You are what you eat!

Hi blog family!

It is a gorgeous day outside - I hope you are  going to enjoy it after school or your kids get home! Learning to take care of your body- crucial after foster care!
Why?
 Well if you lived in a group home - you had lots of food, but i am almost sure it was not the top of the line, meaning, organic.... and if you lived in a foster home, I doubt your foster parents took the time to think about what was dangerous in the cereals you ate.
Not because they were mean, no one knew better!
 I was blessed my foster mom was a diabetic and I ate like one, (thankfully) avoiding common problems associated with a southern (old school) diet...lard, butter, pork, fried foods, red meat, especially not organic....starches like white rice....(brown rice ok..)
(pasta and rice and other food items turns into sugar, if you eat mass amounts of it your body can be thrown off key and perhaps develop diabetes. There are many other factors but I just wanted you to be aware of what you eat!
When shopping I ask myself: "was this food in the garden of Eden or the bible? That usually cuts down my bill!! When my kids had to make a choice at home it was yam over potato chips, grapes (organic) over Hershey's... IF YOU ARE NOW A PARENT, DO BETTER THAN YOUR PARENTS COULD BY HAVING YOUR KIDS EAT HEALTHY!
I am sharing an article i got off of Dr. Mercols's site, (please check it out whenever you can, sign up for the emails, very informative on health news latest!). so these are NOT my words below but i thought if I had to borrow information, it was OK as long as one person walks away thinking healthier! Life is to be enjoyed and you cannot enjoy it if YOUR SICK!!! You cannot enjoy all of it...if you DIE EARLY because you chose to eat bad foods... think about your mind and your body - they go together... xo
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How to Avoid Heat-Induced Toxins in Your Diet

Ideally, you should consume foods that are raw or minimally processed to avoid these types of toxic byproducts—the more raw food, the better. My nutrition plan emphasizes the need for at least one-third of your foods to be consumed raw. Personally, I consume about 80 percent of my food raw, and I find it is one of the most important factors that help keep me healthy.

It may take you awhile to switch over to a less processed diet, but throwing out the most obvious culprits would be a great start.

These would include:

• French fries and potato chips
• All sodas (both regular and diet, as artificial sweeteners may be more problematic than fructose)
• Doughnuts

Healthy Eating Made Easy

Aside from creating potentially toxic byproducts, cooking and processing also depletes the food of valuable micro nutrients, which is another reason for eating as much raw food as possible. This includes protein sources such as eggs. Raw whole eggs from organic, pastured chickens are an incredible source of high-quality nutrients that many are deficient in. Raw milk is another good example of a food that is beneficial in its raw state but becomes harmful after it is pasteurized.

By opting for foods that will benefit your health, such as raw, preferably organic and/or locally-grown vegetables, organic grass-fed meats, healthy oils, raw dairy, nuts and seeds, you can change your health for the better. These are the foods that are truly natural, and quite easy to prepare once you get the hang of it.

For a step-by-step guide to make the transition to a healthier diet as simple and smooth as possible, simply follow the advice in my optimized nutrition plan.

Remember, eating fresh whole foods is the "secret" to getting healthier, losing weight and really enjoying your food. It's unfortunate that so many are under the mistaken belief that it's "next to impossible" to create a meal without processed foods. Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough tackle this issue head-on in their book Real Food Has Curves, which is a great starting point to "relearn" the basics of how to enjoy and prepare real food.

Once you get used to it, you'll find you can whip up a healthful meal from scratch in the same amount of time it would have taken you to drive down the street to pick up fast food. The main difference will be greater satisfaction, both physically and mentally, and perhaps even financially, as processed foods typically end up being more expensive than cooking from scratch.