everytime I go to Germany (my first stop is always for yogurt, second for a döner and third chocolate). Earlier in the day I had pureed some strawberries, so I scooped a couple spoonfuls and mixed it in. YUM. I actually like it better warm than cold, there is still a learning curve for your tongue, but add a little maple syrup and some ripe fruit, the creaminess will overcome the bitterness.

When I came back from Germany the first time, I actually wrote Danon asking them why on earth couldn't they sell the same yogurt here that they sell in Germany? Their Obstgarten yogurt is to die for! Now I never have to crave European yogurt again, I can just make my own. I am so excited! Joshua snuck out of his bed and saw me indulging, so I gave him a spoon and his entire face lit up when he took a bite. He said "this is the best yogurt in the world!"

There are a dozen ways you can make yogurt. After viewing several recipes and techniques, it kind of seems like you can do it however you like. Here's how I make it with my yogurt maker.

5 cups whole milk (that's right, full fat, and no it doesn't have to be raw)
1-2 tablespoons plain greek or any yogurt with live active cultures

Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Everything I read indicated that boiling the milk produced a thicker yogurt, and that's what I wanted (another reason why I recommend whole milk rather than skim or 2%). The longer you boil, the thicker it will be. I don't have much patience so 20 minutes is my max- stir constantly once it starts to boil to prevent the milk from burning. It will be frothy and foamy (be careful it will boil over if you don't stir it!) Some people add powdered milk, but that kind of goes against my whole non-processed foods thing, so I wanted it to thicken the "natural" way.

Remove pot from heat and let cool until warm but not hot. Stir in a cupful of warm milk with your 1 to 2 tablespoons of yogurt (after your first batch use your own yogurt as a starter), mix and then stir back into the pot. *Do not forget this step! If you just stir your cold yogurt into the hot milk it will curdle and ruin your entire batch. Trust me.

Pour into glass jars and follow the instructions of the yogurt maker (i.e. plug in and turn on). The longer you heat it, the thicker it will be. I do mine for 9 to 10 hours and it's creamy and thick. If you wanted it extra thick like greek yogurt you'd have strain it with cheesecloth. I didn't and I'm pretty happy with how it turns out.

I highly recommend giving this a try, plus, the kids love to help.

Real Food: Snacks

When you have little ones, snacks are extremely important. My kids need a snack two hours after eating breakfast, two hours after eating lunch and sometimes 2 hours after eating dinner and usually those morning or mid-day snacks are when we're on the go so I need an arsenal of relatively non-messy snacks.

I try to always have a basket of ready-to-eat fruit in the pantry where they can reach. This usually consists of bananas, cutie oranges, and apples. I also keep a basket or tray of pre-chopped fruit and vegetables in the fridge that they can munch on whenever they get hungry. Things like cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, carrots, red peppers, etc... I usually try to offer three different varieties of foods. Saturday, after picking up my bountiful basket, is my prep day when I get this all prepared for the upcoming week.

The great thing is that most of these foods are also great on the go. I used to think goldfish and animal crackers were the best portable snacks, but nature really provides the best portable snacks- grapes, bananas, apples- no packaging required.

Once a week I will make a special snack like fruit bars (larabars), brown rice crispy treats, no bake cookie bars, muffins etc... (I am constantly adding lots more healthy snacks to my food blog so be sure to check back!) and I usually supplement the fruits & veggie snacks once per day with cheese, cottage cheese or yogurt.

Here are a few of our favorite "special" snacks:

Larabars

Brown Rice Crispy Treats

No Bake Oatmeal Cookie Bites

Veggie Chips (aka chard chips/kale chips)

No Bake Cookie Bars

Fruit & Nut platter

The problem with learning...

is that it entails change.

As I started learning more about what is really in the food at the grocery store, actually reading the ingredients, not just how many calories or fat grams, it caused me to change. I remember my first grocery trip after learning to really decode ingredient labels, I felt like an alien. Like I was in a movie where everyone was walking around like zombies mindlessly putting things in their cart and I managed to break free of the trance. Only problem was I walked out of the store with less than 10 items because I couldn't bring myself to buy anything that had ingredients I now knew were not good for me (or more importantly, my children).

(Fortunately I soon discovered Harmon's just down the street- where organic food has it's very own section, so now shopping is relatively blissful- well minus the three rambunctious boys).

As I discovered other "weirdo's" I started to learn more about how our man-made environment is causing our health problems such as ADHD, Austism and Cancer. It seems that most of the wonderful things scientists have created were implemented quickly and now the negative effects are starting to emerge. Now that I know more, I must change more. Change is not only often unpleasant, it's expensive.

Here are a few things I've started changing or plan to change (most of these things I won't start until we move in 6 months). {warning} if you don't like change, you should stop reading now.

If you like change, then keep reading because I have a great list of articles that outline the specific chemicals that are in our food and home and what you can replace them with.

Sunscreen: I am a believer in sunscreen. I come from a long line of redheads who never wore sunscreen and who have skin cancer. I do not want my kids to have skin cancer. I use sunscreen religiously. However...I have read some disturbing things like this and this which have caused me to change and use a more natural sunscreen now. I will be ordering this Kabana organic sunscreen to protect my family.

Plastics: YIKES. 80% of my house is plastic and after reading some disturbing things about the chemicals leaching out of plastics, I plan on tossing it all when we move and storing my food in mason jars, purchasing a bunch of glass tupperware and these for food on the go. I ordered some Kleen Kanteen's for our water bottles and are tossing the old nalgene's and plastic straw cups.

Bedding: I have not made this change yet, but since we will be moving soon and will need new things, I plan on ordering new pillows and this organic cotton fabric and making my boys' bedding.

TV: We tossed our old tv and will be in need of a new one. Who would have thought the dust your tv produced would be harmful to your health? Our next tv will be PBDE free.

Cleaning: I've replaced my lysol with organic cleaners (although I do sometimes use lysol to kill bugs- it works great and is hopefully less toxic than bug spray...)

Plants: I've never been a fan of houseplants. I plant herbs outside but most houseplants are dusty and dirty and if I had one now my two year old would be digging in it and spreading dirt all over the carpet. Not to mention the fact that I can't remember to water anything that doesn't cry. However after reading this, I will be reforming my ways and hope to *try* my hand at a houseplant when we move.

Ditched the Gum: After reading this slightly disturbing article and this I've switched from gum to fennel seeds...strange, but safe.

Toothpaste: I am a firm believer in good dental hygiene, but I don't think I need things like propylene glycol or titanium dioxide in my toothpaste. Fortunately, there are several more natural toothpaste options available, especially for the little guy who regularly tries to eat toothpaste. And, since we're no longer eating corn syrup for every meal, we shouldn't be as cavity prone...

Deoderant: I've stopped using antiperspirant deoderant which is thought to be linked to breast cancer and since my underarms were wet even when using clinical strength antiperspirant, I figured I'd avoid the risk and stop ruing my shirts with yellow underarm circles. Instead, (after attempting to go au natural) I ordered a strange thing called Crystal.

Cosmetics: While I haven't made any of these changes yet, I'm definitely going to be re-evaluating what I have and what needs to go. Anything that crosses the red zone I'm tossing, but the others I'm still on the fence with. See the links below for toxins in your shampoo, hairspray and makeup.

Obviously you can't be paranoid about everything and to overhaul our life of man-made creations in a day would be quite expensive, but taking baby steps will help reverse the effects of many of these chemicals. And continuing to learn even when it may be scary and downright weird.

If you've read this far, it means you're interested in learning more. Here are a few resources to get you thinking. And maybe even the dreaded word {change}...

Food:

What is Real Food?

How Ultra Processed Foods are Killing Us

Is Sugar Toxic? 60 Minutes Video

Processed Meats Cause Cancer

Dangers of Modern Vegetable Oils

Decoding "All Natural" Claims: 9 Deceptive claims, Ridiculous Food Labels, Decode Food Packaging, Food Renegade Decodes Labels

Why Artificial Sweeteners are Bad for You

Why Genetically Modified Organisms are Bad For You

Hidden Sources of MSG

Dangers of Food Dyes


House & Home:

How Chemicals Change Us & Chemicals and our Health

Keeping your Children Safe Interactive home hazards tour & compelling video

Dangers of Plastics

Safe Bedding

Clean the Dust

Toxic America CNN series

Toxins in your Cosmetics, Dirty Dozen Chemicals to Avoid and Safe Cosmetics Database



Real Food/Organic lifestyle websites

Food Renegade

100 Days of Real Food  

Deliciously Organic

Food Babe

Organic Authority

Natural News

Jamie Oliver


Must Watch/Read

Food Inc

In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan

Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan

Jamie Oliver

A Wake up Story

Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser

Real food: Real costs

My first "real food" shopping trip was February 25. I am happy to report that the first month I only went to the store 3 times and spent a total of $320. I also purchased two bountiful baskets $30 and $35 at Winder Dairy for a monthly total of $385, less than the $400 I used to spend per month.

However, from the end of March through the end of April I wasn't quite so thrifty. I spent $150 at Sunflower Farms on fresh produce, honey, nuts and dried fruits, a month's worth of chicken, puffed whole grain cereals (enough to last several months), maple syrup and spices. I purchased 4 bountiful baskets for $135 which included a lot of bread, granola and strawberries (I've gotten too lazy to make bread & granola lately) and $170 of winder farms dairy and meat products. I also had to make a few regular grocery store trips for additional bananas, grapes, strawberries, nuts and apricots- spending another $40. for a total monthly amount of $495- quite a jump from the previous month.

Most of that extra was spent on dried fruits and nuts- we have been eating them like candy. My favorites are dried apricots and almonds, but we also buy a ton of dates, raisins and pecans so we can make larabars- which go really fast around our house! And the extra expense of bread and granola that I've been too lazy to make. Could I eat real foods less expensively? Yes! And during some months I will...but I LOVE food, and love cooking and am having fun experimenting right now. We eat pretty darn good for $400 to $500 a month for a family of five, which I think for organic food, is pretty reasonable. Overall, I feel that I'm not spending much more yet I'm feeding our family much better.

And I am amazed at how much better I feel focusing more on fruits and veggies. As a bonus, I'm back into a size 2 without much exercising (of course I wish I were still running- I crave running, it's just not possible on a consistent basis right now, and pushing a stroller is only fun for about 2 miles...). And I'm still eating so-called "fattening" foods like peanut butter, regular butter, yogurt, cheese, bacon, nuts and avocado. My boys are super happy about being able to eat so many fruits and veggies and I'm having fun trying to "healthify" my old recipes.

Now when I do eat something that comes from a box, it just tastes fake and isn't appealing to me at all. I love that the human body naturally craves what it needs. When you eat healthy, your body craves healthy food, which makes you crave exercise, which in turn makes you crave healthy food. On the other hand when you eat junk, your body feels like junk and you don't want to do anything, which makes you crave more junk. I'm so glad I got out of the junk cycle and onto the feelin' good cycle!

Quinoa & Black Bean Burritos

You have got to try this quinoa burrito recipe- it is amazing. I loved it, the boys loved it; it's definitely on the list of my new favorite foods, and couldn't be healthier. Need I say more?

Real Foods: Last minute meals

I don't know about you, but when I don't get home until around 4:30 or 5:00 after a long day with kids, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking. Usually I love to cook, but I don't like to be rushed and there are those days when I just don't feel it. I've been trying to compile a list of healthy meals for those days when time is short and appetites are growing and a list of ingredients that I must have in my house at all times just so I can whip up an "emergency meal". Here are a few ideas I've been using...

Burritos: I have to admit that this is my #1 go-to meal. It's healthy, quick and easy. And those days that I don't feel like making the tortillas, I can just serve beans over rice/barley, or make cilantro lime rice and eat it as a meal. I usually keep a can of refried beans on hand just in case, but with my new pressure cooker it only takes 20 minutes to cook up a batch of beans and another 6 minutes to cook rice. I usually season with some s&p, cumin, garlic and chili powder (onions if I'm going to re-fry them, here's a black refried bean recipe). Serve with green onions, tomatoes and avocado.

Pasta: A simple whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheese makes a quick and delicious meal. Or a vegetable rotini is also easy, add a bunch of chopped veggies to the sauce, stir in cooked spiral noodles, top the pan with cheese and cover until melted.

Quick Salads: A garden salad topped with raisins and nuts is always an easy meal. My favorite quick salad though is Black Bean Salad (Cowboy Caviar). I make this all the time in the summer. It is so yummy and fresh, requires no heating of an oven or stove  and can be done in about 15 minutes (I usually cook my black beans in advance, but even if I forget, they can be pressure cooked in 20 minutes while I chop the veggies). Another favorite is garden pasta salad. It only takes a few minutes and I love how it tastes with cold vegetables and warm noodles. Another great summertime dish.

Breakfast: I love breakfast for dinner! Whip up a batch of waffles, pancakes or eggs, bacon and potatoes and you will have happy children any day of the week.

Soup: You might think that soup requires a lot of time, but I have a few soup recipes that are really simple, as long as you have some homemade chicken stock and avocados on hand. Cuban Black Bean Soup might not look very appetizing, but trust me, it is delicious. Black Bean Veggie Chili is also very simple- just add whatever veggies you have on hand and heat it up. And, my other favorite, Chicken Tortilla Soup. I've even made it without the chicken before (not on purpose- just slipped my mind) and it still tastes great. Of course, if you have homemade chicken stock on hand- Chicken Noodle Soup is probably your easiest and quickest soup. Simply chop up some carrots, celery and other veggies and stir in some pre-cooked noodles.

Stir Fry: I try to keep a bag of frozen pre-chopped veggies in the freezer for emergencies. Perfect for whipping up a stir fry. Cook the rice/barley and saute the veggies and you have quick, healthy meal.

Roasted vegetables: This is a super easy meal, just chop a bunch of your favorite veggies (potatoes, carrots, green beans, asparagus, finely chopped onions, etc...) toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and favorite spices, then bake in a 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are browned and crunchy. My favorites are Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts, Sweet Buttered Carrots and Roasted Potatoes.

And here is my "must have on hand at all times" list:

• Chicken broth (I try to freeze leftovers so I will always have some on hand)
• Chicken (I always have a can or two of shredded chicken just in case)
• Lemons & limes
• Avocado
• Tomatoes (keep a few cans of diced tomatoes for emergencies)
• Cilantro
• Carrots
• Black beans (I always keep a can or two for emergencies)
• Frozen veggies
• Eggs
• Onions (and I re-grow my green onions so I always have them on hand)
• Potatoes

What are your favorite go-to meals?

Last meal...

If I had one last meal in this life, this would totally be it. It might not look like much, but the combination of lemon, bacon and butter is to die for. Seriously. Try it: Lemon Chicken with bacon, potatoes and roasted asparagus.

Real food: eliminating sugar

I thought that eliminating processed sugar would be the biggest challenge for me. I love my sweets (as you can tell from my food blog). You wouldn't think so, but travelling actually helped with this one. I wasn't home so I couldn't bake. The only sweets I eat are home made sweets. I just don't like the taste of "fake" sweets. So I went a full 5 weeks and only had 3 sweet treats if you can believe it. After coming home and starting to live my "real foods" pledge it was amazing, my sugar cravings were gone (and are still gone). Completely gone!

In the past, I'd look at a yummy recipe on pinterest and would start drooling. I'd grab the bag of chocolate chips or my hidden stash of IKEA dark chocolate and indulge excessively while I waited for my cavity maker/heart attack dessert to bake. It seemed like I never felt satisfied- could never quite get enough sweets. Now, I can browse pinterest and am not phased at all by seeing an image of a dessert that previously would have made my mouth water. I feel like I have so much more self control and it feels great. I can indulge if I choose to, but I don't NEED to.

As I mentioned in my 100 Days of Real Food post, I eliminated all processed sugar from my diet. I purchased a large jar of honey and a bag of raw sugar (which it turns out the sugar is technically against the rules). I only used 1 teaspoon of sugar the entire first week. I used honey to sweeten plain yogurt, oatmeal and a batch of brown rice peanut butter balls. Other than that, I relied solely on fruits to provide my sugar.

So, if you're trying to reduce or eliminate sugar from your lifestyle, here are some tips I recommend starting with.

1. CLEAN HOUSE. Unless you can handle the temptation, toss out your brown, granulated and powdered sugars. Baking is a hobby of mine so I keep the sugar on hand for that, and I keep it in a separate cupboard. This way I don't see it every time I open my baking cupboard and am not tempted by it. Although so far I haven't been tempted to use it. If you typically keep a stash of storebought sweets (cookies, candy, soda, etc) those have to go. Get rid of them and don't replace them! Your family doesn't need the cavities or the calories.

2. CHECK THE LABEL. As a general rule, you should not eat anything with more than 8 grams of sugar (2 teaspoons) 3 times a day. If it has more than this, don't buy it. You can't eat what you don't buy!

3. SWEETEN NATURALLY. If you're used to eating a lot of fake sweets, your body needs to learn to appreciate the taste of real sugar. Artificial sweeteners are designed to leave you wanting more. Start by eating real fruits rather than artificially flavored fruit treats. Sweeten cereal, waffles, pancakes by topping with fresh fruit. If you must, use a little honey or a natural sweetener. Buy plain yogurt and sweeten yourself with honey, vanilla and fruit. In recipes, replace sugar with honey. Eat fruits for dessert. Anytime you get a sugar craving, grab some fruit and eat as much as you like until it goes away. Once you start eating more fruits and vegetables, your body will start to crave healthy foods rather than junk.

4. INDULGE IN MODERATION. If you just enjoy eating sweets, go ahead! Once you've purged your body of processed sugar and your cravings have gone away, go ahead and indulge in a small treat. Once a week. BUT, make it yourself if you can. This requires a lot more effort and I like to think I burn calories while baking ;) I think you'll find that the super sugary, unhealthy sweets aren't as appealing to you once you've rid yourself of the sugar addiction. Instead I tend to lean towards more fruit-based desserts (apple/cherry crisp) or those that are more rich in flavor rather (like cheesecake or dark chocolate) than those just filled with loads of unhealthy stuff (like cool whip and caramel topping). Here's a great recipe for oatmeal cookie bites- they totally satisfy and helps curb the desire for anything sweeter.

Getting started with Real Food

It can be overwhelming to overhaul your diet, especially if you are used to eating a lot of processed foods. There is so much conflicting information out there and labels can be really misleading and confusing. I recommend starting by watching Food Inc. reading Michael Pollan's food rules and visiting the 100 Days of Real Food website. I also recommend In Defense of Food. It's not an easy read, but it's an eye opener and really gets you thinking about why you should eat real food. And, remember, real food may be more expensive now, but it's certainly cheaper than future medical bills!

While most organic/natural/real foods will be more expensive, the biggest commitment for me isn't money. It's time. I have to take the time to cook, to prepare foods and be more involved in the whole eating process. (If you have more money than time, you can buy boxed organic foods and make your life easier.)

Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Start Fresh: If you currently eat a lot of processed foods, begin slowly so as not to shock your system. Start by adding fresh fruits and vegetables. Pick up your Bountiful Basket or going to the grocery store and load up on the fruits & veggies (organic if possible- but any is better than none). Start adding fruit to your breakfast (on top of cereal or waffles or as a side to eggs), prepare a large container of sliced fruits and veggies (and/or a large fruit salad) for snacks twice a day in between meals. Include fruits and veggies at lunch- I love to use those sectioned trays (Target) that way I remember to fill them with fruits and veggies. Plan your main meal around a vegetable.
2. De-Junk: Evaluate your lifestyle and eliminate those things that are just plain bad (soda, coffee, chips, candy, processed sweets) and reduce the number of times you eat out. That should free up some extra money to put towards healthier choices (one night on the town for a family of five is equivalent to a weeks worth of groceries). Keep track of all the money you spend on food, you'll be surprised at how unplanned purchases add up. Check the labels of everything in your pantry. Donate anything with more than 8 grams of added sugar, contains high fructose corn syrup and anything else that you aren't familiar with or can't pronounce. The general rule is more than 5 items- however if those 5 items are real food items, then it's ok.

3. Make a plan: Plan out your meals in advance (see below for great recipes sites) and purchase a weeks worth of food. I use this free Grocery Planner to keep track of the food I need to buy and what meals I have planned for each day. I like to base my meals around my bountiful basket- this way meals are vegetable based (rather than meat based) and I don't have to buy as much. If you double the recipe then you can freeze some to save for later which also cuts down on preparation time.
4. Buy REAL food: Go shopping! Walmart and Costco do have a lot of organic food, but you have to search for them, even at the healthier stores you still need to read your labels. Shop at farmers markets and seek out local food providers. Check out these websites for local providers http://www.eatwellguide.org/  http://www.localharvest.org/ and http://www.eatwild.com/ If it's artificial, you can't pronounce an ingredient or don't know what an ingredient is, don't buy it! Do what you can with your budget. If you can't afford organic produce, it's ok, buy regular produce- but buy a lot of it and have that be the primary thing you eat (and wash well!).
• Upgrade your bread to 100% whole grain. Make sure there is no added sugar or processed "stuff" in your bread. This is my favorite whole wheat bread recipe I've been making for more than 6 years.
• Buy brown rice or barley instead of white rice, whole oats instead of processed oatmeal mixes, make your own granola instead of boxed cereals (there are some great organic brands- I love Kashi and Cascadian Farms cereals- but still check your labels!)
• Add beans to your diet. I have a lot of bean recipes on my food blog. I purchased this fabulous Fagor 3 in 1 multi-cooker and can pressure cook dried beans in 20 minutes. Add to a salad or put inside a whole wheat tortilla with tomatoes and avocado and it makes for a quick and healthy meal.
• Buy a large container of honey and use it to replace sugar. Here's a good list of what is considered a natural sweetener and what isn't- as you'll find out when you take your first shopping trip it's impossible to figure out by reading the package- they all say natural! I picked up some "raw sugar" which apparently to the uber natural people is still refined- so technically I shouldn't be using it... But like I said before, I'm flexible (and am not going to drive myself insane about it- woman cannot live on honey alone!)
• Eat meat in moderation, especially red meat. A piece of bacon isn't going to kill you, but a piece of bacon a day might. Rather than eating a big hunk of meat, try eating it as a side dish or only adding a small portion of meat and spreading it out over several meals. Try adding fish to your diet if you're not already eating it. This is a hard one for me because I wasn't raised on fish and don't particularly care for it, however I've found that if you buy high quality fish like halibut, salmon and tilapia, they don't really have much of a flavor as long as you don't overcook them. If you are addicted to meat, buying more expensive meats may help to curb that craving. Don't elminate meat completely- but rather than eating a huge chunk of it, use a small portion and spread it out over 2-3 meals. Buy the most natural things you can with the budget you have. I think you'll find that the more you load up on fruits and veggies the less room you have in your tummy for meats and dairy which are the most expensive items (and the most controversial).
• Check your milk to make sure it says NO artificial growth hormones and buy the freshest eggs and cheese you can find.
5. Table manners: Eat together as a family- at the table. No eating in front of the tv! Use this as a time to talk with your children and grow closer as a family. If your kids are older- involve them in the cooking and meal planning. Even little kids can understand the value of healthy eating. My five year old grabs a plate of veggies and says "I'm not going to get diabetes!"
• Eat a snack of fruits and vegetables in between meals. This prevents the hunger feeling which triggers the brain to seek the quickest, simplest carbohydrate.
• Use small plates and bowls. The larger the plate/bowl the more you'll eat. Smaller dishes give the appearance of more food, and since American's are trained to clean their plate- that's exactly what you'll do.
• Eat slowly, drink lots of water and stop eating before you are full. As you learn to listen to your body you will stop overeating and will be satisfied with less food. Drinking a large glass of water with a meal also helps you to feel more full. Eating empty calories never satisfies.
6. Buy some tools: I highly recommend purchasing a pressure cooker (the Fagor 3 in 1 multi-cooker is FABULOUS), dried beans and rice are much less expensive than canned beans and instant rice and with a pressure cooker only takes 20 minutes. Baking bread also saves me a ton of money. I also love my food processor (which you can also use to mix bread, tortillas, etc) and helps save on a lot of time consuming chopping and processing- perfect for making larabars. If you base your meals around vegetables, beans and grains you will actually save a ton of money over boxed/canned/frozen foods and that money you're saving can go towards purchasing healthier produce, dairy and meats (good quality meats are very expensive- another good reason to reduce your overall meat intake).
7. Plant a garden: Obviously I'd love to have a huge garden and grow all my own food, but that's not a possibility right now. But I can grow a few herbs and a potted tomato plant or two though. I can also re-grow green onions simply by putting them in a cup of water.
8. Experiment: Choose one new grain and learn to use it. Chef Brad has some fabulous videos about cooking with whole grains. A great grain is quinoa- it might take some getting used to the texture but it is a serious superfood (and a complete protein). Here's a great quinoa breakfast cereal.
   
   Experiment with modifying recipes (i.e. honey for sugar, butter/coconut oil for vegetable oils & shortenings, whole grains for white rice).
   
   Try new fruits and vegetables. Starfruit, artichokes, asparagus, kale, (just watch out for papaya- tastes like vomit to some people- I found that out the hard way!)
9. Exercise: You might think this has nothing to do with eating real food, but actually it does. I have found that when I am munching too many empty carbs I feel sluggish. When I eat healthy I suddenly get the urge to exercise, and when I exercise I have the urge to eat healthy. Even if it's just going for a walk around the block, try to get outside and move for a few minutes every day.
10. Be realistic: Don't stress too much. If your kids (or your husband) eat an oreo or if you swing by the drive through in a moment of toddler starvation they're not going to keel over. Just serve the healthiest food you can at home and don't worry about the rest!

Here are just a few websites I've found that offer great real food recipes (not every recipe is, as with all food- you must check the recipe and may need to make some substitutions):

Fabulous Foods (my recipe site that I will am updating): http://ldsbaker.blogspot.com/ click on Real Food
100 Days of Real Food: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
Whole Foods: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/
Food Renegade http://www.foodrenegade.com/recipes/
Deliciously Organic: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/
Enlightened Cooking: http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/
The Joy of Clean Eating: http://thejoyofcleaneating.com/
Happy Healthy Mama: http://happyhealthymama.com/
Gluten Free Goddess: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/p/site-index.html
Kath Eats Real Food: http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods
The Clean Eating Mama: http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2009/06/recipes_01.html

10 Days of Real Food Challenge

Here is a rundown of the food my family ate during our 10 day "real food" pledge. All items in a box/can/jar are organic versions with no sugar added. I will be updating and adding new recipes to my Fabulous Foods blog so be sure to check back. Next post will have some tips on making the switch to more real foods!

Day 1

Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins, honey, cinnamon and pecans

Lunch: Peanut butter jelly sandwiches on whole wheat bread with carrots and cherry tomatoes

Dinner: Garden salad with oven roasted chicken, cherry tomatoes, fresh green beans, golden raisins, raw sunflower seeds, feta cheese and organic litehouse ranch dressing

Snacks: dried apricots, cherry tomatoes and carrots

Day 2

Breakfast: Organic breakfast cereal with milk

Lunch: Apple sandwiches with peanut butter, raisins and unsweetened coconut and veggies 

Dinner: Barley Jambalaya

Snacks: fresh fruits and veggies

Day 3

Breakfast: Whole grain waffles with strawberries & blueberries
Lunch: Garden salad for me, whole wheat banana, honey and raisin sandwiches for the kids with fresh green beans and strawberries
Dinner: Stir fry with pineapple and peppers on brown rice
Snacks: bananas, cutie oranges, grapes and cherry tomatoes

Day 4

Breakfast: "Jesus" breakfast (the boys wanted to eat foods Jesus might have eaten) dates, apricots, raisins, grapes and nuts and popovers (not what Jesus ate, but just to add something filling- used whole wheat flour and green onions and orange peppers in place of bacon)

Lunch: Peanut butter honey sandwiches on whole wheat bread with veggies

Dinner: Leftovers

Snacks: assorted veggies and fruit

Day 5
Breakfast: Plain yogurt with fruit and honey
Lunch: Peanut butter honey and dried apricot sandwiches on whole wheat bread

Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Snack: Puffed brown rice, fruit, larabars and veggies

Day 6

Breakfast: Puffed brown rice with blueberries and bananas

Lunch: Southwestern chicken salad with lime juice for dressing
Dinner: breakfast: scrambled eggs, potatoes and onions
Snack: brown rice krispy treats, lara bars

Day 7

Breakfast: plain yogurt with honey and blueberries, scrambled eggs and bacon (yes, we love our eggs)

Lunch: peanut butter honey sandwiches on whole wheat bread, and salad

Dinner: whole wheat cheese pizza with bacon and green onions

Snack: lara bars, apples

Day 8

Breakfast: oatmeal with honey, blueberries, cinnamon and walnuts

Lunch: peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread

Dinner: Roasted chicken, sweet potatoes and green beans

Snacks: Brown rice crispy treats, apples

Day 9

Breakfast: Quinoa, blueberries, strawberries and kiwi

Lunch: Quinoa black bean salad

Dinner: Whole wheat bowtie pasta with garden vegetable sauce (made by adding a ton of veggies- zucchini, pepper, onion, carrots and tomatoes into a food processor) and veggie chips (chard leaves baked with olive oil & sea salt)

Snacks: larabars, fresh vegetables and apples

Day 10

Breakfast: Whole wheat blueberry muffins and fresh fruit

Lunch: Quinoa black bean salad leftovers

Dinner: Spinach salad with oranges, walnuts and raisins with squeezed orange juice for dressing and whole wheat bread
Snacks: fresh fruits & veggies

What I learned:

Shopping was more difficult that I expected. It was kind of overwhelming trying to make sense of what was really natural and what wasn't. I always read the labels when I shop but I'm typically looking for things like sugar and fiber, not the actual ingredients. I kind of assumed that a health food store would offer the healthiest choices, but that wasn't necessarily the case. I wish I had read more closely on some of the other websites about what to look for. Like pepperoni- totally processed right? But is there a healthy alternative for my Friday night pizza? I found some boars head turkey bacon pepperoni but just the smell is enough to gag a person, I don't even dare taste it.

Eating real foods was easier than I expected it to be. My kids were fully on board with munching on fruits and veggies all day- in fact they'd rather eat that than an actual meal- and they loved the larabars and rice krispy treat snacks.

The challenges came when we came home at 4:15 pm and they were starving and I had 45 minutes to whip something up from scratch. The other challenge is our love for Ikea and the temptation to swing by for their free Tuesday kids meals. Granted, the vegetables are healthy, but I have no idea what's in the mac & cheese.

I was truly surprised that my sugar cravings went completely away and have not resurfaced (even though I have two Ikea dark chocolate bars in my cupboard- they're no longer screaming my name).

What I have in my cupboard: 

Below is a list of my intial real foods purchases to stock my cupboards, I spent $250 which is a lot less than I expected- most of these things will last me for a month or more (aside from the fresh produce). If you're lucky enough to have a program like Bountiful Baskets near you, take advantage of it! It's the cheapest way to get healthy produce (only $15 for what usually lasts a week) and it's fun to learn how to cook with new vegetables.

I am lucky enough to have live where there is a farm delivery program- Winder Dairy. I signed up for a weekly milk, egg and cheese order $15.00, and can order meat and other dairy products upon request (around $30-40 per month depending on how much meat I want), a weekly bountiful basket $15.00 and then I can shop for anything that I still need (I'm planning on an additional $50 or so per week). So, if my calculations are correct, I should actually be saving money eating this way (assuming I limit meat- that's where the real expense comes in).

Things I already had on hand:
White wheat
Oats
Barley
Brown Rice
Black beans, dried
Pinto beans, dried
White beans, dried
Lentils
Split peas
Pecans

Olive oil
Baking goods (baking powder, soda) and spices
 
Things I purchased for a total of $250 at Sunflower Market

Cashews, raw
Sunflower seeds, raw
Walnut halves
Yellow popcorn
Sesame seeds

Coconut, unsweetened shredded
Apricots, turkish dried
Whole dates
Golden raisins

Quinoa
Wild rice
Puffed brown rice
Puffed millet
Breakfast cereal, organic

Spaghetti sauce, organic
Whole wheat pasta

Coarse ground pepper
Sea salt
Raw sugar
Real vanilla
Honey

Avocados
Cilantro
Green onions
Green beans
Red & Yellow bell peppers
Tomatoes
Bananas
Cherry tomatoes
Strawberries
Cucumbers
Carrots
Red potatoes
Blueberries
Grapes
Kiwi
Ginger root
Garlic

Ranch dressing, organic
Ketchup, organic
Maple syrup
Coconut oil

Milk
Yogurt, plain
Feta
Monterey Jack cheese
Butter
Sour cream
Parmesean, shredded
Mozzarella cheese

Whole chicken
Beef round steak