Begin/Start a Healthier Diet/Lifestyle

[homeschooltheheart]

Okay Gals, I can use some help...Here goes!

Our family could possiblY be the "Poster Family" for horrible nutrition.  We eat out, eat packaged, processed, you name it.  We have never taken vitamins.  (I just started on SuperMom a week ago) We drink whole, homogenized milk. (although my goats just kidded and I do have access to fresh goat's milk)  My eldest daughter, Ashleigh (17) is the only one who exercises.  She loves it! Ugh    I cannot stand to exercise.  No, I mean I really hate it.  I love "sit down" crafts like crocheting and scrapbooking!  We use anti-persperants and detergents.  So, needless to say, we are walking toxic factories!    I am the only person in my family that is overweight, and that bothers me a great deal.

Here's my question...
Where do I begin?

I'm the type of person that can make small changes.  If I try to do too much at once, I'll get overwhelmed and go back to my bag of Oreo's.  I was going to attempt the Master Cleanse, but had a terrible headache by that night.  The thought of not wearing deoderant makes me tremble in my white shrimp boots! (from Louisiana)   

Positive changes so far...
Supermom vitamins
Spirulina tabs
Ordered "The Maker's Diet" book
Added nuts and fruit as options along with Oreo's and Little Debbies (My husband forbids me to stop buying them!)
We do not vaccinate or take any antibiotics

HELP!!

[healthybratt]

I was you about 5 years ago.  Don't fret, there is hope.  I don't know what would work best for you, but my best suggestion is to go with what you know or how much you know and work from there.  My quest started with making bread and went from there.  Try to avoid too much information at once, it can be very overwhelming for those of us who weren't properly trained. 

Probably the most beneficial for you and your family would be for you to learn how to cook and if you already know how, start cooking again.  This seems like a lot, if you're current schedule revolves around fast food and TV dinners.  You're going to have to orchestrate your time schedule to allow time for cooking meals again. 

Once you get into the cooking groove again, start adding fresh ingredients, garlic here, onions there, and so on until cooking with all fresh stuff becomes a habit.  I still cheat a bit, but eventually, I hope to outlaw box dinners in my house (my hubby has a thing for hamburger helper - GROSS!).  I would definitely recommend incorporating garlic into your cooking before anything else.  It adds such wonderful flavors to your foods without all the extra preservatives, salts, etc and it's sooooooo healthy.  It's antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral.  It's basically a natural blood cleaner!  Onions are almost as good!

I found that while researching things that I was currently working on, I would "accidentally" stumble across other interesting information.  Then I would either start a new project or just bookmark it and save it for later.

I'm just now tackling the "dairy" and "sugar" thing, but before I could even begin to think about eliminating sugar, I had to quit drinking soda, which in itself is a hard habit to break.  I have been chatting with Beeyoutifulgirl about milk though, and I decided that the easiest way to go, was to go back to drinking skim milk at least until I can come up with another solution.  I personally just quit drinking milk altogether because I want to make sure I have no dairy allergies before I start drinking it again.  I have actually done the "sugar" thing before because I went on the Atkins diet for about 6 months (it's almost the same thing).

I think I'm also going to try some yeast eliminators.  This is why I stopped eating sugar (just yesterday - UGH!).  I think if I can rid my body of candida, then my "not so perfect" dietary changes won't be quite as urgent. 

Take it one step at a time.  If all you can do for now is to stop eating french fries, then go with it and in a month give up something else that you know you shouldn't be eating.  Leave the "big one" for last (like your Oreos  ).

I'm no pro, but this is what worked for me - a city-girl raised on mac-n-cheese from a box and TV dinners!

[Keysearchterms = organic new beginner nooby dummies natural lifestyle living healthy healthier change changes overwhelmed ]

[homeschooltheheart]

Thanks so much, healthybratt, I really appreciate all the input.   

I don't think fast food (we eat fast food once or twice a week) or tv dinners is a big issue for me.  I cook everyday but Sunday.  I'm originally from New Orleans, so we do use fresh veggies and things like that.  My biggest problem is probably the sugar and the sweets.  I drink sweet tea I usually don't drink soda), sugared cereal, & lots and lots of Oreos!    We eat a lot of fried foods like fried fish, chicken and shrimp.  My milk is always whole and my butter is always real.  Let's see, what else?? Umm, oh gravies that are started with flour and oil.  (2 pringles.. sour cream and onion just went into my mouth)   

I love your idea about getting rid of one thing at a time and saving the hardest for last.  I think I'll start with that. 

Thanks again!

Melissa

[healthybratt]

Umm, oh gravies that are started with flour and oil.

My favorite food is/was cheese.  The only food I like almost as much as cheese is gravy...mmmm.  My grandma always made the best gravy. 

Actually if you're using good oils (and I presume good milk), I don't think gravy is so bad (unless you've an allergy to gluten).  I, personally love homemade biscuits and gravy. 

I've heard that extra virgin coconut oil is very good, but it's harder to find and a bit more expensive.  I've not had the chance to try it, but would like to as it contains caprylic acid (anti-fungal) and you can use it not only for cooking, but for a natural moisturizer/lotion as well. 

I mostly use extra virgin olive oil (I get the generic brand at Walmart) and REAL butter.  I've been using margarine for years first because the mainstream claimed it was healthier than butter and then because it's so much cheaper (especially with the recent rise in milk prices), but I'm going to try to get margarine out of this house for good as soon as possible.

...and don't worry you'll get there.

[Gabe Rising]

I totally agree with HealthyBratt here. Starting to change is not as hard as you might think. Here are the killers:

Killer	Alternative
Homogenized milk	Skim Milk (organic or raw if you can afford/find it)
Diet anything	the real thing with all those yummy calories... get more excersize!
Margarine/Crisco/Lard	Real delicious butter
cereals/doughnuts/packaged foods	Fresh homemade bread & Honey!!!
Anti-biotics	Elderberry, garlic, pro-biotics... be aggressive
eating fast food	cheap and easy home meals like beans and tortillas
coffee, cigatrettes, and mood foods	high quality (expensive) coffee (you'll drink less), cigars or a pipe (easier to quit), Super foods (just eat a couple spirulina / barley green tabs / whatever every time you need a chocolate bar)

Choose one or two of these, and get good at them. Then take a few more... the biggest need most people have is to have the self control to get to where they want to go. So the most important thing is to practice self control. If this means just buying organic milk or skim milk in the place of regular milk for a few weeks... getting past the complaints, the arguments and the strife that will probably come from such a draconian effort... good. You have taught your whole family that you have an iron will, and that they also will learn some self control. (Well, unless your husband says, Homogenized milk only! you might ask if you and the kids can go skim...)

The next step is 10 times easier. It will still be more about self control and less about health... but that's A-OK. Soon you will be on the fast track to health and people will think that you are the Uber Guru of natural health... and they'll be right.

Then you can coax them along the path of self control...

--gabe

[healthybratt]

Oh, I must have posted almost the same time you posted your follow-up, homeschooltheheart.

It seems to me that you are not as "unhealthy" as you think.

One wonderful change you can make is to get a 5 gallon pail of unheated, largely unprocessed honey. When you make desserts, make honey based desserts, when you need a sweetener, use honey, when you need a sweet snack, have honey-butter on a biscuit.

You don't need to get rid of sugar altogether, but making a wholesale honey for sugar swap in as many areas as possible will really help. Why? It is hard to eat a lot of honey.

It is weird, but because honey satisfies in many areas whereas sugar just satisfies in one, the honey really is difficult to eat in excess... and this is just the tip of the honey iceberg... to badly malform a common phrase.

If possible, get your honey person to whip in some comb and propolis. This make the honey sooooo rich... and really good for you.

Of course you can buy honey by the jar, but if you have five gallons sitting around you will feel compelled to use it... and in the mean time you will get used to it.

Sometimes the pail will crystalize. Just scoop a bunch of the crystals out and put them in a mason jar, and put that in a double boiler and heat the water to about 130 degrees or less... and wait. The crystals will melt back into honey.

--gabe

"Uber Guru"....that's rich.   

[LilyEilis]

For those who were wondering how to cook/bake with honey...try this thread I just started for some info....

http://welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,141.0.html

Hope it helps!

[healthybratt]

All subsequent replies to the honey topic were moved and merged with LilyEilis's new thread.

[jharrell]

Well, I'm not much for "fad diets", but I have to say, this one really changed my life as well as my husband's.  We chose the "South Beach Diet" because what it does is eliminate your cravings for sugar and "bad carbs" and re-trains your body to want the good, healthy foods.  It's not the perfect diet, because it allows Splenda, but for the first two weeks, it saved me from going crazy, not being able to have real sugar or fruit. 

I think two things influenced me the greatest - conviction from the Lord to change my diet because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and should take care of this temple the best we can, and the second, was nutritional education.  Once I really began to study and learn about the foods I ate and how it affected me, I no longer could "ignorantly" eat those foods anymore - which caused me to be more responsible in my eating habits. 

Granted, you can't always be "perfect", when you are at other's homes for dinner and they don't have the same convictions as you, but you can make positive changes, like taking a picnic lunch to the zoo or wherever your family goes on a day trip instead of eating out, and packing your lunches, making your own dinners (and leftovers are great too!)  etc. 

And don't worry about the children - they can be re-trained, I'm a testimony to that!  Educate them as well on what those foods they are craving will do to their bodies and they will develop the same convictions too! 

Oh, and one more thing - if you hate excercise, like I did (and was totally out of shape) start out with your diet change first, and once the weight starts coming off and you begin to have more energy from "live foods" instead of toxic, dead foods, you'll gain motivation to exercise more.  I started by taking walks around the park, then slowly I began to jog for short intervals, then walk, then jog, etc.  Getting outside really helps - and for me, mornings were best, then I could come home and shower, ect. 

Hope this helps!

Jennifer

[jaemom]

Hello, I am new to the healthy lifestyle.  I recently began preparing more healthy meals, trying to cut out processed foods, eating more beans, fresh fruits, and vegetables, etc.  My hubby and I want to lose weight and become more healthy before we begin to have major physical problems.  We went on the South Beach Diet, but I only lost 5 pounds.  My husband lost 25 and has yet to gain more than 5 of it back.  (We then stopped the diet and just started eating healthier.)  I have been reading the posts about cleansing and feel maybe if I started some cleanses I would have better success losing weight.  I am also interested in growing herbs and using them.  I would have to use pots since I live dangerously close to a sewer plant and I would not trust the soil to be free of who know what kind of chemicals.  I just don't know where to begin.  Do I start growing herbs and focus on that first or do I go straight to the cleanses?  I'm not sure I can just dive in to everything all at once.  How do I gradually change our diet, begin the use of herbs as medicine, and learn how to have a green thumb?  What should I do first?  This is going to have to be a gradual change for my family.  I don't think I could keep it up if I just started everything at once.  Besides, I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the information I've gathered from this site.   I just want to focus on one thing at a time.  As far as eating healthier is concerned, I never changed our diet before because I thought it was too expensive to buy fresh....then I discovered our local produce and farmers markets.  I cut our grocery bill in half by buying there!  Any more tips would be helpful. 

[natural]

It all seems very overwhelming at first...But as you read more and more, your desire to be more natural and healthy will increase and so will your understanding...everything will start to make a connection until it all comes full circle.

Go to the library and look for some of the books mentioned under the thread "recommended reading".  Begin reading a little and if anything sticks out to you as total common sense, than go with that...if something is too confusing or too straining to memorize, shelf it and come back to it when it is free to study further into that.

There should be a peace and freedom that comes with learning this. God has planted that desire in you to become more natural, so He will help see you through to complete this "mission" in your life.

As for diets...we all have different body types and make-ups some need more carbs, some need more proteins and some need more of a balance of both.

 I think the goal is getting our body to a place where we will be able to sense what it needs and nourish it accordingly.

All the junk we have been eating and breathing has really numbed our natural senses ...sorta desensitized our body to what it really needs.

These are just a few general things that come to mind...I am starting in on the whole herb scene too so I can't tell you much there, only have fun and go free in your quest to be healthier! Stress will only be counterproductive and defeat your purpose.
--Sandra

[healthybratt]

This question has already been asked and answered with many helpful ideas and suggestions.  I've merged the two threads.

hb

[jaemom]

Thanks!  I guess I missed this thread somehow.  I could have just said, yeah what she said.  I have not invited Little Debbie in my house for at least 6 months.  I could eat a box in two days all by myself!  Is there any recommendations for breakfast foods besides eggs?  I'm trying to get away from cereal.  My oldest daughter doesn't like bread so toast is out of the question.  She also doesn't care for yogurt (neither do I), but I know it's very healthy.  Any suggestions?  And where would I go about buying unheated honey?  I think we are on the right track as far as eating healthy is concerned.  I use a lot of fresh garlic and herbs in my cooking. (I love garlic.)  I think the hard one for me is the whole milk....my hubby and my son aren't milk drinkers anyway, but me and my daughter....*sigh*     I started reading the homemade bread thread and got overwhelmed again.  I can make bread, but we just don't eat that much of it (side effect from the South Beach Diet we were on), so do I really need to grind my own wheat?   

[Mama Sita]

 ???Can somebody help me find this thread? I clicked on it, but it said an error has occurred. Same with the honey ideas. Thanks. I love this board. My poor DH can't get on to read his fav boards now. Guess I should let him have a turn

Mama Sita

[healthybratt]

Thanks!  I guess I missed this thread somehow.  I could have just said, yeah what she said.  I have not invited Little Debbie in my house for at least 6 months.  I could eat a box in two days all by myself!  Is there any recommendations for breakfast foods besides eggs?  I'm trying to get away from cereal.  My oldest daughter doesn't like bread so toast is out of the question.  She also doesn't care for yogurt (neither do I), but I know it's very healthy.  Any suggestions?  And where would I go about buying unheated honey?  I think we are on the right track as far as eating healthy is concerned.  I use a lot of fresh garlic and herbs in my cooking. (I love garlic.)  I think the hard one for me is the whole milk....my hubby and my son aren't milk drinkers anyway, but me and my daughter....*sigh*     I started reading the homemade bread thread and got overwhelmed again.  I can make bread, but we just don't eat that much of it (side effect from the South Beach Diet we were on), so do I really need to grind my own wheat?   

There are sources for good wheat flour.  I'm not sure HOW good, but I just bought some whole wheat unbleached flour at Walmart.  Hodgen's Mill.  There is also a lady in my town that sells whole wheat berries, but she will sell them ground for a little extra.  You might have to do some digging, but you can probably find someone close to where you live who will do the same thing.  If you're not eating much bread then you won't be making much bread, but if you should really try to avoid buying bread from the store as it all contains soy and most of it contains hydrogenized oils.

[KatieMac]

I just want to say how much this has blessed me. I started by buying SuperMom because I figured a high-quality supplement would help me alot in the areas I am weak and be a good start in addition to the whole foods we were already consuming.  I was really feeling sad because we are on WIC and my husband really appreciates all the free milk and cheese (me too honestly.) But I felt bad about getting regular, run of the mill, in-orgnanic  milk. I'd prefer to get raw and evenually one day we will. But knowing that getting skim was a start really freed me up and helped me feel much better. We bought two gallons of skim last night at the store and I felt good knowing that my husband doesn't have to stress out about getting farm milk (just yet) and yet I can feel good about what I am getting at the store. I had never heard the stuff about homogenized milk before (though I had heard plenty about how bad milk is, just not that part!)

[healthybratt]

I was really feeling sad because we are on WIC and my husband really appreciates all the free milk and cheese (me too honestly.) But I felt bad about getting regular, run of the mill, in-orgnanic  milk. I'd prefer to get raw and evenually one day we will. But knowing that getting skim was a start really freed me up and helped me feel much better. We bought two gallons of skim last night at the store and I felt good knowing that my husband doesn't have to stress out about getting farm milk (just yet) and yet I can feel good about what I am getting at the store.

We get WIC too and I started getting skim.  I know exactly how you feel, but my daughter had asthma symptoms and was taking Albuterol inhaler before I switched her to skim and the symptoms are gone, gone gone!   

[mama star]

Hello everyone, I'm am completely new here and completely new to anything natural. I am a 23 year old Mother of a 6 mo old boy and just found out another is on the way! I feel so overwhelmed about all this but so convicted to "get back to nature". It started with a no med birth ( but that was easy because medicine for pain would be purley a selfish decision on my part and no risk to the baby if i didn't have med). But My husband and I tend to GO WITH THE FLOW mostly because we don't know anything.
        Vacs have been bothering me for a while now but after reading all your posts i feel a little better. The only thing is I feel I don't know enough yet to treat any illness properly in my son so is it wise to leave the Dr. out of it? We drive 40 minutes to get there so it would be nice not to go so much.
                  Do any of you have some encouraging words about when YOU started changing your lifestyle to a more natural one? I started ordering bulk herbs from the Bulk Herb Store, and I ordered "The How To Herb Book". I have to order just one or two items at a time because of money so I feel the transformation is going slow. I am just so excited about doing all this: herbs, homemade cleaning supplies, health awareness and proper child training. My brain hurts! Help! That is why I came to this forum, me and my hubby need support. Any advice is most wanted. Sorry if I got off subject. Thanks!
-Cassandra
PS: My husband is very excited about all this with me and wants me to learn as much as I can, he just doesn't have the time to do the research. Do you all spend ALOT of time on the computer? I have found it to be a very valuable reference but I don't want to spend too much time on it. What is a good balance in your opinion? Ok I really am done typing now.

[lovemyman]

I too am new to "going back to nature."  I was so excited about going for it.  After leafing through "The How To Herb Book", I became overwhelmed and thought, "How in the world can I do this?"  Then, I looked through it again and again and again.  I do not loan it out because I am continually studying the herbs.  I decided to start slow.  I went out and bought two aloe plants.  I ordered herbs from the Bulk Herb Store and made my first tincture of Jungle Juice last week.  My 15 month old son got an ear infection and sore throat last week.  He ran a high fever.  I treated his ear with garlic oil and gave him at least two doses of garlic and honey a day for three days. I also have him a fever reducer. He is doing fine.  I go to the doctor for his regular "well" check up Thursday and look forward to getting an all clear.  My sister-in-law asked me what I was going to say when the Dr. looked at me crazy about the garlic thing.  I told her it was none of his business.  My husband is also excited about herbal medicine, and that is really all the support I need.  I plan on purchasing the immune booster herbs soon, and having that ready for the future, because getting the garlic down my baby was hard to watch.  Good luck!!
 
-Kirsha

[dara]

If you're overwhelmed with learning about herbs, I really would recomend the book, "10 Essential Herbs", by Lalitha Thomas. It has hundreds of remedies using only 10 herbs, many of which are already in your spice cupboard or fridge (like onions and garlic...). As for computer time, that's a toughy. I am trying to limit how much time I spend, 'cause I have responsibilities, but family trips to the library are a big hit too, and I can skim a lot of books by taking a pile to the kid's section where the kids play and read. I don't read most books cover to cover, but pick things out of the index, etc. kind of like in "How to Read a Book".

[4myhoonie]

hey mamastar--i have felt like you many times.  i find that taking things slower is easier on my finances for more than just buying slower, but as people read and post and learn new ways to do things i can learn from their experience too and don't make as many mistakes.  (like buying things i don't know how to use or making recipes that don't turn out.)  i have learned a lot more as of late and am glad i didn't try those things at first cuz i didn't waste my money on them. (does that make any sense?  )  if it would help you so far i have made a disinfectant out of grapefruit seed extract using 3 drops/8 oz. water in a spray bottle and also renewed my interest in an Amway product i used to use a lot (we are still members but not building the business) called L.O.C which stands for Liquid Organic Cleaner.  it's a quart bottle, and can be dilluted or used straight.  it is great for laundry stains, carpet stains and general cleaning.  great for things like grease.  i am trying it out on laundry instead of that toxic aerosol i've used for many years.  also for mirrors and windows just put some vinegar in a spray bottle and fill with water. 
i just made up a granola recipe with the ingred. i like in my store bought granola using directions and a few ingred. from the granola thread.
another natural thing i've done is make up a moisturizer from apricot kernal oil (or jojoba) with a few drops of ess. oil of lavendar (about 10) to use on my skin, babies' and kids. 
these things may seem like a lot at first, but i started a notebook only for things i'm learning here and am putting little tidbits in it for later use.  also it's real easy to search for things on here if you can't remember how to do something that you read.   
as for the dr. i have stopped using ours and he is just down the street.  i find most everyday viruses we've had lately can be treated with info i have learned on this forum.  mostly garlic and probiotics such as tummy tune up.  i just haven't needed to go there!  praise the Lord!! 
as for the computer, i am trying to spend less time here and it is easier after a while.  i am using the time i used to waste doing nothing in the evenings after the kids are in bed and it's very well spent!  i am so much more excited about all i'm learning that it's good for them because they see me excited about learning!     this forum and the bulk herb store have been great blessings to me and i'm sure they will be to you also!

[joyful_mommy_03]

Hi there!  I am new to this board as a member, but I've read so much wonderful information here!  I'm a stay-at-home mom of three - 7yr old boy, 18mo old girl and 3mo old boy - from Wisconsin. 

We've slowly but surely started learning about and using herbs for ourselves and the children when our daughter was born.  It began with the decision against immunizing the kids.  Now, I'm at a stage where I'd like to "remodel" the way we eat.  But, just thinking about cutting out sugar and white flour feels frustrating because I don't have any idea what to cook then!!  As you can tell, our eating habits are not very good.  My daughter is so picky - all she'll eat is bread and cheese and, of course sweets.  I know she is this way because of all the sweets and unhealthy things we have around the house.  (Anybody see the child training videos by Michael Pearl?  I had a total OUCH in that area!!  Very convicting!)

How did you all start on this road to healthier living?  Raw fruits and vegetables are so expensive and forget about organics.  I know many would say "how can you put a price on healthier living for your family?" but we just don't have room in our already tight  budget. 

I'm sure it's easier than I think it is, but I'm so overwhelmed at the thought of doing a major overhaul on our diets.  Maybe you guys could give some advice!!  (Sorry for the long post!)

[Dewbear]

My advice to you is to start slowly or you will never get to your desired end.  This is my personal philosophy for me & my family:  if I can say this every week, "I am eating better today than I ever have before," then I am achieving my goal!  So . . . start with adding one extra veggie for every dinner.  Then add a fruit-only snack during the day.  Then start removing cheetos & potato chips.  Plant something with the kids that they can grow & enjoy eating -- a great starter is bean sprouts in a jar.

Just change ONE thing at a time.

[jaemom]

I am new at this also, so I don't have a ton of advice.  I will say that I used to think it was more expensive to eat healthy.  I found a local produce market and I now spend less a week on fruits and vegetables to feed my family of 5.  Buying produce in the grocery store is expensive.  I confess I don't buy all organic  , mainly because I can't find organic here except in the store and it's too expensive most of the time there.  Look for a farmer's market or produce market near you.  I cut out all store bought snacks.  I thought I was getting a bargain at those 10 for $10 sales, but I spend much less a week buying fruits and veggies from a market.  Check out this post for ideas on how to get your daughter eating healthier. http://welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,848.0.html
I did ban ice cream, chips, cake, cookies, boxed snacks, my best friend Little Debbie even, and other store bought treats from the house.  If we have something like that it's for a very special occasion.  It's just as easy to feed the kids watermelon for an after dinner treat as it is to give them ice cream.  I've also looked for alternatives for breakfast.  We have started eating yogurt, granola, smoothies sweetened with honey, peanut butter toast, eggs, fruit, or homemade muffins for breakfast in place of store bought breakfast cereals (which used to be a staple in our house).  It's definitely cheaper to buy in bulk, but I'm not quite there yet.  I did find a Co-op an hour away from us that I'm going to try soon.  As far as dinners are concerned, I'm not there yet either.    We can't afford the organic meat in the store either.  My best advice is to take it slow so you don't get overwhelmed and want to give up.  Instead of doing a major overhaul all at once, try replacing things little by little.  Use up your white flour, then buy wheat; use up your white potatoes then switch to sweet potatoes.  Get your kids involved with making what you are eating, especially the picky one.  My daughter wouldn't touch tuna with a ten foot pole until I got her excited about making it with me.  I've gotten so much info from reading these forums. Most of all, have fun!

[mama star]

Wow! Thanks everyone! I am feeling better already and I'm excited to say I made my first herbal remedy! A toner for my acne skin. I had tee tree oil and cinnamon oil already so I mixed some drops of each with some dandelion tea and dapped it on my face with a cotton ball. It sure has been drying these pimples up! The hard part is the itching i'm getting from the healing pimples! Anyways, I am having a good time now. I have come to realize my feeling of being overwhelmed isn't just Herbs it is that my WHOLE WAY OF LIFE has changed since reading the Pearl's books. I think that is enough to occupy ones mind for a while. Thanks again!

[lotsaboys]

We know exactly what you mean about your "WHOLE WAY OF LIFE" changing and even though we were introduced to Pearl's books and also healthier living about 5 years ago, there are still days I feel overwhelmed because there is so much new stuff to learn and it takes awhile to get the "old ways of thinking" out of us.  And I've also discovered that once you start searching for answers, the learning never ends! Such a rewarding journey, though!

~B

[Monita]

What a great thread!
  I had no clue where to begin either with the healthy lifestyle either.  We are starting slowly so that it is not such a shock to our system. I've learned so many great tips here!
 About Skim milk though.... being at a military base here in Okinawa our choices are limited to what the commissary has.  I went looking for some non-homogenized milk the other day and none was to be found.  All of our milk says homogenized even the nonfat milk.  We do have some organic milk but it is all homogenized too.  Our Japanese teacher is going to take us on a field trip to a local grocery store next week, so I will definitely be asking about the milk.

[kittyninja]

Just thought i'd pipe in on this one!! My family has always been back and forth on eating healthy! But since starting on this forum I am more encouraged to stick with healthy!! Neither my hubby nor i were raised on healthy diets-although my mom did encourage fruits (all kinds) and she made sure we had a veggie with every meal! My hubby got into yoyo diets i guess you would call them- with his cousins! They were body builders and they would eat pretty unhealthy for most of the time until a few months before a show then would CRAZY diet supplements weight lifting and take my husband along for the ride (he lived with them before we were married). After the shows and they won there medals they would binge eat!!! NOt good for your bodies and not a LIFESTLYE i could live with. My hubby wanted to do the no carb thing when we got married and i said NO WAY-we just needed to learn to eat right! He has wealth of knowledge about vitamins and minerals and how the body breaks things down (one of his cousins is also a certified nutritionist) but he just likes food to much!! WHO DOESN'T!!  I know it is mainly up to me to provide the healthy snacks and meals. Lee jumps into it happily too. I don't go all crazy though. I mean what i suggest to people who don't even know where to start being healthy is looking what you keep in your house-what do you eat on a regular basis. Can you AT LEAST switch the white bread for some wheat?  We just do little changes. We love pancakes and sausage links here. I could switch to buckwheat pancakes(hubby doesn't care for) and TURKEY sausage links but we eat it MAYBE once a month so it's a treat for us-fluffly golden pancakes with butter and syrup and greasy lil sausage links!! If i tried to replace EVERYTHING with better for us stuff-my hubby would be sad !  He loves keifer now that i found it at the commissary for cheaper and  I hope it helps his tummy! So just startin slow. I am encouraging my mom in law in a more nutritional way for her little one (my hubby and his sister lived on QUICK foods and junk foods and it shows!) like the real fruit is better for her than fruit juice and she even switched her to goat's milk and is impressed with the results!! Anyways- didn't read all the posts here so i don't know if i am repeating anyone else-but i just wanted to share my personal story!!
  kittyninja

[healthyinOhio]

Kittyninja,

Buy some whole grain pastry flour at your local health food store.  Make sure it is Pastry Flour.  Arrowhead Mills makes a good brand.  Use it for all your baking needs.  Especially pancakes.  I promise you that you will NOT be able to tell that it is whole grain.  It is soft, light, and fluffy like white flour would be.  Let me know.

[kittyninja]

Hey thanks GOOD TIP!! I'm making a list-now to adjust my grocery budget accordingly!
I'll let you know if it passes!! Gotta be better for us than BISQUICK!!