Healthy Eating

Living, feeling and learning the importance of eating the types of food God has designed us to enjoy

The account of my own journey (thus far)

Journeys don’t all start or look the same

• Where I started: my roots, reasons and influences: – Mom– College– Marriage (health issues)• Infertility and hormone imbalance battle (the BIG why)

– The long road (the many styles of eating/lifestyles)– The balanced approach I am currently striving for: looks

similar to vegan but not strict and incorporates the occasional meat

Defined• Let’s ask “What is healthy?”– Healthy can be defined a number of ways, but here are a few

evident indicators you will reap by making a majority of your foods whole:

• Glowing skin• LOTS of natural energy and vitality • A fit body (and one that functions well in motion!)• Balances hormones, blood sugar and mood• Good perspective on life and positive attitude• Enhances your sharp mind • Aides in becoming pain free (you will start to know your body

better)

More reasons why you should try to eat healthier

• NUMBER 1: Your body is a temple. You are stewarding even this for the glory of God. MAKE IT USABLE!

• Have lifestyle-related ailments or health issues? Eating healthy and balanced is proven to help battle symptoms and sometimes, resolving the problem!

• It is cheaper and easier to eat the basics (more on that coming…)• BIG ONE: Your kids are watching; they are learning about food by

what YOU pick and deem as good:– It’s important because, in a ever changing society, food is not what is used

to be. We must now be proactive about our choices.– Your children will have long term battles with food if not properly

educated at home – Many additives and processes our food undergoes could be very harmful

to their health long term if not properly handled

Why your grandparents didn't deal with food allergies

They ate seasonal, fresh, real food • Preservatives and processing methods did not exist yet• They ate what was available

Didn't diet or play games with metabolism Cooked food at home (and from scratch) Ate the whole animal and, unless the illness/case was life threatening,

they used food as medicine• Bone broth needs to make a come back (minerals and vitamins

galore! And talk about economical)• Organs were frequently consumed back then as well

Spent a lot of time outside • Sun burns germs off, boosts immunity • Its proven that moving boosts immunity and makes us heart healthy

Didn't eat GMOs, additives, preservatives, stabilizers or thickeners5

Wait: what exactly is a GMO and why the hype?

• GMO is a genetically modified organism (aka, your food)– “living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially

manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering…. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.”

• Pro: makes American crops less susceptible to disease and decreases harm by pests– Pads the pockets of food producers as it extends the shelf life of the

products, giving us the convenience of ready made food.... But at the cost of the customers health

• Concern: It’s outlawed in more than 60 countries… but not ours.– “a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health

problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.”

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Other GMO possible consequences

And truth be told:

Food isn’t what it used to be

Today, its important to make informed choices

**Quick Tip: looking at the ingredient list on the back o a product is helpful

(the rule of thumb is if it has more than 5 ingredients, pass it up)

Where do I start?• Start small, baby steps and add as

you go!• Have fun with it/make it delicious!– Try one new thing a week or a month

• Switch out tried and true ingredient replacements – (if you are feeling adventurous, play

with recipes a bit and transform old favorites into something with more nutrition!)

– Example

What does this look like?

• First off, ITS NOT A DIET! It’s a lifestyle.– Health trends exist because we have forgotten

how to eat • You will eat a lot of colorful, flavorful foods– aka: foods with benefits, going beyond the vitamin

• Good way include observing how others eat around the world!

Lets take a balanced approach

A few examples of delicious real foods(With benefits!)

What will it cost me?

• Buying high quality foods might mean you need to buy organic

• Some convenience is lost: requires some prep time (the cost of labor)

• Might feel like a total waste if family doesn’t like it or if not prepare it well

No one ever said all healthy had to be expensive!

Tips for cutting costs• Buy what’s in season and what’s on sale• Remember to watch out for the clean 15 and dirty dozen! • If you have to choose from a can or frozen, always

go with frozen (the exception is organic tomatoes)• Serve meat as a side item and not the main dish

(remember our balance picture?) • ** Especially helpful when you are buying high quality

meat• Buy in bulk when you can, join a co-op or use farmer markets/online resources (depending on what you want)

Let's take a look at balance in everyday meals and starting points

• Picking Veggies• Proper carb sources• Proteins• Fats • ...and other mentionable food groups!

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Start with vegetables

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Reasons certain foods are on the clean 15:• Thick skins

(or you don’t eat the skins)

• Usually skins are tough enough that pesticides don’t seep in

Kale, Cabbage, Celery and Spinach

• Personally, my “go-to” few• Benefits: – Add bulk to your meal– Add additional nutrition (kale and spinach contain

plant proteins)– Mostly versatile for many dishes• Spinach can be tasteless when added to smoothies• Celery adds crunch in salads or other dishes• Cabbage sautéed looks and acts like a noodle

Kale

• Sauté • Smoothie• Dips/sauces• Make great chips and

salads!

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Cabbage• What do you do with

it?• Use it as a filler, sauté

it, roast it, make roll ups with it

Celery

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• Makes for a great crunchy filler

• Need a handy dipper? Use celery for more than just peanut butter!

Onions, garlic, vinegars...oh my!

• Can we say immunity boosters?

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Brussel Sprout Salad

With homemadeDried cranberries

Pacific caught salmon with Avocado kale

salad

ORDERING OUT:

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Rice, asparagus and Okinawan Sweet

potatoes

Some examples:

Other dishes found in our home!

Brown rice and carrots

Many different shades of soups!

If you are able, embrace smoothies!

Really can't get kids to eat their greens?

Our favorite smoothie recipe:

* 1 frozen banana* 1 handful of

spinach* 1 T maple syrup* 1/2 avocado* 1 t vanilla* 1/4-1/2 c milk of

choice* Optional:

cacao/cocoa powder, cinnamon, chia seeds, oatmeal, other frozen fruits

Carbohydrates: Pick the right ones!

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Kale Sweet potato quinoa fritters!

Fruits and other power carbs

• Yes. A fruit is a carb. And a sugar. But they are the best of both worlds!

• Contain dozens of antioxidants and are considered superfoods – A majority of them are found in the top super

food categories!!

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Many of these are fruits, but notice the beans, nuts and other mentionable foods (coffee and chocolate to name a few) mentioned here too!

** remember to buy in season for both cost and freshness!

Yes, baked goods and treats are still

possible!** These are examples of other good carbs

More carbs

Just be mindful of your cooking ingredients!

Kids will love alternative carbs too!

Get creative with your treats!!

Fats:(don’t be afraid of them!!)

• Pick those that don't clog arteries (raw, unsalted nuts over a dairy product)

• Moderation • Good choices:– Butter– Clarified butter (Ghee)– Olive Oil – Coconut Oil (don’t like the taste? use refined)– Avocado– Cacao butter (when making chocolate!!)

Homemade Chocolate!

My recipes incorporate maple

syrup/honey as my sweetener; I

also add chia seeds for crunch and maca root

powder for hormone

balancing.

Consider the other costs…• Either pay for high quality foods now or insurance

deductibles later (many major companies getting on board with this idea....)

• You lose much needed nutrition buying pre-washed and packaged/canned foods (exception to the rule is tomatoes) --plus they are usually more expensive than buying fresh!

• You are depriving your body of the many needed vitamins and minerals naturally found in food (taking vitamins: the body can't absorb the essential vitamins unless balances with a healthy diet)

• Husband addition: Pain in exercise with great payoff or pain in the hospital…

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Recommendations• Resources: Starkville real foods (facebook page),

Pinterest (lead to very helpful blogs), Azure Co-op (Tupelo branch)

• Eating out? Helpful tip: if you want a bunch of vegetables on your plate, always order from the vegetarian or vegan menu and add your protein choice and other items on the side

• UPDATE: CSA AG Garden in Starkville (Johnny Wrays– over the garden)

More helpful eating out advice: watch the wording!

Take aways

• You must make the choice to do it• Be aware of your foods sources• It’s all about balance!!• Ask these questions:– Using or abusing food?– Self serving or kingdom serving?– Will this food choice give me the proper fuel I need for

the rest of the day or will it have me crashing and burning in about 20 minutes…?