How to Eat Healthy One Change at a Time

If you asked most people if they need to eat better, I’m sure most would answer yes. The biggest problems with eating healthy seem to be time, money, and knowledge. So, is healthy eating really that time consuming, expensive, and hard?  The answer is no, and you can make changes today to become a healthier person and family.

First off, I would recommend starting with fats, sweeteners, and grains.  In a nutshell (hehe), you should be using heart healthy fats like real butter, olive oil, or coconut oil. Some claim the benefits of tallow and lard, but I personally don’t use those.  For sweeteners, think maple syrup, raw honey, raw sugar, and stevia.  Grains should be whole grain like whole wheat flour versus white, old-fashioned oats, brown rice instead of white rice, and whole grain pastas.

There is a huge debate over whether you should eat gluten, but basically if gluten bothers you, then remove it. If it doesn’t, then don’t worry about it. Gluten is NOT an evil food; however, some people are more sensitive to it.

As you add in healthy fats, sweeteners, and grains, be sure to remove all the bad ones from your home. Read labels as they like to hide in strange foods.  For example, hydrogenated oils sneak into hot cocoa and microwave popcorn.

After this, take a look at your vegetables and fruits. Are you getting them in processed form or fresh or frozen? Instead of buying prepackaged French fries (which have all kinds of odd ingredients), buy a 10-pound bag of potatoes and make your own. Pan fry, air fry, or oven fry in olive oil, and you have a delicious, healthy, cheap alternative.  It might take 5 minutes longer, but it’s definitely worth it.

Next comes meat.  What I look for in meat is lack of preservatives, nitrates, and artificial colors. It’s wonderful to buy organic, but where we live the difference in cost is outrageous.  We try to offset this by hunting and putting up our own free/cheap wild organic meat whenever possible.  We also switch out turkey bacon for pork as we personally don’t eat pork products. 

It is very popular to buy items like chicken nuggets, fish patties, and premade breakfast sandwiches, but not only are they loaded with undesirable additives, they’re also outrageously expensive for what you’re getting.  My recommendation is to get an air fryer and buy chicken breast on sale, slice and bread your own, fry and freeze.  The same goes for breakfast.  Make up multiple batches of homemade biscuits, sausage, etc. and wrap your sandwiches and freeze. Then just pull them out and warm them up for your meals.

Be sure and don’t forget to switch out healthy snacks and drinks. For drinks try water, kombucha, herbal teas, or sweet tea sweetened with stevia. For snacks, eat raw nuts, air popped popcorn, homemade muffins, or fruit.  Yes, there is an adjustment period, but after a while, you’ll realize your tastebuds have changed.

Remember it’s wise to do this in steps to help your family and you acclimate more easily.  Try replacing foods you currently eat with a healthier homemade option. Add a few changes each week.  Slowly weed out the bad and replace it with the good!  You’ll be so happy you did!

Jenny is a wife to her amazing husband of 17 years and stay-at-home momma to 4 kids. She blogs at https://www.inconvenientfamily.com where she is learning that blessings aren’t always convenient.