Making the Switch to Organics…

A few weeks ago, I picked up the book Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. Since I’ve been working out using her 30-Day Shred video, I thought this would be a natural progression. She would tell me what to eat & how often & would yell at me for not exercising harder… or something like that…

I guess I really didn’t know what to expect from the book. I was surprised to be blown away–not necessarily by new information because I have heard it all before, but somehow putting it all together in one short book with the science behind it and the explanations of how stuff in our food affects our bodies finally caused it to sink in!

And a couple of statements from the book really hit home too. “French fries are one of the three most common vegetables consumed by infants 9-11 months of age.” How sad is that? (Happy to report my 10 month old had carrots, broccoli & cauliflower for dinner tonight!)

And then there was when she pointed out that all the ingredients in a bag of cheetohs are chemically altered, your body doesn’t recognize any of it as food & therefore, doesn’t really know what to do with it. Completely empty calories, not even a little bit of nutrients. Chances are, it gets stored in your FAT CELLS! What else would you expect your body to do with poison?

And then there was learning that Phillip Morris (tobacco products) and Kraft share scientists and their brain research. I can understand PM wanting brain research. I mean, their whole product line is about addiction. But Kraft? Makers of processed cheese, salad dressing, macaroni and oreo cookies!?!?! What could they need this research for????

So what to do with all this information? (And believe me, there was plenty more.) I discussed it with DH, and he agreed. We would work together to make our environment healthier for ourselves and for our children. We sat the kids down & talked with them, frankly, about the foods we had been consuming and what they were doing to our bodies. We talked about our favorites (the ones that would be hardest to let go of), and we talked about healthy alternatives. We took them to an organic/whole foods grocery store. They got organic lollipops & were thrilled, LOL!

So there are alot of things you won’t find in our home. You won’t find Cheetoh’s or Oreo’s or soda. You won’t find anything labeled “diet” either. You will find very little high fructose corn syrup (I know it’s still lurking in a few things). You will find a full fruit bowl. You will find a fridge full of organic dairy products that REALLY taste good. You will find some really cool chips that I forgot to take a picture of (Terra is the brand) made from root vegetables, baked & seasoned (with no MSG!). You will find real maple syrup and organic flour. You will find bright-eyed healthy children and two parents that already feel much better!

All of these items were found at the local Wal-Mart. And I know you’re probably thinking, “I can’t afford to buy organic?” Really? The way I see it, I can’t afford NOT to. Honestly, my grocery bill for the past three weeks has averaged the same as it has always been. What is surprising is that my grocery cart is nowhere near as full as it used to be. Those empty calories really take up some space (in the buggy & on my hips, LOL!). And as far as cost goes, I would rather spend the money now and enjoy the taste than spend the money later and have to swallow the pill.

I’ve also found some really great coupons online for organics and the healthier alternatives. You can find some too at http://www.coupons.com/, http://www.smartsource.com/, http://www.redplum.com/ and http://www.stoneyfield.com/. I saved $6 this week!