Healthier Eating is a difficult start for families who have never been exposed to fruits and vegetables. Imagine growing up in a loving environment where everything is in a plastic bag. It’s not their fault, it’s all they know because it’s all they’ve been exposed to.

Eating healthier may also be a challenge for littles or grown-ups who are not used to eating the bitter flavor of vegetables and have a taste for sweet and salty.

But, for the better health of our family and ourselves, it’s worth giving vegetables at least 3 bites and 3 separate tries until we acquire the taste adjustment necessary to make a change.

Some experts say it takes as many as 20 tries to like a vegetable! Let’s at least try 3.

Another drawback is getting used to the texture of vegetables! Chewing slowly and thoroughly allows our palate to get used to the new food.

Don’t’ give up! Our health is worth the extra effort!

There is also a misunderstanding of what is good or what is real food. Myths abound!

The first myth is thinking ultra-processed products are food. The reality is packaged food is a sad comparison to the real thing.

Not only that, but it also has additives, preservatives, flavorings, and dyes that are known to make us sick. The original food is lost deep in the manufacturer’s pit.

However, when we begin to branch out and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, we learn to change our taste buds and the taste buds of our children.

Whole food, in its natural form comes to life in us and feeds us well. Giving us the energy and stamina to get through the day.

We’ll also find our kids, calmer, less hyperactive (without all the processed sugar and dyes) and more manageable.

The other myth is that “eating healthier is too expensive.”

When you and I measure our items and count the true cost we see that fake food is more expensive.

Take a look at this grocery comparison chart for some basic breakfast items to get an idea of what I mean:

I get it. Everything is expensive right now!

But even though this chart is from last year and eggs are much more expensive at this time, there is a way to calculate the true cost.

Ounce for ounce eating healthier is much cheaper and saves us money because we are not prone to every virus out there!

Staying healthy and not going to the doctor saves us money. We are saving money building our immune systems and the immune system of our children.

The next question is usually well what do we eat? Where do we start?

Start small!

Add some fruits and vegetables to your diet each week.

Buy some fun looking salad mixes and serve them with each meal.

Buy root vegetables and others (squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini, beets, Brussel sprouts, etc.) and roast them in the oven at 375 with olive oil, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper for 25 to 30 minutes.

Season cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, spinach, kale and others with your favorite spices, or just plain salt and butter and sauté until lightly cooked about 5 to 10 minutes. It’s delicious.

There are 12 ounce bags of frozen vegetables in the grocery store. Just empty them into a glass bowl with some salt and butter and microwave them for 3 minutes, stir and microwave one more minute.

Never cook the food in plastic, it leaches plastic particles into the food and damages our health.

Some people don’t trust microwaves, if you are one of those people, just place them in a skillet and cook over medium heat. Add salt and butter and cook covered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Thin sliced meats, like chicken tenders, salmon, cod fish, turkey patties, beef patties, cook 5 minutes each side and are done in 10 minutes.

Think healthy, simple, variety of color, and on the table in less than 30 minutes.

That is my go-to method for cooking family meals.

The average family, man, woman, and child needs approximately 0.8 to 1 gram of protein/lb. of body weight. But that varies with the resources we follow. The USDA Daily Recommended Amounts can be calculated here:
DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals | National Agricultural Library

Too much sugar is hard on our teeth, skin, hair, bones, brain, blood vessels, and liver.

We need all those organs to keep us up right and functioning. Our kids need those organs working well so they can learn and grow without being in the doctor’s office every week or picking up the latest virus!

Yep, our immune systems love much healthier food.

A Simple Healthier Eating Tool I Use from My 1st Coaching Program with Dr. Sears Wellness Insitute is Traffic Light Eating.
It looks like this:

Taking the time to learn about green go foods for better skin, less illness, better behavior, is a benefit for the entire family!

Learning that children need healthy, fiber rich carbohydrates like whole grains will help their tummies! They have smoother, easier bowel movements, feed their good gut bacteria, and get more nutrients!

Check out these recipes for fiber rich breakfast ideas for your family!

Raspberry Millet Breakfast Bars (You can substitute Oats for Millet)
Energy Boosting Breakfast Brownies
10 Sugar Free and Hearty Meals for Breakfast
Peanut Chocolate Chip Muffins
Sweet Potato and Pecan Pancakes

I Have So Many Ideas for Getting Started with Healthier Eating!
Here is a Shopping List:

The ground turkey can be split in half and used for two recipes:

1. Ground sausage: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp coriander or cumin, 1/4 cup avocado oil. Mix all the spices and oil well with the ground turkey and sauté until browned. Use it for omelets, scrambled eggs, or add 3 tbsp of flour and 2 cups of mild stirring often to make sausage gravy!
2. Use the other half of the ground turkey to make meatballs (you can easily freeze these for another meal for another day once they are baked) add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tbsl parsley flakes, roll into 1 inch balls and bake on a cookie sheet 20 minutes at 350.

How About Some EASY Fresh Baked Bread?

This is not your ordinary bread loaf!

It doesn’t have cancer causing bromide or other preservatives (less than 2% per package labels) or bleached flour that is in white bread and lasts years on the shelf!

Nope! This bread is fresh and delicious and will MOLD in 2-3 days AS IT SHOULD, if it’s not eaten right away.

I will usually wait until it’s cool, slice it and freeze any leftovers for the family to eat later in the week for toast or thawed 30 seconds in the microwave for a grilled cheese or grilled sandwich.

Easy No Knead Bread Recipe and Video is here!

Make your own tortillas! You can have the entire family join you for the fun!

Once cooled, they store easy in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

My favorite tortilla recipes are here!

Don’t let the process intimidate you, once you begin to make your own and let the kids help, you’ll have fun and love them so much no other tortillas will compare!

If you need classes in your community and want me to come and help, I will!