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Yesterday I watched the documentary called Food Inc. The film opens with the statement: “The way we eat has changed more over the last fifty years than in the previous ten thousand.”
As I mentioned recently, we are starting to consider more thoughtfully what food we are putting into our bodies. What does this mean on a practical basis? It means less processed food, more real food, no fast food, more good food. It means cooking from scratch more and trying new recipes that incorporate a greater variety of foods. And of course, it means reading food labels! At the same time, we are still on a tight budget, so it means spending the same (or less) than we have been.
Some things that have inspired us:
– 12 Best Foods Cookbook (mentioned in this post)
– Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (watch it on YouTube)
– Jamie’s Food Revolution (cookbook – borrowed from the library)
– Food Inc. documentary (watch it on Netflicks)
– 100 Days of Real Food (blog)
So I want to hear from you…
– Have you made any food choices for your family for health reasons (other than allergies)?
– Do you eat processed foods? Only real foods? (Real food defined here)
– What do you think about organic food?
– Do you completely avoid certain things, such as refined sugar or meat?
– Do you have any tips for staying within budget while still eating healthy?
Looking forward to a great discussion!
Linking to:
Travis recently watched that too 🙂 I have yet to watch it.
We have debated buying our meat from an organic farm, but when you do that, you sometimes have to buy like a half a cow or a TON at one time. Some familiers go in and split the food/cost.. that honestly would prob be what we would have to do, if we did that.
Heres my answers to the questions (and im just copying/pasting your questions so I dont forget what you asked lol)
– Have you made any food choices for your family for health reasons (other than allergies)?
I choose to not give our kids high fructose corn syrup. I buy breads that dont have it in it.. although some times I cant find bread without it, like hamburger or hotdog buns, thats hard to find in our town! but sandwich bread I buy a whole grain/wheat arnold bread that has none of that in it. Travis prefers bunny bread lol, but for myself and my kids we use the bread I choose.. Travis has to make his own choices in regards to those things.. cause ive tried converting him and it isnt always successful.
But even sauces for spaghetti you can find without high fructose, as well as bbq sauces and teriyahki.
Im also careful how much oil and butter I use. I try not to use very much, and if I do I use oils like coconut or extra virgin olive oil.
– Do you eat processed foods? Only real foods?
Well its all REAL 🙂 lol, it just isnt all good for you.
We eat SOME processed for, like if we go to wendys… or im in just a rush… but I try to cook fresh stuff as much as possible.
– What do you think about organic food?
– I think some of it is important.. but honestly I dont buy into the “only organic” life style.. I think its to expensive. Some stuff I love buying organic, but im not going to break my wallet just to do that.. I think the Lord has given us amazing bodies and just like a mothers placenta can ward out anything bad, or most of it, so can our bodies. And I think you can live a very healthy and long life, despite buying produce that isnt organic or meat. Although I do try to buy hormone free meat if all possible 🙂
– Do you completely avoid certain things, such as refined sugar or meat?
I dont eat much red meat.. I dont think thats the wisest food choice.. I prefer lowfat turkey to that any day. We also eat a lot of skinless chicken.. and I try to always bake, boil or use minimal virgin olive oil to cook it. Or grill of course 🙂 – I try to avoid sugar by using stevia, also my mom introduced me to a new sweetner called AVAVE? something like that, its similar to honey. Walmart has it.
I use sugar in baking tho and im not one to buy ALL ORGANIC sugars either.. prob should 🙂 and I do sometimes, just not all the time.
Travis uses regular sugar in his coffee too, again his choice.
I dont use splenda, or anything artificial like that tho.
– Do you have any tips for staying within budget while still eating healthy?
Bulk 🙂 – and good recipes? LOL – not sure.. but if you try to buy all organic in our town, you are going to dig a hole in your pocket. Trust me, ive tried it and we just spent way to much. There can be some give… and if you feel strong abt certain organic foods, then you should go for those, but I dont buy into a lot of the natural sites that advocate 100% organic…
You are an awesome cook and I think you are doing great!
That chicken and rice soup btw, you HAVE TO POST!! I could of eaten 6 bowls of it LOL and both our boys loved it too.
Hope I made some sense 🙂
You (and your guests) might enjoy this site:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/apeasantsfeast/?p=1
OK, my super awesome long comment just got deleted 🙁 I’m so mad!
Instead, I will point you to some of my favorite blogs when it comes to eating healthy and on a budget.
http://passionatehomemaking.com
http://tammysrecipes.com
Also, the book Nourishing Traditions is a wealth of information.
Hi Aliesha,
Well, you probably already know most of this since you’re a reader of Windy Poplars, but here are my answers:
– Have you made any food choices for your family for health reasons (other than allergies)?
Yes! Some are for allergies sake (such as the switch to rice and almond milk), but most are for the sake of eating food much closer to what God originally gave us. His way is always best!
– Do you eat processed foods? Only real foods? (Real food defined here)
I’m totally a “real food” person. I will cook with mixes for company, potlucks, or to take meals to other people (because they don’t care and it’s cheaper!), but when I’m cooking for us, it is only natural ingredients. I don’t necessarily buy into the whole “5 ingredients or fewer” constituting good food, but when I do buy something in a box (like cereal or crackers), I make sure I have each of the ingredients in my own kitchen. By and large, the boxed items we buy come from the natural food section of the grocery store. I do use canned veggies and beans for certain recipes.
– What do you think about organic food?
The “Dirty Dozen” list, is a good thing to know. Some veggies and fruits become super saturated with pesticides, others don’t absorb them much at all. So I buy the ones that do organic (and we grow our own veggies the the summer organically) – the others, I buy regular and wash them well.
– Do you completely avoid certain things, such as refined sugar or meat?
We don’t eat white flour (I freshly grind my own whole wheat), refined sugars (we use honey, agave, and sucanot), and we eat VERY little red meat (like only when we go to people’s homes!). Mostly chicken, turkey, and wild caught fish. We also avoid many things in our bath and body products.
– Do you have any tips for staying within budget while still eating healthy?
Go vegetarian for several meals a week, fix recipes that call for shredded or cubed up meat (such as soups, salads, and casseroles). Breakfast for dinner, and use lots of coupons (yes, they’re out there for natural stuff too)! This time of year is a great one to cook lots of soups in bulk and freeze them.
Most all the recipes you’ll find on Windy Poplars (except desserts for company) are inexpensive, whole, and many are meatless. Where I haven’t mentioned that I substitute from the original recipe, where you see flour, use whole wheat, sugar, use sucanot, etc.
Good luck on your journey! You’re right, there is a LOT of label reading at first, but you’ll soon settle into what brands are good ones, and where best to spend your money. Let me know if I can be of any assistance in the future!
Personally I think that the vast majority of organic vs conventional is silly. Just because something is “natural” vs “Manufactured” doesn’t automatically make one better than the other.
For instance pesticides are still used in organic farming, they are just natural occurring. Naturally occurring things can still be bad for human consumption. And if these things are less effective it means that they must be put on more, so actually increasing the risk of contamination in the final product.(http://www.headlice.org/news/2005/pesticidemyth.htm)
Furthermore it is a proven fact that more land is necessary in organic vs conventional farming and many people claim that organic farming methods cannot feed the human population of the earth.(http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000726/index.html) This would explain why some in the organic farming, and green, movements argue for people having less if any children.
I really see two factors at work here:
The first is an anti-science/technology movement, based on an assumption that natural and the old ways are better. Theologically speaking the world is fallen, we should not expect natural to always be better. Personally I look forward to the advancements of science and genetic engineering concerning food products.
The second is a fear, and understandable concern. There is no doubt that some pesticides are harmful (used in both organic and conventional farming). People wanting to eat food that isn’t harmful to there bodies makes sense, but we need to be careful about jumping to conclusions to quickly.
Concerning the issue of processed food vs not processed food:
There are some preservatives that have been shown to be carcinogens. Not all have been, and it is silly just to say because you are not sure of what an ingredient is you should not eat it. Now on the other hand, non processed food does taste much better, and I actually believe is cheaper and tends to be healthier (lower in salt, fat and sugar) so ill go with non processed food.
On the issue of staying in budget, that is easier:
Do not shop organic.
Do not shop free range.
Do not shop grass fed. (just make sure you thoroughly cook the beef, it does increase the chances of Ecoli, a trade off I feel like is worth it since if properly cooked wont cause a problem)
Shop at places like Aldi or other cheap grocery stores.
I just tried typing my whole long comment again, and it got deleted, once again. I’m done. I won’t try again.
Tad, I just wanted to say, my husband said ‘amen’ when he read your comment 🙂
heyyy tad reads ur blog 🙂
Scott’s mom and sister are huge into the natural foods movement. I haven’t done too much research yet, but my main attempt is to put less processed foods into my body. We can’t afford grass-fed or organic, etc., etc., but I do know that there is SOMETHING different about processed foods because I get sick almost every time I eat them. My main goal in cooking is to just make from scratch what I can – which really is almost easier sometimes I think. We avoid pre-packaged, pre-seasoned foods – which, by the way, are much more expensive. We DO eat McDonald’s, frozen pizza, and other such crazy things like normal people, but working in whole, “naturally-occuring” foods has really been good for us. On basic levels – like sodium content, sugar content, etc.
Something interesting that I’ve been watching the progression of in the medical community is a new type of eating disorder: orthorexia – the obsession of trying to eat too healthily. How interesting that this has come about during the same time as the organic movement. 🙂
My thoughts – grown your own garden, and don’t buy anything in a wrapper.
I haven’t seen the Food, Inc. yet…mostly because the people who know me well said I couldn’t handle it. 🙂 But, regardless, within the last few years (and more so in the last 6-months) I have been extra conscious of the foods I eat–what’s good for our bodies also tends to be good for the environment. So it’s a win-win for me. Things I avoid:
– Meat (this includes red meat, poultry and sea food)
– Fast food
– Processed foods (when possible)
I became a vegetarian about 6-months ago…not because of the effects meat has on my body, really, but because the animals are treated horribly in corporate farms. Not to mention they’re pumped with hormones to compensate for the malnourishment. If you stop to think about it, you’ll notice a drastic increase of childhood obesity, not to mention the fact that kids are just developing so much quicker than they used to–it’s 100-percent linked with diet and the hormones in their food.
*Off my soap box*
Anyway, I’m excited that you’ve decided to make some changes–no matter what they are. The fact that you’re conscious of it puts you ahead of game. Good luck. 🙂
http://www.hightopsandlace.com
Just my 2 cents worth: Non – processed foods are not only healthier but more FILLING and SATIATING to the body. This helps those of us (ME) to take in fewer calories and manage our weight. Having said that – I also believe ALL FOODS can fit in. It is just a matter of making your basic daily diet non-processed and healthy . . .but having planned INDULGENCES of any food you would like – for example THANKSGIVING! I always laugh and say “If God had not wanted us to enjoy all foods – He wouldn’t have made PEANUTBUTTER” – my favorite processed food!!!!