Welcome back! I recently listened to a video about feeding your family in these challenging times. Everyone is slowly coming to the realization that our convenience based foods are not the best option for your health or well-being. In a perfect world, a lot of people would be growing their own food in their garden, sourcing raw milk and other dairy products, producing their own eggs and chickens for meat. But let's get real world practical.
Not everyone has access to a garden area to grow their own vegetables. If you live in the urban environment it's hard to have your own chickens, and you're definitely not going to have your own cow for dairy products. Going to the store and buying all healthy food isn't always an option because you budget to stay current on all your obligations. So where should you start?
The eating healthy journey is not a sprint! It's a marathon! It will take time and effort on your part to achieve results and it wont happen overnight. The trick is YOU have to start! Not when you save X amount of dollars, not after you're comfortable in a new job, house, relationship, neighborhood, city, etc. NOW! Lets go!
Start with something basic. Buy a whole chicken! If you don't know how to cook, search the Internet for a recipe on ways to cook the chicken. It would be awesome if you could buy a free range pasture raised organic chicken. But if that's not in your budget, buy a whole
chicken. Doesn't matter if it's not ideal. It's practical. If you have to buy the cheapest chicken in the store, that's great! You've started. When you're done with your chicken, don't forget that you can put it in a pot and make awesome bone broth for pennies. You already have the base.
It would be nice to have some vegetables to go with this chicken that you are cooking. Same idea as the chicken; buy fresh, whole vegetables. Maybe some potatoes and carrots. Local fresh organic vegetables would be ideal but maybe not practical. Buy the best you can afford! Keep the peels and add to the bone broth. They're already paid for so may as well use them. It adds flavor and you also get some of the vitamins that were in the vegetables.
Want to have salad? Same idea as the chicken and veggies! This is a tougher choice because you should consider waste. Buying a head of lettuce for one meal and throwing the rest away because you forgot about it doesn't save money. Try to buy fresh fruit and vegetables in the amount you will normally use before they spoil.
From this modest start you will build cooking skills and start to appreciate the goodness and flavor of homecooked meals. Remember to buy food that is an ingredient....not food that has ingredients. Little by little you can upgrade some of your food purchasing. Find the local farmers markets for in- season produce. Maybe find a farmer who raises chickens, eggs, dairy, cattle, goats, sheep etc. and cut out the middle man and a lot of preservatives and processing.
Remember! Its a marathon! Just when you master one skill you will find another interesting distraction. Canning, fermenting, freeze drying , dehydrating, old time remedies. The list is as long as you want to search. I believe our modern food preservation practices' are the cause of a lot of health problems which are only going to worsen as time goes on; especially for the children. The more preservatives and processed foods you can reduce in your diet; the more your general health should improve. Do some homework and research foods that interest you. I know foods that are really good for me but I don't like them and don't eat them. Try and find a suitable replacement that fits your budget and appeals to your personal tastes.
There's lots more to discuss but Ill continue later. A healthy lifestyle is a marathon! It took your life up to this moment to get where you're at...don't expect one free range chicken, a salad and a few home cooked veggies to miraculously reverse a lifetime of living! Small steps taking one day at a time. Goodnight.
PS!!! These blogs are my personal opinion based on research I've done! I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer, etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!! DONT TRUST YOUR BODY AND HEALTH TO ANYONE!!!! DO WHATS BEST FOR YOU! I'm interested in your story of personal health wins.
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