Friday, June 28, 2013

Health Consciousness-10 changes I am making

Becoming a mom and being on maternity leave have both given me a renewed focus to be as healthy as possible.  For the past years I've increasingly eaten less processed foods and foods with added sugar especially those with corn syrup or artificial sweeteners and I've bought organic fruits, veggies, dairy and meat when possible.  With more time to cook from scratch and more time to read, I've been learning about new ways I can improve further in the quest for health, however I've also learned that you can totally stress out to try to get it all right and there is a lot of conflicting info on every single detail of what is "healthy" or "safe."  So I've decided I'm going to feel great about focusing on a set of healthy changes, these are the 10 I am currently working on:
1.  Buying in season fruits and veggies and local meat from the Farmers Market and supplementing the rest of what we need at the grocery.  These were 2 dinners from our trip last Sunday: 
Lamb Chops, Polenta, and Turnips/Squash/Spring Onion saute

Pork Chops, Rosemary Potatoes, and Pea/Turnip/Spring Onion Saute
2.  Adding healthy fats from Chia seed in daily.  Can drink mixed in water or add to smoothies and baking.
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/eating-chia-seeds/story?id=18296119#.UZUR_8pIFEM
"They're [Chia] the absolute best source of omega three fats on the market, hands down, when you consider the ratio of omega three to omega six.": 
I made this smoothie this week with a Tablespoon of Chia and Hemp:
http://joythebaker.com/2013/01/spinach-kiwi-chia-seed-smoothie/
3.  Reading ingredient labels, buying products that have fewer preservatives and artificial colors in addition to added sugars
4.  Making dressings and sauces such as barbeque from scratch.  These are super easy to make in a food processor with simple ingredients like oil, vinegar, garlic, spices and lemon.
5.  Making baby food from scratch in a food processor as well.  Saves money and allows baby to eat what we eat.
6.  Choosing nitrate free lunch meat.
7.  Aware of food packaging.  Using more glass (vs. plastic) for at home storage.  Buying less canned food unless I know its BPA free, such as beans in bags and some soups come in a carton now.
8.  Buying Plain yogurt vs. sweetened yogurt.  In addition to less sugar it's also more versatile because you can also use as sour cream, to make tuna salad and in baking so it's more cost effective to buy a large amount rather than individual containers.
9.  Baking with honey and maple syrup rather than white sugar when possible.  I'm also trying Virgin Coconut Oil rather than Vegetable and Canola Oil in baking.
10.  More aware what is in products beyond food, such as sunscreen:
http://foodbabe.com/2013/05/05/what-you-need-to-know-before-you-ever-buy-sunscreen-again/
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/

What are some of the health choices you are focusing on?

1 comment:

  1. great post! my husband and I are trying to make healthier food choices, especially since our son will be introduced to foods in a few month. It's great to read about other families doing the same, and even getting ideas.
    One thing I'm starting to do is I prep fruits and veggies for eating right after I get home from the store. I cut, peel, and have them all ready to grab and go.

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