How “into” real food are you? (how long have you been doing it, how many different foods do you make from scratch, etc.)
November, so only about 8 months. So I still consider us in the transitioning phase. Though I do have to say unless something drastic occurs with hubby we will be transitioning for a long time to come.
Right now I am doing our yogurt, granola and lara “bars”, stock and growing much of our produce. I also recently just began canning, only using the water bath method so far. We’ve also had chickens for eggs since March 2011 and have now gone from two to 10. I also just started doing water kefir to replace soda.
What is one food you just can’t make yourself? (even if you’ve tried a lot…!)
I’d have to say sandwich bread or rolls and pizza dough. Anything with yeast or that involves rising I have never had much luck with. And it now being summer I am not keen to be using the oven that much right now anyway.
Oh and mayo, I have yet to find one that the whole family likes.
How much of what your family eats is *really* homemade? (vs. storebought, restaurants, etc.)
I have mostly eliminated our processed foods, rather than replacing them. I am very conscientious about the ingredients in the things I do still buy. Those items with few ingredients and REAL foods in them. In all I am buying probably a quarter of what I used to in store bought foods.
We eat out maybe once a week, whether that is in a restaurant or bringing something home. I do push our family to at least go to somewhere that is not a load of empty foods. And refuse to go to the major fast food chains – honestly that stuff makes me feel sick anyway.
What is one junk food or processed food your family still eats?
We don’t live in an area where I can buy raw milk or grass feed beef straight from the source, so we are left with the very expensive stuff at the store to choose from. Which is not in the budget to buy, so I am trying to focus on other protein sources. But we do still buy cheeses, milk and some meats.
My family would be so devastated without our white flour and lard, uncooked tortillas. And I do indulge in the occasional sea salted chocolate bar. I am trying to kick the horrible soda habit I have.
My husband isn’t totally on board and sometimes thinks I’m a “nutter”, so he still comes home with things I’d rather not have in the house and therefore available to the family. So I am only pushing it far enough that there is peace between us.
What is the worst thing your family’s eaten in the last few months? Why?
Cookies, soda, fries – mostly stuff I didn’t buy, but if it’s in the house I can only hold out for so long. Oh and pizza – we have lots of times that teenagers are over because of my husband’s job.
Why? Honestly, to keep a happy marriage. I’d go all the way to real foods if it were just the kids and me. But food is a touchy issue for my husband and he doesn’t like “experimenting.” He’s not the typical eat whatever is put in front of him kind of man.
What’s one area where you won’t compromise, no matter why?
” Snacks” and pre-meal foods (cause the kids are ALWAYS hungry right before dinner) MUST have high nutritional value. So that if they do fill up on those it is not that their bellies are full of crackers or chips, but nuts, fruits and veggies.
And if a “treat” is to be had an appropriate amount of healthy food must be eaten.
What’s your best tip for eating real food in the real world?
Elimination. There are TONS of things you can simply go without. For those you can’t; start transitioning to to the better choice – not necessarily the best – but the better one. Then continue taking steps in the better direction.
Continue to educate yourself. We can read or watch something and get energized, have that “mountain top experience”, but that quickly fades. If I continue to read, it keeps the realities of what food can do for our health and how some can be detrimental, fresh in my mind.
And remember, relationships are ultimately more important than food. Fill your family up on good food and good drink before allowing influence of the ”junk food”. If you can make them aware of the transitions you are making and WHY then hopefully they will respect and support what you are trying to do, even if they are not themselves.
Have you ever struggled in transitioning to real food because your husband wasn’t (fully) on board?
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TESTING!
My husband thinks I am a little wacky too! I have found that baby steps are the key. Some things he is happy to do- he is excited that I want to try canning this month, his mom always did (mine did not and so I am experimenting and a little nervous!). I found a farmer from Iowa who makes frozen delivery to our area of grassfed beef, organically handled chicken and pork, and limited distribution of wild salmon and shrimp, and while the cost is higher (not much!) than local supermarket meats, hubby is on board after the “pink slime” reports that were very public last winter. I have always bought produce at farmers markets, but in the Chicago area the window is limited; off season Meijers offers organic produce and we are blessed to have a Trader Joes that is close and offers many organics. As we would run out of a processed, non-organic food, I would replace with a healthier real food. I don’t mess with his coffee
He was born and raised on Hills Brothers and would definitely rebel if I tried to change that! For sodas, we have drastically reduced how much is consumed, and what we stock is all made with sugar, not HFCS. Hubby likes his Diet Coke, but has been actually making the gradual switch to water with fresh lemon or lime, and my 12-year-old has also adopted the same switch; they actually did this one on their own!! My next baby step: I found a vendor who does cow shares for raw milk. This is a big one, hubby is not convinced that raw milk is healthy, and it is expensive. Wish me luck…
Yes, this is totally our household. Hubby is not fully on board, our budget (and the fact that we move a ton) doesn’t allow for certain luxuries other people get. So we do our best. But, 4 years ago when I had my oldest daughter, we ate a highly processed food lifestyle. Ramen noodles, hamburger helper, freezer pizzas, diet soda, etc all played huge roles in our household. We ate out at least 2-3 times a week, lots of fast food lunches, etc…
So I feel good about the slow transition we are making. I know that if I keep at it slowly, we will eventually get there and I’m ok with that. We now typically eat out about twice a month. If we do fast food, it’s at a place that does not use preservatives or artificial junk. I buy very little boxed and I’ve gotten my husband to finally drink soda sweetened with sugar instead of diet. He is getting more and more open every day to new things. I’m very happy with the progress and will just keep changing things slowly. It helps to know your partner and know what’s important to them. Marriage is far more important than food.
Yep hubby is like that now. The first thing I changed was salt, and boy that was a huge hurdle to cross over! Next was coconut oil, but so far that nasty bottle of veg oil we still have hasn’t come out of the cupboard! He’s getting better, but there are a lot of things he still consumes that I don’t. I do influence the kids though. And he’s okay with that.
We spend most of our grocery money at the “health food store” and less at Walmart, Kroger, etc. He gets nervous about this and is trying to trust me with all this “real food” stuff. But it’s not for him right now. I figure in time maybe he’ll come around more. I’m thankful that he’s okay with me and the kids changing our eating lifestyle, even though he’s not on board himself.
Lucky me, I have a husband who tries to be supportive. When I first met him I was on a health kick and had lost alot of weight. I have since gained it back and I know that it is due to the processed foods. In the begining, I was learning to cook real food. Sometimes it turned out really bad. He would just smile and say “please do not make this again” We got married and the kids came along and I went back to the old standards that I had grew up with. It was good tasting food, but not so good for us. We are on a journey back to good health. It is a process to learn how to cook and prepare great tasting healthy food. It is something that I did not grow up with. It was a bit easier when I was single and had time to think about it. The kids make it hard. They are always hungry and want to eat. I have been teaching them how to make good choices. It is alot easier to make good choices if the choices are only better or best. If the junk food is not around you are less likely to eat it. I am working towards a better life. It is a struggle but worth it I love to hear that others are struggling to find a way to incorperate real food into real live situations also. It is nice to know that I am not alone Thank you for the inspiration to keep going at it.
You can read a bit about my jouney at http://mkeckblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-has-happened-to-real-food.html. also at http://www.lifelesshurried.com/2012/05/getting-real-food-into-your-everyday.html and at http://www.lifelesshurried.com/2012/07/we-cant-afford-to-eat-healthy.html
I am so thankful to have a husband who fully supports me in all of my healthy food endeavors! I can’t understand why so many men are averse to changing what they eat. I also think it’s highly inappropriate for your husband to call you a “nutter”. Spouses should be encouraging and positive as much as possible.
Thanks for the support! It is in jest and love. He does recognize I am working on helping our family to be healthier, he just hasn’t read and seen all I have. Sadly, sometimes they have to come to it on their own. I don’t get it either!