I'd like to begin this post by saying that I am FAR from being an expert on healthy eating. In fact, I get most of my ideas from my sister, who's been at cooking for a family far longer than I have. She's taught me a lot about non-GMO's and organic foods.
When it was just Brian and me, I didn't overly worry about food, but I did begin trying to avoid things such as hydrogenated oils. But when my baby turned into a toddler and began eating more, suddenly I began to worry about EVERYTHING that went into that little untainted body. Our grocery bill has gone up because I refuse to buy him anything but organic snacks, because I know those are safe.
Here are some ways I have changed my family's food for the best:
1) One year ago, I bought a bread machine. Since then, I make my own bread, even dough for rolls and long loaves like Italian bread. Most store-bought breads contain high fructose corn syrup, unless you have a store that sells organic bread. I do not, therefore, homemade it is. I even make fresh bread to use for French toast. I can't tell you the last time I bought bread from the store.
2) I buy less processed foods. I really don't buy much at all that is processed, with the exception of healthy snacks and cereals that are labed "organic" or "non-GMO". If a recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup, which has high fructose corn syrup in it, then I either avoid it altogether, or I substitute fresh mushrooms if it looks like I can get away with it, without the cream. I try to choose recipes that call for simple ingredients, without a lot of bells and whistles. I have discarded older, beloved recipes because they contain ingredients that I no longer would feed any of us. I avoid hydrogenated oils at all costs.
3) I cook from scratch. Gone forever are the days I buy store bought cake mixes, cookies, or what have you. If we are to eat baked goods, I make them myself. Even sprinkles contain food dyes, which are off-limits. (Even marshmallows contain them too.) I never put sprinkles on our cookies for that reason, no matter how festive they might look to Caleb.
4) When possible, I buy organic. I simply cannot buy everything organic. I wish I could, but we would have to trade our house for a shack and get rid of our cars, too. I bemoan all the things I cannot afford to purchase in organic form, but I have to simply choose and leave the rest up to God, and trust Him for our health. Also, my grocery store is rather small, and many things are unavailable there in organic form, whereas my sister can find those products with no problem. (For example: stuffing mix! All the grocery store ones contain partially hydrogenated oils. She can easily get an organic version. I did find some organic stuffing for my Christmas meal at a small health food store down the street, but it was quite pricey.)
Again, I'm no expert. It is especially hard concerning Caleb, because he needs lots of snacks throughout the day, and I am very limited with my lack of stores here and with what I can get him. I buy him things like Annie's organic snack crackers, which come in several different flavors. I have a few other organic treats I buy him. When people offer him a snack outside of the house, which is rare but has happened, I am always cringing because I know the product is not what I would put inside his body. I try to politely decline or say he already has a snack, which is the truth, because he always does.
Those are just a few of the ways I try to keep us healthy. Lord willing, the organic products will go down in price one day, and I will be able to buy more healthy foods for my family. At the end of the day, as my friend Sarah encouraged me one day, we have to trust in the Lord for the rest. We simply do the best with what we have.
