Hold the white sugar, please!

Cutting back on our white sugar intake has been one of the most rewarding aspects of our new, whole food, diet. There are so many reasons to lay off the processed sweeteners: it greatly reduces overall calorie intake, it lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it improves dental health, and simply because they ARE processed. Aside from the tangible health benefits, we feel better. One beverage made with an average amount of white sugar and I'm ready to ralph.

I'll start by sharing a few facts about sugar. Did you know that much of the sugar found in processed foods is actually beet sugar? Along that vein, most beets are genetically modified to be 'Round-Up ready'. If you're working to eliminate GMOs in your diet, processed sugar is one ingredient that you must avoid. Even cane sugar is highly processed and doesn't meet nutritional needs other than calories from carbohydrates. High fructose corn syrup, despite really not being quite as evil as it's been made out to be in recent years, it is HIGHLY processed and corn is a highly genetically modified crop. Ergo, we don't use it.

You don't have to cut out sweets all together when you stop eating the sugar we all grew up with. There are many alternatives to sweeten your food and beverage without using cane or beet sugar.

• Raw honey
• Maple syrup (but only the real stuff)
• Molasses
• Stevia (though you've got to watch stevia based sweeteners for 'icky' ingredients)
• Fruit

Raw honey, though calorie rich, provides many health benefits as well as a sweet treat. Molasses is rich in iron. Stevia, though more processed than I care to use regularly, is a great alternative to more questionable low-calorie sweeteners for diabetics or people looking to cut calories from sugars. Fruit is an obvious choice, as it's obviously naturally made and provides more nutrients than you're average sweetener.

There are so many ways to use less processed sweeteners if you're willing to get just a little creative. Honey and molasses are great for baking, but stevia is not very effective in that department. Maple syrup is wonderful for far more than pancakes and waffles. You can use it to sweeten yogurt or oatmeal. Use fruit frozen in ice cubes to sweeten cold drinks, or even pureed fruit in baked goods or yogurt.

You can even grow and process the stevia plant at home, which is very appealing to do-it-yourselfers like me. Maple syrup, in the right climate and with the presence of sugar maples, can also be tapped and processed by relative beginners without much expense or effort. If you cared to keep bees, you could have your very own buzzy honey-makers right there in your back yard. Knowing precisely how your food is processed because you've processed it yourself is a great way to make sure that you know exactly what is going into what you eat, and in my most humble of opinions, it feels good to be able to provide my own food.

P.S., Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Sometimes, life really gets in the way, you know?

Handiest kitchen tools for making whole foods work for your household

Making the leap to becoming a whole food household can be a daunting task. If you have a crowd to please, like I do, it becomes even more difficult. However, there are a few kitchen tools that can make the transition a little easier. Here's my list of life-savers.

1. A full set of sauce pans and skillets with lids: We use a LOT more dishes around here when we don't eat from freezer to microwave. I'd regularly be washing dishes while trying to cook if I didn't have a whole set.

2. A sharp, high quality knife: You don't necessarily need an entire set of very expensive knives in your kitchen, but having one for those jobs that require a tougher or more precise utensil will make your life a little easier. Mine is the utility knife from the Pampered Chef's cutlery line. I love it because it was relatively affordable, works fabulously, and has a life-time warranty.

3. A sturdy grater: Store bought shredded cheese has additives to keep it from getting too moist and clumping. Block cheese does not. Grating your own cheese is difficult with a plastic framed grater. It's worth the extra $5 or so to spring for one that is all metal and far more heavy duty. It just might keep you from  grating your knuckles as well.

4. Glass storage bowls: These are great for storing and heating leftovers without the possible harmful chemicals released by heating plastic. They also work well for bagged lunches, because it's highly unlikely that you'll find a healthy, whole food meal in the vending machine at work.

5. A sturdy stand mixer: I know a high quality stand mixer can be a big investment, but if you're planning on baking from scratch regularly, it's totally worth it. I find myself a lot more likely to tackle a batch of cookies, quick bread, or homemade whipped cream with my Kitchen-Aid on my side. Plus, Kitchen-Aid makes many attachments that can transform your mixer into many specialized kitchen appliances.

6. Pampered Chef's Kitchen Spritzer: Avoid aerosol cooking sprays but keep the simplicity of them. Fill this gadget with healthy liquid cooking oil and pump it to spray. I find I use a lot less oil that way. There may be similar items on the market, but I've never found one.

7. Coffee grinder: Organic, fair-trade coffee is tough to find pre-ground. If you're a coffee connoisseur, it's definitely worth having one around. It really opens up your options as far as the brands and types of java you can buy.

8.  A microwave chip maker: If you have a chip fanatic in the house, you may want to consider investing in one of these. You simply throw thinly sliced potatoes on without overlapping them, season to taste, and pop them in the microwave, no oil necessary. It helps keep more processed snacks out of the house. You can even use other veggies like sweet potatoes and radishes. I found mine at, you guessed it, The Pampered Chef.

What kitchen implement do you use to make preparing real foods easier? What task in real food cooking do you wish was easier or faster? Maybe we can help each other find solutions to our whole food hang-ups.

P.S., below you'll see pictures of my microwave chip maker and one of my glass storage containers (please ignore the leftover steel cut oats inside it)

Resolve to eat real food..not for a month, but for life.

It is time to make a change in our household. It is no huge revelation that we (we being my three children ages 7, 4, and 3, my husband, and myself) aren't eating the best possible diet. Toaster pastries, frozen chicken nuggets, potato chips, and diet soda are commonly found in our fridge or pantry.

Are foods like that present in your kitchen? If so, go pull a few out and check out the labels. What did you see? Were you able to recognize all the ingredients? Probably not (unless of course you are a chemist).

The human body isn't made to process artificial dyes, flavors, and sweeteners. Sure, being omnivores, we muddle through okay. Food goes in and goes out and we still seem relatively unscathed for all the junk we typically consume. We are all still standing. We all feel okay.

I for one am tired of feeling okay, though. Regular fatigue, headaches, joint and muscle pain are everyday occurrences. That's okay, right? I trudge through. It's not like I'm dying or something.

But it's really NOT okay! I want to feel good. I want to feel healthy and vital and energetic. I want my kids to have the oomph to do well in school and at play. I don't want them to make the food choices we are making right now when they are adults.

And so a plan has been hatched.

What is our plan, you ask?

The first phase was research and development. I pulled out some of the more questionable items in the fridge and pantry. I checked for weird, chemical-y sounding names among the ingredients and I Googled until I had a better idea of what I was actually feeding my family. The results of my search were surprising at best and nauseating at worst.

For example, I found TBHQ in the list of ingredients on the microwave popcorn box, and had no idea what it was. It turns out it is a form of butane, as in butane lighter. Yikes! I won't even get in to the great aspartame debate; I'll simply say I decided I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Much of the food on supermarket shelves seems to contain ingredients that are non-nutritive, non-natural, or altered in some way. I don't know what you all think of that, but it makes me nervous. Though the FDA stands by these products, I've decided that they aren't the right choice for my family.

That decision made, it's time to execute a plan to phase out store bought processed, non-organic food. That means no more convenience foods, no more store bought baked goods, no more tubes of meat. It means baking our own bread and delicious treats.

It also meant a trip to a local food cooperative. I had never even been there before, as it's about 30 miles from our home. They had an amazing selection of local products, which really appeals to me (plus they advertise the distance the product traveled to get to the store). We bought non-homogenized milk, cage-free eggs, raw honey, organic yogurt, and lots of other good, real food produced right here in our state. Plus I found a great grass-fed beef and poultry farm just ten miles from our doorstep.

From here on out, we will only purchase REAL food. Since it's cold around here, we're kind of stuck with store-bought vegetables, but we will be growing as much of our own produce as possible when the time comes. I'll dedicate a post to beginning our organic gardening adventures in the very near future.

Now, I'm not trying to preach to anyone here. Everyone is entitled to make their own decisions about the food that they eat. Eating real, chemical free food is mine. I hope to inspire. I hope that I can show people that if I can forego the convenience of processed food, they can too. We aren't rich, we don't own a farm or live in a commune. We're a busy family with three picky children (plus my picky husband, who calls potato chips a food group) to feed. I'm going to share the ways I'm managing to make this work for our family, and just maybe they'll work for your family, too.