I was ready to type out a recipe for the blog when the thought occurred to me. I really need to define what I deem healthy because it may not be how others define it. I’m very careful to pair the term “healthy” with my recipes since I am not a registered dietitian or nutritionist. (although I would love to be one day!) I couldn’t tell you how many calories are in 1/4 cup of butter or how many carbs are in 2 cups of flour without looking at the food label. So because I’m not skilled or educated specifically in these areas, I tread lightly.
To be honest, I never scour my cookbooks or online for recipes that use the term low-fat or low-carb. I’m not interested in taking a heavily caloric meal and taking it down a few notches by replacing butter with margarine, or by substituting a chemical sugar in place of real sugar. What I look for in recipes are the initial, basic ingredients. The more simple (as in more in their original state) the ingredients are, the more apt I am to choose the recipe.I keep the words “whole” , “fresh” and “clean” in mind when cooking.
I don’t count calories. I eat until I’m full or just before.
I don’t purchase low-fat cookies or chips. I get the regular and use self-control…usually 🙂
I don’t use splenda as a substitute for sugar. I use white and eat it in moderation.
I don’t avoid carbs in my diet. I choose whole grain and eat them in balance with the rest of my food.
Is there a time and a place for those things above? Probably. And in certain people’s circumstances, I might recommend it. But just like anything I do in life, I want it to be a part of a long-term lifestyle change. I want to put into practice qualities that I deem respectable in my life into my physical life. Eating is no different.
I let other factors define what I consider a healthy meal is, and what I would like to fill and fuel my family with. When I choose a meal, I base it on how it will ADD to my families health as opposed to going through a checklist of foods I dare not touch. I generally like a stripped down version of food. Then I like to add and modify as I see fit.
However, there are things I typically avoid:
– High Fructose Corn Syrup. I see that “they” are on an advertising kick about it not being that bad, but just listen to the name of it!
– Trans Fats. You can’t live in America and not know what those are! Be careful though because they can declare it 0 trans fats even if it has traceable amounts (less than .5g)
– Chemical sugars….or anything not meant to replace sugar. I don’t purchase things like lite yogurt or granola bars. (Sometimes the phrase “no sugar added” is used. If so, check the label) OK. You caught me. I do love Diet Coke! But it’s only about 2-3 cans a week!
– Foods with LOTS of weird, long words. I admit. I am not 100% on every single thing I purchase. There are times I purchase a boxed item with a funky ingredient name, but that’s not what would define most of what we eat.
– Boxed cakes, brownies, muffins etc. Am I 100% on this? No way. 2 weeks ago I made a coconut cake out of a vanilla cake mix. Do I think it’s the end of the world if I use boxed? No. But I do try first to make it from scratch.
– Low fat or Low carb anything. SHOCK! What they take away in fat, they add in more sugar which if I had my druthers, I’d take the fat. I’d rather purchase the regular sour cream, cheese and chips and just use a little self-control. You generally won’t see my pantry filled with lots of that stuff.
I usually get asked every now and again about organic food. My answer is this. If I had lots and lots of extra money in my grocery budget to spend on organic, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but the reality is, I don’t have that kind of money. Now I know the people pro-organic would tell me that any amount of money is worth doing this for your health, but at this point, I feel that I balance being “healthy” in so many areas, that I feel OK with the route I go. I will say, however, I try to buy meat and poultry that maybe isn’t certified organic, but would have no growth hormones or additives (shout out to Duma Meats!!). If I can find organic yogurts or milks on sale, I will purchase them (I always stop in the organic section) but as a general rule, it is a small portion of my groceries.
I’d love to hear how you guys choose the food you have for your families!I am by NO MEANS a professional or expert in this area. I’m not telling you to stop what you are doing and make it match with mine. I just thought I’d share what works for me. I do a lot of reading in regards to healthy eating and lifestyle and I do find that my general view on healthy eating is supported by many of the leading fitness experts and nutritionists, so I can’t be TOO far off! 🙂
My next blog post will be about how I meal plan for our family. (I get asked that a lot too!) Stay tuned!
I love it! You’re right, everyones idea of “healthy” is different. I love that you don’t eat the low fat, low carb food! I am always taking recipes I find and alternating store bought, processed, hormone given products for the ‘real stuff’ that comes of the farm free of ‘drugs’ and unhealthy living conditions! That’s what I call healthy! I drink all the cream in our milk, eat all the raw butter we desire, eat as much warm bread as my heart desires and WORK hard!!! When you eat “real” food you find you aren’t nearly as hungry beaus your body is truly getting fed.. not just your taste buds! Now, I must say that since we’ve moved to KS I’ve put on some extra lbs but it’s not the food… its the lack of work! When I worked in pediatrics and parents would come in concerned about their children’s weight we ALWAYS told them, “focus on the exercise not a diet!” For the families that made the difference in activity the food choices soon followed. For those that tried the diets without the activity they failed to find success. Well, I know I’m leaving you an incredibly LONG comment. Just want to tell you, “way to go”!!
If you have readers that are interested in getting natural and organic food have them join us on the Facebook page and I’ll see if we can get a route in their area.Joe already knows I’ve got my eyes set on your part of the country just for a Sister to Sister visit! 🙂 http://www.facebook.com/azurestandard At Azure they make eating healthy affordable and delicious!! By the way, there’s an organic dark chocolate giveaway today!! Don’t miss it! Like Josiah says, “they make organic taste soooo yummy!”
With hugs from KS,
Mrs. Joseph Wood
thanks for our little add-in!!! i feel like Duma’s Meats is the closest you can come to organic without paying the price 🙂 thanks for your support!!!
Healthy food is different for every family. I try to choose as many organic vegetables as I can. We try to buy our meat locally (directly from the farmers when the market is open) and when we do buy at the grocery store i try to get hormone/antibiotic free when it is available. Generally we limit added sugars, bad fats and try not to over do it too much. Like you I am a fan of making things from scratch which really limits consumption as I don’t bake every day! I think balance is key, Your guidelines are great! Thanks for sharing!
I like the picture of Lila eating her corn on the cob. Looks as though she is really enjoying it. She is such a good little girl. Good advice, Clare but afraid I fall short of the mark. I do always try to serve lots of fruit and vegetables. Really enjoy your articles. Keep them coming. Love you.
Grandma: You aren’t allowed to change! That’s where I splurge–when I go to your house!!!
Love you!
Lol! We are so opposites…I’m a lite, low-fat, artificial sugar girl…so you are making me think…
I was surprised you don’t do lite yogurts?
Thanks for giving me something to “chew” on!!
Love ya,
Courtney
Thanks so much for this article. It is so refreshing to hear someone talk sensibly about eating right/heathily. Yes, it is different for everyone, but your approach is realistic, smart and doable. Balance and moderation are key. Keep these kinds of articles coming………….good stuff!
I’ve always found moderation to be the key in everything. We do mostly fruits, veggies, and meat. I do try and make most of our food from scratch. I love home baked bread. Our motto is the more natural the better. We garden every spring and summer. Eat lean cuts of meat. Every now and again we might splurge and get something not so good and yummy but it’s very rare. Processed food and dyes we don’t keep around. But like I said it really comes down to moderation. Thanks for the post. Love your insight.
AWESOME! Thanks, Claire! This would be exactly where I am with “healthy eating.” This is what I *try* to follow, too. (Although I do buy low-fat sour cream and part-skim ricotta for recipes.)
“Eat foods that remember where they came from” (the less processed the better!!)
And “make every bite count” (self-control) are two quotes that have stuck with me.
I am working on changing things around quite a bit in our home as far as this area..I have changed to many organic products..mostly everyday staples like meat, milk, eggs, and veggies when I can. Also I am working on limiting our high fructose corn syrup intake as well. I am loving the kashi crunchy granola bars in pumpkin flax! I stock up when they are on sale:) Also I buy bagged bread sometimes but I love to buy my bread right from the bakery. It doesnt last as long but i like knowing its fresh and not filled with preservatives:) It is definately more expensive to buy organic however I am working on offsetting that by not buying the “junk” foods that I used to buy which cost a lot of money (or I buy them deeply discounted if I need them for something). I sometimes buy light sourcream though:(…I tried the greek yogurt but couldnt handle the taste so I just get the 100 calorie packs..full of sugar probably but taste better!lol I dont ever go light on my coffee/cream..Im sure thats where all my fat and sugar comes from!
Love this, I go in cycles where I just don’t care, need to get through the grocery, and need to feed my family so I revert back to junk but when I’m on the ball I try to eat what God designed. I’m not on the wagon of eating fiber filled yogurt and lite ice cream. I try to stick to the brands, such as Breyer’s, where I can pronounce everything. Like you, I’m not always on point, but it’s a goal. My poor children run up and down the cereal aisle screaming out how many grams of sugar each serving has to see if they can get it :o)