organic junk fooder - help me break the cycle.

[Queermama]

So I'm a fanatic about eating organic foods. but my problem is that I eat tooooo much junk food. it's all organic but the sugar is killing me (and my partner as she is suffering from Candida). I am a nursing mama and kick myself when I think about the amount of sugar in my breast milk.  I am thinking of completely cleaning out the pantry and fridge this weekend and starting over. I would love any advice.  I do still eat protein and some veggies... but the refined foods are too much.

 we want to create a sugar free house.  bake sweets with stevia.  and eliminate refined foods completely.  We live in a town where it is super easy to get whole, healthy foods.  but i would love advice from those who are on this path.

best, J

[mommy212]

We are striving for this too :) Don't beat yourself up about! Cleaning out the kitchen sounds like a great idea- we had a perfect opportunity lately when we went on a 3 week trip and had to do it anyways. here's what i try to do to keep our house healthy:

-meal plan! scrambling at the last minute, you eat all sorts of weird stuff or get take out. Plan a week at a time, make a list, and go for it

-don't buy anything you wouldn't want your LO to eat. I don't mean like don't buy tofu because LO is not soy-ready or whatever, but if it's not healthy enough you'd be happy with her eating it keep it away

-cooking stuff from scratch is a great way to get those yummy carbs we all crave, and you can make it healthier than buying it. Start off replacing the white flour 50/50 if you are not used to whole wheat products, then gradually increase the amount of ww flour. No advice here on baking with stevia, as I never use it.

Good luck

[tinybutterfly]

I do occassionally indulge, but I have cut waaaay back. I Big Puffy Pink HEART!!! Annie's Cheddar Bunnies and could eat a whole box all by myself. I had to quit buying them.

Veggie Booty? LOVE it!!!

Newman's O's mint cookies? Be still my heart!

I replaced that stuff with nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruit, cheese and "good" crackers I try to keep some cut veggies around periodically, etc. and it has helped. A lot.

Like I said, I do indulge now and then, but since I don't have that kind of stuff in my house on an everyday basis anymore, it is much easier.

I do Feingold diet ( not so much artificial additives, preservatives, dyes) and today I am having a Subway veggie sandwich, Lay's potato chips ( another thing I LOVE, but do not keep in the house) and an oatmeal raisen cookie for lunch. The chips and cookie are a total treat. I don't have those often anymore. They are Feingold okay, but really my whole lunch is not so terrific. I am okay with that since I do not eat like this everyday.

I agree toss out ( or give away) all the foods you do not want to be eating now and replace them with something healthier.

Good luck to both of you!

[MidcoastMEMom]

Oh, goodness. I'm glad I found this thread. I need to do this. I am also an organic junk food junkie. It's still junk food, I have to remind myself. Or just because I lovingly made chocolate chip cookies from "whole" (not overly processed) ingredients and they're not Chips Ahoy, doesn't mean I can eat a half dozen in a row!! It's hard because I'm super hungry when I'm nursing. I've found, like the PP, if it's not around, I won't eat it. Difficult because DH loves junk. But I am trying to be good because I need to lose my belly fat! I'm loving raisins and almonds as a "sweet" snack, as well as plain greek yogurt with a touch of honey or maple syrup. I've even frozen the yogurt in popsicle makers to replace my ice cream.

Any other nursing moms have good tips for quick, go-to healthy snacks? I'm thinking about trying to make my own granola that isn't loaded with sugar and fat. I've heard that oats increase milk supply, so that might be good!