Friday, April 4, 2008

Eating healthy on a budget

Well everyone,I have learned alot about nutrition over the past few months!First off I have learned not only that white flour is bad for you,but it actually strips your body of nutrients!If you must use white flour it should definatly be unbleached.Organic if possible,but definatly the unbleached kind.Another thing,no white sugar.Instead use honey(preferably raw)raw sugar,pure maple syrup,rapadora(which I have not tried yet)and stevia.The milk from the store is horrible for us.The best you can drink is raw unpasteurized whole milk.Low fat dairy products are also bad for us.Avoid all margarine and vegetable oil spreads.This all may seem very overwhelming to you guys,but I encourage you to buy the book Nourishing Traditions.After reading this book and finding out how all of these oils are processed,you will literally be sick to your stomach!Never mind about store bought milk!Moms,you can`t give your kids this garbage!!Go to www.rawmilk.com to read about all of the health benefits of raw milk.Real butter is a must as well.Raw honey,you have to try!!It is the best thing!Raw honey and raw milk have natural antibodies that actually build up your immune system and help your kids fight illness!Go here to read about all of the great things raw honey can do for your body.Another very important thing to do is any time you are working with whole wheat flour it needs to be soaked overnight in some kind of acidic liquid like a few tbs.of apple cider vinegar or homemade whey(which I will talk more about at another time).The reason for the presoaking is that there is something in whole grain flours and grains that is called phylate acid.What this acid does is it prevents your body from absorbing the nutrients in the foods.In order to neutralize this acid you must soak for 12-24 hours.You can look up this info online.Just do a search for presoaking grains.You can buy Nourishing Traditions at your local bookstore for about $25. I found it on ebay with s/h for $17.
So,now that I`ve probably complete overwhelmed most of you,if you are still reading this post,I`m sure your wondering how in the world anyone can afford to eat healthfully on a budget.Well,first I suggest praying about it and asking for God to show you.One of the things I realized through this study is the effects of living in a fallen world have had on our nutrition!Having said that,we do have to keep in mind that we can`t change everything!Ultimately God is in control!He will make up for what our food is lacking!some of the changes I have made is only using extra virgin olive oil,and regular olive oil,coconut oil,and real butter.I also make my own whole wheat sour dough bread.I try to presoak the grains when I can and we also buy raw milk and raw honey.Most of the items you can buy cheaply at Walmart.The honey you can get cheap on ebay.Raw milk is very expensive.You`re best bet would be to call around and see if some local farms might sell some to you.I found an Amish woman that owns a dairy farm.She has a stand at a local farmers market and will sell it for $2 a gallon!Hubby won`t drink it,but the kids and I do.So,I hope this post helps some of you!Please e-mail me if you have any questions,or leave a comment and I will try to answer them or direct you someplace that can!!Sorry this is so long:)

4 comments:

Wendy/TheCozyYellowHouse said...

Hi toni thanks for coming by!!! The oatmeal cookies are awesome and I use light butter so its less fat! How did you get into learning about nutrition? And is raw milk the same as the milk you get in the store only it comes right from the farm? I hope you had a Blessed weekend!! Take care!!~Wendy

Toni said...

Hey Wendy!Thanks for taking an interest in this post.Raw milk tastes the same as store baught milk.It is very different though.The next time you buy milk on the store I`m sure you will see the word homogenized somewhere on the packaging.What that means is this:the process whereby the fat particles of cream ate strained through tiny pores under great pressure.The resulting fat particles are so small that they stai in suspension rather than rise to the top of the milk.This makes the fat and cholesterol more susceptible to rancidity and oxidation,and some research indicate that homogenized fats may contribute to heart disease.

I just took that bit of information from a book called Nourishing Traditions.

The second thing about raw milk is the fact that it is not pasturized.pasturization kills good bacteria that our bodies need.
www.realmilk.com is anb excellent site that can give you more info!

6intow said...

Toni,

Have fun on your nourishing traditions journey! There is so much to learn. A neighbor loaned me the book about two years ago now and I cannot believe how much it has changed my perspective and what my family eats. It is good to take it a little at time because it can get overwhelming (on the time, budget, and emotions!)

Another blog that I have learned a bit from in this regard just recently is:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

Have a great day!
Erin

Toni said...

Thanks for stopping by Erin! Nourishing Traditions is definatly overwhelming!Frustrating too,because now that I know all of these things I want to make the changes right away!Of coarse that is not finacially possible though!Thanks for the link too!I think I`ve been on her site,but forgot about it again.I`ll add it to my blogs!Have a great day!!