how to get started on eliminating processed foods and sugars

[workingmom]

So I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes and am looking to eliminate sugars and processed things SLOWLY from my diet. However where do I start? Is there any SIMPLE book explaining small changes one can make. I already know about the top healthy foods etc, I guess I'm looking for recipes to eliminate flours, sugar, etc. I've read recently about these green smoothies and other detox drinks including water with lemon and ginger. Is it hype or anything worth slowly implementing.

 

Anyone with suggestions to get me started preferably with recipe ideas.

[lovemywhirlygirls]

bump

[Anne Rittenhouse]

How about simply keeping a food diary for a week or so and then looking carefully at where your sugars and processed fooods are coming from? Choose one of the these areas to tackle and go from there.

[Rosie_0801]

It's not just about taking things out, but what to replace them with. Dh and I nearly dropped our teeth at the price of japanese noodles the other day, and after trying the recipe, we decided a cheaper packet of wholemeal pasta would have been tastier. Anne is right, you don't need a book, just pick a spot and get started. Once that becomes habit, you can move onto something else. Breakfast is a good place to start. It seems to be the place where some of the worst food choices are made because they are so convenient. I like convenience myself, but the further I go in this whole foods type journey, the less pleasant crumpets taste. We make flatbreads to eat with whatever condiments or left over beans are in the fridge, if we've had enough sleep. If not, we eat porridge with fruit and seeds sprinkles. I was reading about how no one chews their food properly, and it was so right! I find the seeds help me remember to chew.

 

Rosie

[dirty ethel rackham]

I agree with PP that you start with one thing and make substitutions.

 

For me, my journey started with whole grains. I am hypoglycemic, so I had to learn how to substitute for white flour. I started reading labels more, shopping in stores that stocked more of what I needed, etc. I looked at the first ingredients. If those were not acceptible, I put it back. Also, I looked at grams of sugar, grams of protein and total carbs.

 

Also, I used the book Whole Foods for the Whole Family from LLL. What I liked about it is that the recipes were submitted by the members, so they were tested in real kitchens with real families. I don't know of other books that are more current. I would pick one thing a week to try. Even if you don't use the recipes in there, I though there was a ton of good information on how to use whole foods ingredients.

 

hth,

[Year Round Mom]

I picked up the Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin at our used book sale at the library for under a dollar. :)

 

He is a little extreme, I think, but that's because of his near-death experience with Crohn's disease. However, since he's a doctor, he explains why this or that is bad for you and why this or that is good for you. Knowing the why's makes it easier to decide what I will or will not follow with his recommendations.

 

:)

[Willow]

one of my dds is IgE ('standard allergy') to most grains, and is also hypoglycemic, coeliac and lactose intolerant. We have another coeliac child (apparently I carry a gene for this) and several other allergies.

 

We found a good place to start when we realized ALL grains had to go was "the specific carbohydrate diet". There are 2 excellent cookbooks without which i could not cope (after all what DO you use for flour...answer... almond flour, and we can also use LSA, although it is not on the SCD...yes we do have one anaphylatic to all tree nuts as well, but she is an adult and not living at home, and we have strict contamination rules when she is visiting)

 

SCD is also sugar free.

 

The books are the Grain free gourmet and the Everyday Grain free Gourmet, authors Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass.

 

I am happy to talk to people about grain free diets if necessary. PM me.

 

HTH

 

Willow

Edited April 29, 2009 by Willow
Fogot to add the sugar bit.

[mamaof2andtwins]

Well, I think it depends on how healthy your diet is right now. Honestly, there are somethings I am willing to do and other things that I am just not. If you are eating out a lot, eating a lot of processed foods, white flour, white sugar etc. then I would suggest eating a more whole foods type diet.

 

However, if you are eating mostly whole foods and would like to ramp it up from there, I am probably not the one to help. We do use sugar, honey, maple syrup and various flours in my house. I chose the ones that I believe are the best. I am not the only person in my house, so I have to make it work for all of us.

 

So, where are you starting from?

 

Jennie

[Lymeade Mom]

We like Maker's Diet as a philosophy, but Sue Gregg's cookbooks--they are easy to follow, realistic and all about whole food substitutes. LOVE them!

 

(I have some more info on my blog if your interested: www.lymeadehealth.blogspot.com.)

[workingmom]

But I've read about feeling healthier (kids better attention span) after eliminating white flour and sugars from diet. Actually I already decrease the amount of sugar in recipes but I love my sweets and desserts! The kids eat veggies and salads every night (we still eat meat/chicken four-five nights a week which I'm ok with, I'm not trying to go vegan) and we don't have juices or sodas except occasionally at parties. I'm just wondering about these new green smoothies hype and how you eliminate white flour is it just a matter of substituting wheat flour in recipes? We eat wheat sandwich bread which I always thought was pretty healthy. I thought about making my own salad dressing versus buying just to change it up a bit. But what other daily food swaps have you made? Are these spinach smoothies really full of energy or is a glass of milk the same?

 

I guess what's a good starting point to read about it?

[Mom0012]

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon is a great book that should help you get started. For me, it was a little extreme and I think I would have been really overwhelmed if I followed all their suggestions. Even so, I think it's worth reading if you can use it as a guideline rather than a bible.

 

Also, when I've had to make dietary changes, I find it easiest to concentrate on one meal at a time. Change breakfast and find a few things you can fix and then once you are comfortable with that, move on to lunch. To me, dinner is always hardest to change because it requires a lot more variety than lunch or breakfast.

 

Lisa

[Tami]

I highly recommend the simple ideas outlined in the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and/or Clean Eating magazine. These resources will help you go from vague ideas to actions steps such as menu plans, shopping lists, how to "clean up" your recipes, how to redefine "fast" food (pack a cooler EVEY time you leave the house!).

 

I have seen other healthy cookbooks, and they really make thing complex and intimidating. Anything by Tosca Reno, or Clean Eating Magazine is commons sense and based on good science. Clean Eating is available at most larger newstands.

 

I applaud you!!!! Once you get used to it, it is so much easier following *principles* than a rigid diet. Just remember - baby steps. Do one new habit at a time, and when you are comfortable with that, add another. Write down your goals, and track your progress. Soon, you'll be a whole new you!

[Tami]

I found this book very off-putting. There is something alarmist about the tone, and the way they make fantastic claims with no science to back it up. But that's beside the point. The sheer complexity of the food recipes, along with the number of steps involved to prepare a simple meal was overwhelming to me.

 

Really, good nutrition does not need to be complex, does it? :willy_nilly: I don't recommend Nourishing Traditions to anyone starting out - it's really a "Master's" level nutrition course, imo. I know so many NT wannabees, but nobody who's been able to stay the course consistently due to the complex nature of the recommendations.

 

I only mention this because I want newbies to be successful, right from the start. Therefore, I recommend a simple, straight forward program that will lay a good foundation. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but a newbie program has to be sustainable in the day-to-day, long term life of a busy homeschool mom. It should also give the new user instant success, and a quick start.

 

Therefore, I recommend something like Eat Clean Diet to begin.

[angela in ohio]

However where do I start? Is there any SIMPLE book explaining small changes one can make.

 

There is a book exactly like that! It is called Refined to Real Food. I've recommended it on this board many time, and others have said they found it very helpful as well. It is organized by food categories, and it gives a chart for each showing steps to take to move toward healthier eating. Each chapter explains the main health issues in that group and which changes are most important to make.

 

As for recipes, the Whole Foods website, Cooking Light, the Joy of Cooking, and Nourishing Traditions have all been helpful to me. Actually, learning to use less recipes and instead just cook things simply has helped (eliminating sauces, etc.)

[ladydusk]

There is a book exactly like that! It is called Refined to Real Food. I've recommended it on this board many time, and others have said they found it very helpful as well.

 

Angela, I was just going to rec this book too. Also Nina Planck's Real Food (ignoring the evolution) is excellent in discussing what to eat, and is an easy read. The Refined to Real Food has a few recipes in it to get you started, but I found the Planck book to be more convincing on several issues (for instance raw milk which isn't available where I live :( ).

[BeckyFL]

But I've read about feeling healthier (kids better attention span) after eliminating white flour and sugars from diet. Actually I already decrease the amount of sugar in recipes but I love my sweets and desserts! The kids eat veggies and salads every night (we still eat meat/chicken four-five nights a week which I'm ok with, I'm not trying to go vegan) and we don't have juices or sodas except occasionally at parties. I'm just wondering about these new green smoothies hype and how you eliminate white flour is it just a matter of substituting wheat flour in recipes? We eat wheat sandwich bread which I always thought was pretty healthy. I thought about making my own salad dressing versus buying just to change it up a bit. But what other daily food swaps have you made? Are these spinach smoothies really full of energy or is a glass of milk the same?

 

I guess what's a good starting point to read about it?

 

No sure about the "green smoothies" but I tried something yesterday. Some of you have probably been doing this forever, but it was a first for me. I usually make blueberry smoothies with low fat yogurt, flax oil, flax seeds (milled in blender), frozen blueberries and a little blueberry juice. Yesterday, I threw in a big handful of raw spinach and my 12 yo never noticed. I told him after it was gone and he's ready to drink it that way all the time. Nothing like some extra nutrition. :-)

[Guest Hoosier mama]

I put my flour in a rubbermaid canister and the first thing I did years ago was mix whole wheat and white flour.

 

Substituting brown rice was easy once I figured out how to cook it to my liking (more liquid for longer cooking and using chicken broth).

 

I prepare raw veggies and put them in ziploc bags for easy relish trays. My boys will always eat this if it's on the kitchen counter after school. I think salads are a hassle and always more fattening with all the dressing.

[mamaof2andtwins]

My friend, Crystal, has many good articles on her website that might be helpful to you.

 

The Family Homestead Kitchen

 

It was during my time of transitioning from white flours and sugars that I came to Crystal's website.

 

Jennie

[LaxMom]

...

 

Really, good nutrition does not need to be complex, does it? :willy_nilly: I don't recommend Nourishing Traditions to anyone starting out - it's really a "Master's" level nutrition course, imo. I know so many NT wannabees, but nobody who's been able to stay the course consistently due to the complex nature of the recommendations.

 

...

I like Nourishing Traditions, though I tend to use it more as a reference than a cookbook (is it even designed to be "a plan"? :001_huh:). And I wholeheartedly agree with you - there is simply no way that I would recommend it to anyone just starting out. The level of effort is simply too high to be sustained when you're beginning to ponder how to make positive changes in eating. (Plus - and remember I like this book - if it was your sole source of food ideas, there is a very real risk of becoming the weird homeschooling family with the strange smelling house. ;))

 

Like everyone else said, start with being mindful. Eating well is not that complex, it's just that processed stuff is ubiquitous, and there are so many food choices, it's difficult to know where to start. Ask yourself "how can I improve this". Use whole ingredients and cook from scratch. That gives you control over what is in your food.

 

Somebody mentioned the Cooking Light cookbooks. Their recipes are all online, too, so you can browse them without having to go find a book. The recipes really meshed with the way I cook - the "canned" ingredients are things like stock, tomatoes, and condiments (Thai curry paste, etc) - and you can easily substitute a whole grain (brown rice, whole wheat pasta) for any white starch.

[Lymeade Mom]

But I've read about feeling healthier (kids better attention span) after eliminating white flour and sugars from diet. Actually I already decrease the amount of sugar in recipes but I love my sweets and desserts! The kids eat veggies and salads every night (we still eat meat/chicken four-five nights a week which I'm ok with, I'm not trying to go vegan) and we don't have juices or sodas except occasionally at parties. I'm just wondering about these new green smoothies hype and how you eliminate white flour is it just a matter of substituting wheat flour in recipes? We eat wheat sandwich bread which I always thought was pretty healthy. I thought about making my own salad dressing versus buying just to change it up a bit. But what other daily food swaps have you made? Are these spinach smoothies really full of energy or is a glass of milk the same?

 

I guess what's a good starting point to read about it?

 

Use honey for sugar. Use wheat flour for white or use arrowroot powder for white flour used for thickening. We have cookies quite often, but no white flour or sugar in ours. :)

 

Dressing is easy. E.V. Olive oil and vinegar (try Bragg's brand Raw Apple Cidar Vinegar--very healthy!) plus garlic, honey, and favorite spices. Make sure you have about twice as much oil as vinegar (or more) and mix it to your taste. Or look up an italian dressing with EV olive oil online. I even make my own ranch (no packet) from some recipes I got offline, though I am still perfecting it, so I haven't shared it on my blog yet.

 

Start finding recipes to make your own version of things--sugar is in a lot of things--ketchup, pasta sauce, jelly, dressings. And of course corn syrup is in more things and even worse! Check your wheat bread too.