My Journey With Food

Growing up my family ate a standard American diet.  My mom fixed home cooked meals for us most nights which was really nice and we often had cereal for breakfast and snacks of crackers and fruit.  When I was younger I always seemed to have some extra unwanted pounds that I wanted to get rid of (as you can see in this photo below, which was taken a year after college).  In college I think I pretty much subsisted on bagels, cereal, pasta and a little meat and some fruit.  It was during that time when the non-fat diet was all the rage, I figured that if I wanted to lose fat then I should stay clear of fat. (It was last year when I read this book I learned that in fact, it was the opposite; eating fat can help you lose fat) and I did consume a fair amount of sugars during that time in college too.  I remember feeling tired most of the time and my hair was thinning a bit and I had some mild acne.  I was not eating the the foods that my body needed.

After college I was introduced to the glycemic index way of eating.  Trying to stay clear of the high glycemic foods like white rice, white breads, and potatoes, etc. and eat only the low glycemic foods. To read more about the glycemic index click here.  The glycemic index diet is helpful to regulate spikes in blood sugar which can be helpful for losing weight and also helpful for diabetics and people who suffer from hypoglycemia.  I did seem to loose some weight while I was eating low glycemic foods.  Probably because I was cutting out more carbs and sugars and eating more meats, fruits, and veggies.

Fast forward to a few years ago I heard about the Maker's Diet and read through that book, I learned so much, but I felt overwhelmed about all the changes I needed to make in the foods we ate.  I did start to implement a few things into our diet.  Then I came across the traditional cooking mindset of food and read through the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morrell.  This book made so much sense to me as it unfolded the truths about preparing food the way our ancestors did and put into practice.  I and also learned about the work of Weston A. Price who was a dentist that traveled around the world studying the primitive people groups and recording their teeth, cavities, and overall health related to the foods they ate.  I read through parts of his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.  So I slowly began to focus more on whole foods prepared the right way so our bodies can best digest them and get the most nutrients.  I feel healthier and I have shed those unwanted pounds that I used to carry around.  Lately, I am feeling the pressure of having my boys health depend upon me.  I desire to raise them up to be healthy and strong and be able to fulfill the calling that the Lord has placed upon their lives.  I do not want my boys to battle the numerous sicknesses and diseases that plague the youth of America today.  One of the main contributing factors to all the sickness and disease in our nation can be traced back to the food that we eat.  The food industry in America is out to make money, it seems that they are not particularly concerned with the health of the people but putting a little extra money in their pockets.

Back in the early 1900's Americans ate a lot different than we eat today.  Much of the food on the shelves at the local grocery store today is not really food at all, it is filled with artificial ingredients, chemicals, and many of the nutrients have been destroyed due to the processing.  The foods have synthetic nutrients added to them but our bodies do not easily assimilate those synthetic vitamins into our bodies very well.

There is a growing following in the traditional cooking method.  There are so many fad diets out there and so much debate on what is healthy; non-fat, vegan, vegetarian, glycemic indexing, south beach diet, weight watchers, and the list goes on and on.  People a couple hundred years ago were much healthier than we are today.  I think we should dig back to our roots and see how people used to eat and how they used to cook, rather than rely on the food industry to take care of us and show us what to eat, because I do not think they are looking out for our best interest.  It makes sense to eat fresh whole organic foods and stay clear of the chemicals and artificial ingredients that are in so much of the food today.

On this blog I will share with you what I have learned about food and how I have implemented it into our lifestyle and meals. I'm slowly removing the boxes and canned food products in exchange for the real foods that my body and my family needs.  Do we still eat the occasional boxed food or fast food or pizza? Yes. I do the best I can to provide healthy food for my family, but there are seasons when we have more convenience foods (like right after I have a baby).  Last year I heard about the 80/20 rule which talks about eating whole, natural, nourishing foods 80% of the time and having freedom to eat not quite as healthy 20% of the time. This is freeing for me knowing that if most of the time we eat good and if occasionally I need to pick up a pizza for dinner or make a box of mac and cheese for lunch that it is going to be ok.

One of the limiting factors on a whole food, traditional diet is the financial cost. My husband and I are missionaries and we don't make a ton of money.  I'm always trying to find ways to eat the best quality foods we can on the food budget we have. One of the ways to save money on good food is to make things at home from scratch (and to buy food in bulk from co-ops), making your own food is a lot of fun and a lot of work, but it is worth it!  Right now I feel that the best way to feed my growing family is through the traditional cooking route.  I will share with you what I have learned in my journey with food and why I choose some of the foods that we eat.  It is a process and I am still learning, I still have soooo much to learn but I have come a long way since my college years of mostly eating bagels and cereal :)

(my boys eating a snack of sauerkraut before bed)