This being National Health Month I thought I would tell our story on how we are now living healthier. Around 13 years ago I started on a health kick. My family was having some health issues and I felt we were always at the doctor for some reason. I started researching and studying about health and nutrition and realized how the two were related and very important. You would think it would be obvious, but with everything that is advertised out there it is very difficult to know what is actually healthy and good for you, or what is not. Since then I have changed my shopping and cooking habits. I try and stay away from a lot of processed foods. (There are times I am better at this than others.) I also use purified water, and have changed all my cleaning products to safe, non-toxic cleaners. I didn’t do it all at once, I changed a little at a time over a couple of years. We also started taking high-quality nutritional supplements that are all natural, back with clinical proof. Since then I have not had to take the children to the doctor for any sick visits. We have been to the emergency room several times for injuries, but with 12 children and 7 of them boys things are bound to happen. I am not saying my children never get sick, we just get sick a lot less often and I am able to help them get better through nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.
During this series I am going to be sharing my tips on how we stay healthy.
Today I am going to give you my some of my shopping tips.
When it comes to healthier nutrition for my family it starts with what I buy while shopping at the grocery store.
Shopping could be a very challenging task. The best way to start is by shopping the square, which means shopping around the perimeter of the store. The freshest foods are here; meats, produce, dairy, and the bakery. The isles have the less healthy food choices and are mostly processed.
I spend a lot of time in the produce department and often fill one cart with just produce. Except during the summer because we grow a lot of fruits and vegetables in our garden. You could see about our garden here. Produce should be bright and colorful, the darker the color and the larger variety, the more nutrients.
While shopping the isles, I spend a lot of time reading labels.
Make sure you subscribe below now to get the rest of the posts in this series. I will be covering several other tips to better health.
If you have any questions or comments please click on the comment link below and leave it there.
How do I shop? With two kids under the age of two - very quickly!
Now that I have older children I try not to shop with the children. It is so much easier, but I remember those days, I would go with 6 at a time often.
I plan before I go. We have changed a lot of the things we do over time and it's very similar to what you do. My husband was diagnosed with type2 diabetes a few years ago and we have found that the less processed stuff is the best way to control his sugar. Even things that are labeled sugar-free or diabetic friendly will raise his levels. So I read a lot of labels. I'm not crazy about Splenda but I do use it when I make a dessert and that is not often. He has sugar readings now that are the same as a non diabetic. And it all began with eating more homemade and less processed food. I'm looking forward to reading more of what your family does.
You will read in one of my post about Stevia. Have you ever tried that?
I have tried stevia and have yet to master that in baking desserts. Not that we eat a lot of desserts. But I do use it in coffee. We drink mostly water and occassionally juice. I have the Stevia cookbook and I love Sue Gregg's cookbooks. Have you seen her books? I just made her two-step process whole grain bread and my new post is on that. It's wonderful bread and my husband loves it. I have found that he (being type 2) can eat most of what he wants as long as it's homemade, from scratch and not processed, pre-packaged. And BTW, I do love yor site. Thanks for sharing.
I will have to check out Sue Gregg's cookbooks. I have not seen them. I am off to check out your bread recipe. We have been wanting to get back into the bread making. I am hoping to get my daughter to want to make it. I will have to start her out.