WEEK 4

Welcome to Week 4!!

I am anxious to hear the responses to last week’s challenge!

I know it can seem daunting sometimes to make real food vs relying on boxed cereals, donuts, and bagels.  And I’ll even go so far as to say many of you may even skip breakfast all together.  While I am not here to say how important breakfast is or isn’t, what I can say is the more healthy real food you get in your body the better it will run and the better you will feel.

Even if you’re running out the door, grab a banana instead of stopping at Starbucks, grab a Lara bar instead of eating the donuts at the office.  Pretty soon you’re body will stop craving the sugar that’s found in most processed breakfast foods.  I have not craved anything in a long time.  And I really do mean anything, even chocolate or sweets.

Once you detox yourself you don’t crave it anymore.  So… congratulations on making it past Week 3, I know that posed a challenge for some of you, so I am going to take a step back this week and again add something to your repertoire.

This week consists of 2 parts, but it’s a fun 2 things.

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This week’s challenge is to:

• Try a minimum of 2 new foods this week.  It can be anything from fresh produce to a new organic product to something you’ve never heard of. 

Sounds pretty, easy doesn’t it?  I am currently reading the book French Kids eat Everything and I have to tell you there is a HUGE difference between how we eat in the US vs other countries, especially France, Greece, and Spain.

Kids there are introduced to such a wide variety of foods before the age of TWO !!!  Yes, two.  They believe from the age of 2-4 children become defiant.  The ‘terrible twos’ set in.  So they try to introduce their children to a wide variety of foods before that time and then slowly advance their taste buds from there.

Food is never used as a punishment, a pacifier, eaten when bored, or alone.  It is to be celebrated and enjoyed.  I subscribe to this philosophy as here in the US we cater to the children.  How many of us make 2 different meals at dinnertime because Susie doesn’t like shrimp?  Or Johnny won’t eat pork?  My hands waving high in the air!!!!

Well here is an opportunity for you to introduce 2 (or more) different foods this week ~ for yourself as well as the kids.  I don’t know about you, but I buy the same things week after week (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mango, oranges, lemons, carrots, celery, broccoli)  …. it gets pretty boring doesn’t it?

So this week I want you to find a new food you’ve never heard of or tasted before and try it.  Do not push your children, let them taste it.  If they don’t like it, that’s ok.  Tell them their taste buds are still young and in time they will grow to like it (I got that little quote from the book ;))

• Visit your local butcher and bakery

One of the steps in becoming Unprcessed is not buying your everyday staple items at the supermarket anymore.  I think a visit to the local butcher and bakery is in order!  This will help enhance your view of ‘real food’.

Once you see how few ingredients go into making bread or pastries, you will be shocked at how many unnecessary toxic ingredients are in the breads lining the shelves of the supermarkets.

So this week take the time to visit your local butcher (or two)…visit your bakery.  Speak with the person who owns it.  Get to know the people who run it.  It most likely is a family owned business which carries a lot of pride.

Here are a few questions to help get a conversation started with them:

THE BUTCHER:

• Where do you get your meat from?  Do you know the rancher?
• How was the beef raised and does the farmer use pesticides or chemicals?
• What kind of grain is fed to the animals?
• What should I look for when choosing a piece of meat?  Is leaner better?  What is marbling?
• What type of beef is best for the cooking I like to do?  (grill, pan fry, stir fry)

THE BAKER:

• Are your products 100% whole grain?
•  Where do you your wheat from?  (Most bread makers get their wheat from Montana)  Do you mill it yourself?
•  Is your wheat genetically modified?
• How long does your bread last and how should I store it?
• Is the white flour you use bromated or bleached?

The closer you are to the people who make your food, the fresher and better quality it will be!  Get to know your butcher, your baker, if you have time visit the seafood market as well.  These are important steps in making your house unprocesed.

Be sure to let the kids tag along as well and learn from your questions.  They will learn WHERE our food comes and WHY that’s so important!

Good luck!  And as always, feel free to leave a comment to inspire others!