Check out this graphic by NaturalNews.com which shows a great & simplified comparison of Raw vs. Pasteurized milk http://www.naturalnews.com/035130_raw_milk_infographic_pasteurized.html

Check out this graphic by NaturalNews.com which shows a great & simplified comparison of Raw vs. Pasteurized milk

http://www.naturalnews.com/035130_raw_milk_infographic_pasteurized.html

Back to Basics: On a Quest to Eating Traditionally…

I’ve previously posted an introduction to my new venture in life: eating traditionally (video included).  Today’s Back to Basics post is in regards to some of the changes that I’ve made so far in my quest for a healthier lifestyle. Most of the changes I’ve made are small things here & there, removing some ingredients used & replacing them with healthier, less processed & unrefined choices.  All of these things are simple steps to take in order to begin traditional eating.  Most importantly, remember:  Any positive change (big or small) is better than none at all.

Here are some of the things I switched out over time:

  • Conventional fruit & vegetables to organic.  As much as possible.
  • Pasteurized milk to raw (unpasteurized) milk. Raw milk must be grass-fed/fresh from a farm.
  • Anything white to anything in it’s whole (unrefined/less processed) form. This includes white flour -> whole wheat flour, white rice -> whole grain rice, white bread -> whole grain bread, white sugar -> sucanat/or other natural sweeteners. (I did switch to Sugar in the Raw before I realized even that wasn’t sugar in it’s purest form…just marketing at it’s finest).
  • Conventional, store bought (factory farmed) dairy to grass-fed/pastured only dairy. Including:   Eggs, Butter, and Cream.
  • Store bought (factory farmed) meats & eggs to local/farm meats & eggs.  
  • Prepackaged/processed snacks/foods to made from scratch foods.
  • Vegetable Oils (rancid) to healthy oils.  Corn, canola, & soy oils are oils that I never buy, no longer cook with, & always look for in the ingredients lists of any packaged foods that I might still buy (such as bread, mayo, ketchup, salad dressings — If/when I don’t make my own).  These oils are replaced with coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil.
  • Regular/processed Apple Cider Vinegar to Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.
  • Regular/processed honey to raw honey.
  • Table salt (iodized) to Sea Salt.
  • Improperly prepared grains to traditionally (properly) prepared grains.  With anything I make from scratch with grains, I make sure to properly prepare the grains first.  I’ve also been switching from regular whole grain store bought breads & bagels -> only traditionally prepared (sprouted) whole grain breads & bagels.
  • Store bought items with High Fructose Corn Syrup to items with only natural sugars.  This includes pantry items that have High Fructose Corn Syrup as a main ingredient, such as: Jelly (Grape) -> natural/organic grape jelly.
  • Pam cooking/baking sprays (oil in a can) to oil in a Misto oil sprayer.  The mistro sprayer allows you to use any oil that you want, without the use of toxic chemicals and propellants in the can.
  • Canned vegetables to fresh or frozen (organic).

Items I added to the pantry & shopping lists that I never used to use before:

  • Grade B Maple Syrup (not grade A!)
  • Fermented Cod liver oil
  • Butter oil
  • Liquid Whey (homemade only)
  • Arrowroot powder
  • 100% Cacao (REAL cocoa)
  • Molasses (Blackstrap) 
  • Fine & coarse sea salt (including pink Himalayan sea salt)
  • Aloe Vera juice/liquid
  • Fish sauce
  • Coconut oil (organic, extra-virgin, unrefined)
  • Rapadura/Sucanat (whole cane sugar - unrefined/unbleached)
  • Raw honey
  • Raw apple cider vinegar

That’s all I can think of for now! Hopefully this helps give some insight on how I have been transitioning to more traditional eating habits.

For the upcoming weeks Back to Basics posts, I will go into detail of how some of these ingredients can be used and why they are important to have in your pantry/diet.  I will also post recipes in the future, as well as products that I’ve invested in & how I made the switch from using less processed/packaged foods and condiments, and more homemade/from scratch items.

"Monsanto preys on popularity of omega-3s by developing GMO soybean that produces fake fish oil"

Although still absurd, Monsanto doesn’t surprise me.  The FDA, however, blows my mind every time — passing ridiculous things that are obviously not good, yet putting up a fight against anything that is good/healthy.

I actually expect it at this point, but it’s still mind blowing.

Today I literally spent HOURS at Reading Terminal Market — there’s so much fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goods, and skin care products.  And the best part?  It’s all LOCAL. 

On my quest to be more healthy, I’ve been looking into quite a few different products/foods sold at local farmers markets.  And it’s all SO great.  I wish I had tons o’ money and could spend freely while shopping there.   But for now, I went with just a few things: two loafs of bread (one as sliced bread, one as more of a dessert), organic lettuce, spinach, and a cucumber.

If you couldn’t tell already (by the picture posted above), I’m the most EXCITED about the homemade breads that I just bought. AH-MAZ-ING.  And healthier, nonetheless.  Fresh homemade bread from a local market is much more nutritious and more properly prepared than store bought bread that’s been sitting on the shelves for however long, had to travel quite a distance to get there, and is processed in a huge facility that uses lots of preservatives to ensure that the bread doesn’t rot before it actually gets to you.

Let’s take a look at loaf #1 (organic whole wheat), which will be used for toast and sandwiches.  This bread was baked by Brian Hernon at Slow Rise Bakery.

Slow Rise Bakery has various homemade breads that are baked fresh, without the use of preservatives, and genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s).  Most are even made without oils! :D   Take a look at the ingredients: Organic whole wheat flour, water, honey, kosher salt, and yeast.  AND THAT’S IT!  Simple, minimal ingredients to do the job of the paragraph of ingredients often listed on store bought bread.  Even with minimal ingredients, this bread is much more dense than commercially produced breads (which we all know to be light and fluffy).  “Light and fluffy” isn’t necessarily a good thing when it comes to breads, since REAL (traditional/homemade) breads are mostly dense and compact when made properly (keeping in mind that the denseness has nothing to do with softness….two completely different things here). 

This bread was purchased at Fair Food Farmstand ($5).

On to loaf #2 (homemade gourmet raisin bread). Wow. Speaking of dense bread…this bread is DENSE. The weight of this loaf is about as heavy as a pie.  No kidding.  And it’s packed with delicious raisins and cinnamon.  If you like store bought raisin bread, you’re absolutely missing out.  If you could just smell this bread, your mouth would be watering.  This, and other amazing Amish baked goods, can be purchased at Beiler’s Bakery (an Amish bakery at Reading Terminal Market) for just $4.75!

For just a little more $$ than you’d spend at the grocery store, these freshly baked, homemade breads are worth it.

Find out which fruits & vegetables are most contaminated with pesticides - click here

USA TODAY tells what kind of produce we should definitely buy organic, and which ones are safe enough to purchase conventionally.

Genetically Modified: Toxic Chemicals in Our Food, and Us.

^ Click this link to read article.

This is horrible! And seriously upsetting.

93% of Unborn Babies were found to have traces of toxic chemicals in their bloodstream linked to pesticides associated with genetically modified foods.

Learn More & Share:

Google:

“Genetically Modified Foods”, and “Monsanto” — read, read, read.

Read a quick Q&A about Genetically Modified foods here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/tribnation/chi-a-qa-on-geneticallymodified-foods-20110525,0,4914034.story

There are also tons of great documentaries regarding this issue (as well as other similar issues) on Netflix….and if you don’t have Netflix, I just found out about this awesome website: www.topdocumentaryfilms.com  — Watch full-length documentaries, for FREE!! It’s separated into categories: Health, Environment, etc.  If you click on the HEALTH category, you’ll find some very very very informative documentaries.  Here’s just a few (regarding our food):

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-future-of-food/

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/food-inc/

I plan on watching lots of documentaries on this website, so I’m sure I’ll have others to recommend in the future!

PS:  I just made my first purchase from a local farmer’s market a few days ago, & this week while grocery shopping bought organic as much as possible. — I’m now attempting to make the switch. At the very least for produce!