Healthy Eating with the Kids

Our family has decided to change the way we eat, after conducting research on America’s food safety and food supply chain. I came to the conclusion that many of the food products I was feeding my kids were full of additives. I do read labels but more for the sugar and fat content. Both my kids are “active” and the less sugar the better. After watching a series of documentaries pertaining to both to a plant based diet and the treatment of the animals we eat, I decided to go for a plant based diet. I vowed to be a better consumer and read the ingredients lists and buy only things with natural ingredients. I mean no high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated soy bean oil as well as other ingredients based on genetically altered corn and soy bean crops. In addition to avoiding mass produced meat and poultry products.  

Upon this realization I ran to the pantry and read the labels of every single food item we have and I had no idea how m any extras were in almost all our food, from canned beans to bread. I have now switched to dried beans and I’m making my own bread.  Canned beans take a total of 10 minutes to prepare while dried beans take 6 hours for the quick method. Store bought bread takes no time to prepare.  Not only are we faced with changing the type of food we eat we are also changing the way in which we prepare the food.

More cooking is not the problem, it’s the planning. Before I switched to a whole food diet, at about three in the afternoon I would start thinking about dinner. Now I have to plan at least a day ahead, it is a great exercise in planning and organization. I feel better after a meal that I made with whole foods and the family feels better as well. No hyper children, no tummy aches and best of all excellent nutrition.

Nutrition is the bottom line; we live in a state where one in three children will end up with diabetes. Additionally, we have the highest rate of childhood obesity. It is for the health of my family that I wanted to make this change. If eating a whole foods diet becomes normal to them, I believe we will have the won the battle!