However, I decided to not be one of those annoying people that posts 23 things you need to do or buy today to eat better. That is too overwhelming for most and usually not helpful. I'm not going to ask you to all the sudden stop buying prepackaged foods that have High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oils because that turns most people off right away. Cooking well and using natural foods is a process. A process that takes time and is a journey. It has taken me about 8 months to get to where we are with cooking with natural foods and we have a long way to go! Most people are good to start with small changes, introducing a few new things all at once. When you do that, your changes usually stick. That is what my journey has been and continues to be. I hope you follow along with me on that journey:)
My goal through this series is to offer REAL, EASY suggestions on simple changes to make. Again, overloading most people with long lists of what to buy just turns people off...usually:)
So, once or twice a week for the next couple weeks I'm going to do a series of posts titled, "A Simple Change: one ingredient at a time". I think most people who have a million things going on (like I do) will find this a little more helpful. I'll suggest about one (maybe two) ingredients a week to substitute into your cooking for a healthy, all natural lifestyle. No, this isn't about losing weight. It's just about making sure we know what kinds of things are in the food we eat. Trust me, it can be overwhelming at first and I'm constantly learning and not the best example of a healthier eater. But with small changes here and there, we all can hopefully notice more of what we put into our food.
The first cooking ingredient that is relatively easy to change is your flour.
We buy organic whole wheat flour that is unbleached, and not enriched. Now, a lot of those elements are important. I'm guessing that if you are reading this post you know how bad ingredients are for you that are enriched, bleached, or contain any hydrogenated oils. Whole wheat flour is also higher in fiber, vitamin E, some B vitamins and trace minerals, and protein than enriched white flour. Because of the presence of bran, which reduces gluten development, baked goods made from whole wheat flour are naturally heavier and denser than those made with white flour .
I'm here to tell you that once you switch, you'll never go back. It might sound silly but whole wheat flour tastes better too. Plus, you aren't putting all those extra chemicals into your body that white, bleached, enriched flour has. Now, if I went into why all those bad things in some flours are bad for you, this post would be 10 pages long. So, I encourage people to do their own research. Talk to a nutritionist maybe. Many popular webpages have basic info that helps also, for example, oprah.com has helpful tips from Dr. Oz on these subjects. Here is a link that may help you out: http://www.oprah.com/article/health/wellnessandprevention/pkgyourhealth/20081113_tows_checklist/2
I attached a picture of a kind of flour that we use. We buy our flour from a couple different places depending on where we shop that week but this kind is actually available at most grocery stores. Now, you may have to prepare yourself if you are always looking for the cheapest groceries. This kind is more expensive than other kinds. But, can you put a price on trying to eat healthier:) Okay, I think I've talked long enough about that. I could keep going but I don't think most want a 4 page post.
Like I said, we've made several small changes in what we buy for cooking. We do eat out a few times a week and cook with some "bad" ingredients still. But, learning to cook healthier is a process. It isn't about how much you weigh (I should know, I don't really care to lose those couple baby pounds that are sticking around:). It's about what you cook with and how that makes you healthier. I hope to share these changes we've made with you in this series. Have a wonderful rest the day!
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