Saturday, February 6, 2010

How Do I Decide?

It occurred to me that I should probably share my core values as they relate to how best to nourish my family. I can promise you that I do not always do this perfectly, nor do I strive to be perfect. I simply have a goal or a vision I aim for.

Eat Things Created By God For Food

First and foremost I do my best to choose things that were created by God for food. There are varying opinions on this I am sure. Personally, I believe it can be as simple as fruits, vegetables, meats, grains and legumes. Things that you can grow or raise. Things like Twinkies, Cheetos, white bread, processed items, you get the point, God did not create these, man did.

I also personally believe that things like shellfish or pork is best to be avoided. I do not for one second believe that my salvation is dependent upon obedience to the Law, I simply believe God had a purpose in making these restrictions and I believe the scientific data that backs this up. Now, let me also say that I LOVE bacon and do occasionally have it. If I came to your house and you served me a luscious BLT, trust me, I would receive it with thanksgiving and enjoy every morsel of it!

Eat Food Prepared As Traditionally As Possible

Secondly, we try to prepare our food as closely to how it has been prepared traditionally. Meaning, how did my great-grandma prepare this? Or how was this been prepared before man got so smart and decided he needed food fast! This is where Nourishing Traditions has really enlightened me as well as the works of Weston A. Price.(check out their website and have a field day, tons of information) This knowledge has forever changed the way I prepare our food. Again, am I perfect at it, by no means. If I forgot to soak my rice, I don't freak out, we just eat it without having been prepared properly. I don't like it, but it just encourages me to remember next time. I don't worry that I have somehow poisoned my children.

Obviously, within these two criteria, you also have many choices. For instance, you now may decide if you should buy organic or not. Another choice, and this one might just put you over the edge, does this beef I am eating come from a cow that was fed grass or grain? The reason this is important is because God created cows to eat grass! not grain, and certainly not corn! More on this in another post, just whetting your appetite!

I hope it has benefited you to see by what criteria I choose the foods I feed my family. Please share your thoughts, opinions or questions.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to any information you can share with me. I've browsed through the Weston Price website and it makes sense to me, but I'm not sure how I could lose a lot of weight by eating the Nourishing Traditions way--any suggestions?

Right now, I'm eating mostly vegetables (much of it raw), fruit, whole grains (millet, quinoa, brown rice), nuts and seeds, eggs, Kefir, coconut/olive oil, but very little meat and almost no dairy. Isn't it true that they promote eating a lot of meat, dairy, and fat?

I'm still buying most of my meat from the supermarket, but I can get organic chicken from the farmer's market. Still looking for grass fed beef in my area. I haven't yet found any source of raw milk nearby, but I can buy organic milk in the store. We're hoping to move to our own land, Lord willing, in about a year. (We want a couple of dairy goats and chickens).

Sorry for the lengthy comments...I'll search your blog for more info, especially how you got started. Maybe I should just buy the book, huh? :-)

Amber Stoneburner said...

Yes! I want to hear more. This is how my husband and I have been trying to eat for the last few years, but have found great struggles in it! Especially with affording it. But we still continue to try.
Waiting to read your next thoughts....

Mary said...

We don't eat like that at all.

Anonymous said...

I've been helped by some of your other posts, especially the Dietary Guidelines. Okay, so now I'll just take a deep breath and remember to take one step at a time and do what I can for now. Thanks!

Camille said...

Great post Michelle! I am excited that I have found a local provider of grass fed and finished organic beef for a resonable price! Yaaay!! It most certainly is a journey...and I am with you ~ eat what God made...great place to begin!! :)

Have a lovely week my friend!
Love,
Camille

Michelle (She Looketh Well) said...

Hi Mrs. T. I personally have lost a lot of weight in the past year, 50 lbs. Most of what I did was cut out grains and carbs in general. All cravings are gone! I was on a few rounds of a specialized diet from my doctor to heal my pituitary, but essentially I have eaten grass-fed meat and veggies, with good oils thrown in. Funny thing is recently I have been adding in more fats as I realized that I have not been eating enough of them and I have begun to lose weight again. Have you read "Eat Fat, Lose Weight"? It is by the same author as NOurishing Traditions. I don't eat nearly that much coconut oil, but I do believe in the theory that we NEED fat and fat does not make you fat. Too much fat, too much food and definitely too many carbs make us fat. As a whole I think we eat way to many grains and carbs. One or two servings a day is plenty, in my mind, not the 8-11 the govt. recommends! Look where eating their way has gotten us a a nation!

Hope that helps some, I know God will lead each of us into what is right for us as individuals. All of us are different.

I also have read and believe wholeheartedly that the chemicals in our food make us fat and make us crave more junk! There is so much to eating naturally that we don't even know. My mind spins with the info I believe the Lord has shown me in the last couple of years. Please pray for clarity of mind for me to be able to share what I feel He has shown me.

Michelle (She Looketh Well) said...

Amber, I do hope to post some ways to be able to afford eating like this. My heart is just to encourage us to do all we can, it might not look like someone else who has a different income level. I also think there are 'hidden' things we spend our money on in the grocery store that would be better served on real food. But, it is a process, and God is so faithful to lead AND provide for what HE is calling us to. Please remember to take all these things to Him and your husband, I am just sharing my heart, but the Lord knows what YOU need. Stay encouraged and focused on Him!!