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Real food. Whole food. Clean eating. However you prefer to label it, here’s how our family set out to eat healthier, unprocessed and unrefined foods.
Eating “healthy” is quite subjective.
There are many different diets out there claiming to be healthy; yet, many are quite extreme and unbalanced. As times change and new research is done, I’m sure the recommended types and portions of foods will continue to change.
If you had asked me at any point in my life whether I ate healthy, I would have always said “yes.” However, I considered balancing a Pop-Tart craving with a handful of fruit-flavored snacks “healthy.” (Everything in moderation?)
One of my goals on this site is to be a gracious learner about healthy eating, while encouraging others to avoid judgement as they pursue the right eating habits for themselves. No matter where you’re at, we all have something to learn!
How It Started For Us
Like most people, we’ve attempted to eat healthier in the past.
When our first son was born, reality hit hard that we should set an example for him to enjoy healthy foods that would benefit his developing body and mind. We wanted our son to be able to eat anything we were eating, and not feel bad about it.
So, we ditched cold cereal and opted for oatmeal. We refused to buy any more Pop Tarts, Velveeta mac ‘n cheese, or fruit snacks (well, sometimes!).
But we didn’t really consider indulging in desserts to be a problem…after all, homemade treats are still far healthier than store bought, right?! Even though we cut back a little on how many sweets we ate, we were still severely addicted to sugar.
Fast forward a few years, and our kitchen was once again stocked with convenient cold cereals (this time more Cheerios and Special K instead of Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs), storebought snacks galore, cake and pancake mixes, and boxed frozen meals. We ordered pizza weekly and consumed an average of one veggie a day. I rarely served a dinner without a dessert!
Worst of all, we thought we ate pretty well.
While our eating habits could have been worse, they obviously could have been a lot better. We knew we were not treating our bodies the best, but we didn’t care.
What Made Us Care
A simple health check was all it took.
In 2016, my husband had blood work done for an insurance application, and the results didn’t look good. His bad cholesterol was high instead of low, his good cholesterol was low instead of high…the results weren’t life threatening, but it was still enough of a wake-up call to make him think about his health and how eating poorly could effect our whole family.
We also knew we weren’t getting any younger (surprising, I know!) and we wanted to invest in our family’s health for the long term. The test results were the push we needed to take action.
We have several friends who’ve been eating a healthy, whole foods lifestyle for years, and they encouraged us to consider the same. After some discussion, we were convinced we needed to make the change and began researching and meal planning immediately!
Ironically, after years of making comments to my husband about cutting back on the granola bars and cookies he devours, HE was the one to propose a healthier eating plan for our family. He jumped right into helping me create a menu, shop for groceries, and even prepare the food! (Am I a lucky lady or what?!)
Our Eating Plan (and Goals)
We are using The Daniel Plan and cookbook as a guideline for what to eat (and what not to eat). The Daniel Plan emphasizes a healthy lifestyle in the area of food as well as four other areas: faith, fitness, focus, and friends.
The Daniel Plan focuses on eating lots of fresh, whole foods (including meats, dairy and produce) while limiting highly processed and refined foods (like white flour and sugar).
Both the book and cookbook are incredible resources for understanding where food comes from and how it affects your body. Even if you don’t want to give your eating habits a complete overhaul, these books are straightforward and provide valuable information to begin making small (yet effective) changes to better your health.
Our personal goals are:
- To enjoy a variety of delicious and healthy meals (on a budget).
- To prioritize eating fresh produce, especially more vegetables!
- To avoid all foods with the worst ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and trans fats (among others).
- To limit sugary desserts — even homemade!
- To work as a family on meal planning, shopping, and cooking.
- NOT to lose weight, but to maintain a healthy weight and metabolism.
Want to Follow My Journey?
If you’re considering making healthier eating choices, or want to learn with me on this journey, please let me know!
Sign up below to get exclusive recipes and tips on eating REAL food (without spending a fortune!). You’ll also get a free gift from me—my e-book of 10 Guilt-Free Treats (deliciously sweet desserts without refined sugar…or regret).
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