Time for a Change - So Many Choices

Here are a few ideas you might like to consider before giving up on making some changes to a more wholesome diet and lifestyle for health reasons.  Time for a return to a simpler lifestyle ...

As stated elsewhere, I am not a purist, but try and change some of our lifetime of habits when it comes to our food choices as we become more aware – for our health's sake. They are all pretty simple Lifestyle changes and are based on our family allergies and health related concerns :

#1 – Worst First - Packet Soups, Seasonings, etc.

These are loaded with additives, preservatives, salt and sugar and they just have to go!

#2 – Tinned Produce

Try and reduce the purchase of tinned food especially :

• Soups – all brands. We eliminated these completely.
• Tinned Tuna. Eliminate as much as possible due to high mercury in the tuna and BPA. This is especially true for pregnant and nursing mums.
• Tomatoes (are acidic and there is concern over Bisphenol-A leaching into tomatoes). Ditto for some beans and other tinned vegetables.

# 3 - Salad Dressings and sauces

A look at some of the ingredients from a variety of the above : glucose, fructose, molasses, salt, caramel (colouring), natural flavour, corn syrup, citric acid, acidity corrector E575, alcohol, sodium benzoate, caramel colour, artificial flavour, potassium sorbate, calcium disodium EDTA, sulphites, propylene glycol alginate, seasonings, colorant, xanthum gum, polysorbate 80, and more salt and sulphites! Not that they are all harmful but . . . .

So many chemicals and preservatives, flavour enhancers and additives we don't need, but the producer / manufacturer does. Plus most dressings are sold in plastic containers – glass containers are always preferred.

#4 – Say No to White foodstuffs

This was a suggestion from our family doctor many years ago and we are very grateful. Eliminate the following from your diet as much as possible ~ all the white food stuff such as :

• Sugars
• Flours
• Pasta & white rice

These are all over processed and have little or no nutritional value and over the years, books have been written outlining the “evils” of these products.

#5 – Go Organic with fresh produce

We made a list of what we eat daily, and buy organic if it falls into the “most susceptible to chemicals” range. Poor vegetables are sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fungicides that often are absorbed into the fruit or vegetables. Washing and peeling is still a good thing to do before eating. The abundance of chemicals in our food has been linked to cancers, ADHT, infertility, obesity, diabetes and other diseases. Fresh organic produce we grow / buy as much as possible are:

• Vegetables : Tomatoes, spinach, celery, lettuce, greens
• Fruit : Apples, grapes, all berry fruits
• Eggs (from non caged hens)

A note about tomatoes

We love them! Fresh, stewed, baked, salsa'd, canned and sauced – just about any way they can be prepared!  We are still eating our home canned Dad's Favourite Tomatoes a decade + later.

Alternatives to ALL the above

Home canning is my preferred method of preserving but requires special equipment (pressure canner and jars, etc) . Yes, it takes time but the rewards are incredible such as opening a can (glass jar really) of organic beets and tomatoes which tasted as good as the day they were canned (eight months ago).

Secondly, we also use our freezer for surplus fruit and vegetables. Tomatoes are easy to freeze and taste great when thawed in soups, stews, chilli, sauces, etc. Defrosted fruit makes delightful smoothies and can be used for desserts, baking, etc.

Hopefully there will be one or two suggestions in this article, you may wish to try. Check out the links below. Good luck  for positive changes in your life!  Cheers ~ Liz

I don't pretend to understand the Universe - it's a great deal bigger than I am.

Thomas Carlyle

Partial Update Fall, 2019

Links & References:

• The Low Carb Lifestyle with many beneficial healthy-choice links (June 2019)
• Many Reasons to Start a Vegetable Garden in 2019 (CaP) and enjoy the taste and goodness of home grown fresh fruit and vegetables
• See EWG 2019 list of pesticide residuals in fruit & vegetables 
• Make your own tasty homemade soups – these are very nutritious & delicious (CaP 2018)
• The Unintended Consequences of Using Glyphosate (2016)
• Preserve your own food (buy organic produce from farmers markets or direct from a certified organic grower) or go fishing (2011)
• Read the food labels to ensure there really are “no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives”. (2011)
• Make your own seasonings from dried spices (2010) Homemade Seasonings
• Extra Notes deleted

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During a recent discussion (in 2010) a young mum asked me if I heard the statement that our children will be the “first generation that will not survive their parents.” I had not heard that before but believe this is what she is referring to in this article see Changed Paradigm Alberta Government "Action on Wellness" December 2010.  (Link no longer available: August, 2013)

Their conclusion : We are responsible - Not just the government’s responsibility

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism
(Modern Day Sayings)