I have felt the temptation to hide my “expensive” foods from my kids (and husband lol).

Then the thought crossed my mind one day.

What is happening to their bodies by denying them the real foods?

Am I willing to hide my coveted foods [raw milk, medjool dates, avocado, etc.] and have them eat the fake foods?

My mind instantly went to the defense.

“But the kids would waste it!”

“They eat/drink it so fast, they don’t appreciate it.”

“If I share with everyone, there will be none left for me when I need it.”

All of those thoughts are all true and all valid.

At the end of the day I figured out I was just making excuses.

Deep down I knew it was easier to feed them the processed quick foods then to make homemade whole food meals/snacks.

I also knew how this choice for ease was affecting my children because I felt how it made me feel!

So I decided to do an experiment to switch my mindset.

I began by picking a food that the kids often asked for. Chips.

Choosing a name brand that everyone loved I started with Doritos. Family size.

Then I chose a whole food that was an investment to keep stocked. Raw Milk.

I compared the two prices then compared the nutrients it actually gave my family.

My eyes were opened.

I began to do that with all of the processed foods I saw on shelves.

(FYI…sticker price was the same)

Food I hadn’t given accountability to their costs, began to be seen with new eyes.

After comparing prices I delved into the nutritional benefits.

What does a bag of chips give a child? You leave kids with a bag and it would be gone after an hour or two.

And then 15 minutes later what is that same kids going to say???

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

Whatever the Real Food or Whole Food is…pick a processed food to compare.

Which one GIVES to the body? Which one supports the immune system?

Through the comparing process I was able to dropped the thoughts that eating healthy is too expensive for the whole family.

A whole world of opportunities opened up to my mind!

Information, via books/articles/blogs, began filtering in my life.

I learned that children are born with baby teeth formed from the nutrients the mother gives in the womb.

The adult teeth are built by the foods an individual consumes after birth.

WHAT?!

This was a new understanding and it rocked my socks a little.

Probably common sense to most, but for me I hadn’t ever heard that.

The more nutrients eaten and utilized from a young age…even from conception…the better building blocks that are formed to make our awesome bodies thrive!

It’s never too late to give our bodies nutrient dense foods.

Keep heart and stay encouraged no matter what stage of life your in!

Today is a great day to begin a new you and help loved ones in the process.

If your kids are out of the house, be an example with with your healthy choices.

They will be curious what your doing when they see your results!

Oh and don’t forget grandkids stopping by…they will be asking questions too. ;)

For those that do have littles at home.

I would suggest begin in the pantry.

Time to cleeeeeeaaaannn hoooouuuuse!!!!!

Such a rewarding thing to jump all in and throw that shiz away.

“BUUUUUUTTTT Tasha, that’s so much wasted money!”

Nope. It’s not.

Send it gratitude for what it did for you up to this point and then acknowledge you no longer need it.

Remind yourself how many doctor bills/pains/dis-ease you will save by letting it go.

If in the end you really hate tossing it, feed it to pigs/chickens or find a friend who wants it.

Another style is picking half of your pantry items to get rid of and ease into the change over a period of time.

Be careful that old habits don’t slip back in!

Hold yourself accountable to the time frame set and do what you committed to do with your food sources.

It can help all in the home to replace favorite comfort foods.

I am a huge advocate for replacing foods - not just getting rid of and having empty shelves.

It’s been shown, if someone is quitting smoking, they are encouraged to replace the habit with something else.

So if your family loves sugar cereals - find a homemade replacement.

I use this example because prior to 2014 I couldn’t go one day without sugar cereals.

My replacement was unrefined oats, honey, nut butter and molasses with raw milk.

—- I now will mix my protein powder w/ the milk and omit the honey. You can add flax, chia seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes…so good! (aka Muesli)

Now. Is this the same as fruity pebbles?

Uhhh NOPE. lol

But this helped my family transition to real food.

If we were to go back to our comparing thought process; homemade oat cereal vs. fruity pebbles.

Or lets say raisin bran!

That was a cereal I deemed as healthy back in the day.

Label claims to give you certain vitamins and minerals.

In truth your body can only access a very small percentage of those nutrients.

That leaves you with alotta non-usable “stuff” (for lack of better verbage).

All that extra non-used stuff then creates inflammation and toxic overload.

Labels want you to feel all warm and fuzzy so you’ll buying their products.

Bottom line…if it has more than 2-3 ingredients, your body cannot break it down into the BEST energy source.

I’m going to have you use your imagination on the homemade (muesli) oats cereal…is the body able to utilize it for clean energy?

I say absolutely; digestible and bioavailable.

Our children need as many opportunities drinking raw milk, eating sourdough, gathering fresh chicken eggs and baking their own whole wheat cakes.

The more we normalize these changes and make the switch - the healthier we will be as a society.

It starts in our own homes.

My extended family [on both sides] is leery when I bring food to events.

“Was it made with chicken feet??” They’ll tease.

…They’ll never know. hehehe

Why does my pie crust look different and taste different? Oh its sourdough!

And my kids LOVE IT!

We had friends over the other night and some thought the sourdough pizza was weird and some enjoyed it.

And guess what…my kids love it.

I gave a friend with a gut issue some kefir, and she gagged it down.

Can you guess? Most of my kids love it plain...everyone loves it in smoothies. :)

The more I immerse my children in a lifestyle of whole foods, the more they accept and love it.

I was so happy hearing my daughter ask for a [medjool] date and knowing that it’s worth every penny I spent so she can eat it.

Or my son asking for more kefir smoothie popsicle.

Or creating a new cake recipe from whole wheat and everyone enjoying it with homemade ice cream!

I am so very passionate about children getting real foods.

They will love the lifestyle if given a chance to experience it!

Allow them to shop with you and pick new fruits/veggies.

Let them grind the whole wheat/einkorn/kamut berries and see the process.

Involving kids gets them excited to try these new things!

In what ways have you seen your kids benefit from switching to real foods? Do you think it’s worth the switch? Is it ever challenging? Let’s hear your thoughts below in the comments! xoxo-