The first shot at the Revolution

How do you start a Food Revolution for your family?

First you have to empower yourself with knowledge. My empowerment had started with Jamie Oliver and with the Juice Plus presentation. Next, you have to resolve yourself to change. I hear so many people saying, "Oh, I don't have time" or "Oh it is too much work" and I understand, I used to be like that. However, our children don't have a voice or the power to make the change, they are told to eat what we serve them and we usually do not give them a choice. I decided that I needed to work harder to make those choices real food and healthy options for them.

It has not been easy so far, but it has been rewarding. My kids are enjoying cooking and trying new foods they never have before. Yes, there has been a lot of whining about McDonald's and such, but I have told them we will make our own healthy version of a McDonald's happy meal together!

How did I actually go through the process in my house?
I went to the book store looking for some books about nutrition and cooking books for healthy whole food eating and I found The Eating Clean Diet by Tosca Rena. This book has become an incredible resource for me on everything from supplements, to ideas for feeding your family, to what to put in your pantry. It provides shopping lists and recipe ideas and motivation. I have also found her web pages and facebook pages and she is providing the fresh ideas and support you need to change.

The concept is simple, you eat food. Not processed food, not prepackaged food, not chemical filled, food dyed and colored food, just food. Ok, I hear the groans, "that is impossible right"? Not really. "Oh, it is way more expensive, we can't afford that!" You can with planning. I used to go out and shop and then never plan and throw away tons of food that went bad before I had a chance to cook it. Now I am planning my meals and making more trips to the grocery store and buying only what we need, not what I think we need.

I will be honest there was a bit of an expense getting started. I had to buy some new cooking pans and storage containers from Marshalls and I have been slowly replacing my pantry items. However, this is being offset by the fact that last week we did not order out food three nights like we used too. I did not stop for an egg and cheese sandwich five days a week, I made my own. I also fed the kids lunch at home and packed their lunches. With those changes, I think I paid it off.

We will still go out to eat. This past Saturday we went to the Barnacle and it was very easy to eat clean for me. I let the kids order off the kids menu and have a dessert as treat, I have told them that when we are out to dinner or at friends houses they can make their own choices. Hopefully by eating 99% of the time at home, they will eventually start to make the right choices when out. Anyway, I had steamed crab legs for an appetizer, no butter, I squeezed fresh lemon instead and for an entree I had grilled salmon over greens with balsamic vinegar.

Back to the process. I started by going through my pantry and removing anything that had ingredients that included corn syrup, fructose, words I did not understand, food coloring, white flour, trans fats, and anything partially hydrogenated. I FILLED UP 8 BAGS!!! You would not believe what corn syrup is in!

Ritz crackers
microwave popcorn
pretzels
ketchup
BBQ sauce
granola bars
cake mixes
frostings
apple sauce
peanut butter
Jelly
bread
kids smoothies and yogurts

Just to name a few things, before you pay $$$ for something in a store, READ THE INGREDIENTS!!!

I spent a few hours in Trader Joes and Whole Foods, looking for healthier replacement options. For example, I replaced Ritz crackers with Whole Foods brand made with whole wheat flour. My kids did not notice the difference! The kids were so used to seeing certain labels and boxes, so I bought a bunch of clear containers to store the food, so they just see the food, not the packaging.

I replaced our mustards and ketchups and some marinades, I found new healthier replacement options for most items and bought whole wheat pasta and bread and wheat flour.

The most important resource so far has been sharing this journey with friends on facebook, because I have been learning from other people who have gone through this and our living healthier lives.

More to come....

I found