I’ve come a long way from my childhood days of eating Doritos and peanut butter toast with sugar sprinkled on top. At first glance, you may think my fridge and pantry are healthy. I know I did. But with a closer look I’ve found that some of our “healthy” foods have room for improvement. Here are a few examples:
- Yogurt (with high fructose)
- Lunchmeat (with nitrites)
- The rare treat of juice (with artificial sweetener)
- Granola Bars (with corn syrup, fructose, tocopherols, etc)
Last week we discussed Step 1:: how to gather information to make better choices with our food.
STEP 2:: Alter your diet. Take a good hard look at the foods you eat most often. If it has things you’ve learned you should avoid then you need to find an alternative. I’ve chosen not to throw out food because the pantry challenge is allowing us to eat the things we already have. However, we’ve come up with a beginners list of things 5 things to remove from our diet:
- Store bought bread (Make homemade bread)
- Artificial sweeteners
- High fructose corn syrup
- Meat with nitrites or nitrates
- Frozen or Boxed meals (I always bought the ones that said “no artificial flavors or preservatives” but when I took a closer look I saw xanthan gum, sodium alginate, corn syrup, etc. What is that stuff?)
Michael Pollan’s Food Rules is a list of 64 easy to understand statements to help you make healthier choices. A few of my favorites are:
- Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
- Avoid products that have more than 5 ingredients.
- Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
- Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.
- The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.
- Cook.
What five things will you remove from your diet? Remember, baby steps.
Next week: Step 3:: Understand Produce
Hey Richelle – Tamara and I are going through a similar process in our lives right now too! We are trying to find ways of feeding our families healthy foods. Our biggest challenge has been to find the foods and stay within our weekly budgets. It is difficult to find coupons for organic and whole foods. Thanks for your tips. I’ll check out the websites you mentioned too.
I’m determined to do real food on a real budget. Two years ago I was overwhelmed by couponing and now I could do it in my sleep. When I get overwhelmed with this new way of eating I just remind myself to take baby steps and pray for wisdom. I’m happy to pass along tips/tricks to you guys as I learn them and you do the same.
For Whole Foods, I use The Big Deal coupon books they have available (usually at the front of the store; if they are not there ask at the customer service desk). There are also Mambo Sprouts booklets available at some locations (again, if you don’t see it at the front vestibule ask customer service). I use the coupons on top of sale prices, especially the 365 brand items. Some items have low everyday prices, such as the 365 dried pastas (99c a bag).
Thanks for the tips Mollie. We’re getting our first Whole Foods in the Charlotte area next year. I’m looking forward to it.
I hear you on that luncheon meat. My kids had never had it until I discovered Hormel’s line without the nitrates/nitrites. Now that’s all I buy . . . even sometimes without a coupon if I am in a pinch. Walmart sells it for $2.50 and that’s the cheapest I’ve found. It’s still cheaper than buying a sandwich and a lot better for you. We also get the Dannon kids yogurt without the HFCS . . . again even without the coupons. It does get a little tricky sticking to your budget for some of these items [each of my 3 kids eat yogurt every day before bed since they do not drink milk], but I feel better knowing that I am not giving my kids too many things that are made in labs . . . they still get a fair share, but it’s a work in progress, right?
Yes, we’re all a work in progress! When I start to get overwhelmed I remind myself to take baby steps. I always say that when you first start couponing any savings is better than what you were spending before. The same goes for the real food thing. Gradually cut things out and before you know it you’ll be eating much better than six months ago. That’s my goal anyway. Glad we’re on the same boat
I also switched my brand of syrup when I realized that the main ingredient in most syrups is HFCS. And we love waffles in my house! Yikes!
Nena, I’d love to know what kind of syrup you use! I tried the Trader Joe’s maple syrup/agave for pancakes, and neither the kids nor I liked the taste. What about you?
Also, I just wanted you to know that there are lots of things I buy, with or without a coupon, because they are healthier for our bodies. I think that is what is so neat about coupons – they allow me to save money on certain things so that I can spend more on the things that are important to me. It’s a trade-off that I’m willing to make for my family’s health.
Well said, Amy!
Amy, we use the Trader Joe’s 100% Maple Syrup Grade B. Is that what you use too? My kids don’t seem to notice a difference and will certainly eat it. It’s just crazy expensive and I cringe every time I have to buy it, but at least feel better about it than the other brands of syrup. Yeah, Nena, I’d love to know what you use too. Another thing, Amy, is that I’m getting ready to flavor my syrup with some blueberry puree (because I love blueberry syrup) I made recently and maybe if you did that, the kids may like it better. I can tell you how-it was really easy.
I have had to read ingredient labels for almost 7 years now, since my diagnosis of Celiac Disease. i LOVE your intentional eating and am a huge advocate of healthy, natural eating…unfortunately our grocery bills are evidence of that. although i do implement coupon strategies for toiletries and other general items. As for xanthum gum, it is derived from corn and is a natural product. It is used for thickening, and as a binding agent in gluten free baked goods (gluten is what holds things together and makes bread springy). In fact, I have a bottle of xanthum gum in my cabinet that i use for all my gluten free baking.
Thanks for sharing Allison. I’m hoping my ulcerative colitis will improve as I make gradual changes to my diet. You’re right, using coupons on toiletry items are a great way to save money! Do you utilize the drugstore savings programs? (ECBs, Register Rewards, etc). I teach about that in my Drugstore Workshop and I’m thinking about doing a series on this website.
Yes, I do utilized the drugstore savings programs! I do both ECBs and Register Rewards. Most of the time I use these programs for my cosmetics, vitamins, and toiletries. It is AMAZING how much you can save on these items. Also, I will say that you CAN eat healthy and still save money at the grocery stores. When I was able to fully take advantage of the grocery store sales and coupons (going to at least 2 stores a week) I was able to cut our grocery spending by about 40%. However, it is difficult when working full-time and keeping up with all of life’s demands…and for right now I am doing good to GET to the grocery store each week. Hence the larger grocery bills.
You’re an inspiration Allison! Glad to know you utilize the drugstore programs. I think it’s a great way to help slash your budget!
So forgive me here for sounding ignorant, but in frozen or boxed meals, do you mean like boxes of crackers, pop tarts, cereal bars, etc? I’ve pretty much switched to the Trader Joe’s brands of all those things and I think I’m safe on those, but I always find myself at a crossroads when it comes to coupons, because most everything I could get for free or cheap is not a natural product. I have to just balance it out sometimes. R~ would you still buy the non-natural stuff occasionally if it’s a really good deal? Do you have some staple items at Trader Joe’s?
Yes, I don’t want to buy boxes of crackers, cereal bars, etc with a bunch of ingredients that I can’t pronounce. My goal is to have 5 ingredients or less and to clearly understand from where those ingredients come. I’m working on a post called Raw vs Organic. Many times people think if they get “organic fruit chews” then it’s ok. Is there a fruit chew tree? No! Organic food isn’t always healthy or a “real food”. This is what I’m in the process of learning. Did God make it? Then it’s ok to eat or cook with. (PS. I’m trying to find a good cracker recipe b/c I miss my Cheese It’s!)