Need suggestions for a healthy family diet.

[Beauchamp]

I'm a nursing mama, and I plan to be nursing for some time, since my DS is only 13 wks old. My DD is 2. We currently try to eat organic when possible (I aim for avoiding the Dirty Dozen, mostly.) But we do eat out quite a bit (infant and 2yo it's so hard to be organized and I'm a little crazy right now.) and DH is the hardest to transition to anything "weird". But overall I KNOW we can be eating healthier.

We don't have any major symptoms of illness that I know of. DS is on reflux meds, though. DD seems to be healthy. DH gets indigestion often, but nothing major. I have back pain/arthritis/degenerative disc disease from an Army injury. But even though we don't have any obvious signs, I think we could just be healthier.

We try to eat well, but snacks creep in a lot. DH and I eat not so great things after the kiddos are asleep and we have a little bit of down time. I think the carbs, desserts, etc, make us feel good and help us relax.

I don't know...I just feel like diet is something I can change (whereas I CAN'T change the crazy chaos of being a SAHM to two tiny ones)

I want to make a change and don't know where to begin-- I read that dairy is bad. Grains are bad. Conventional foods are bad. Meat is bad. What is left???

Can anyone recommend something that I'll actually be able to do? I've been reading about GAPS (which sounds hard) but the gut flora stuff sounds very true to me. I'd like to improve that for my family, but I'm not sure if full-on GAPS is an option.

Any help or advice, please? Thank you!

[1love4ever]

The only thing that I think is "bad" out of what you mentioned is conventional food, and perhaps gluten(wheat) although I dont avoid it.  We stick to all organic foods, and whole foods.  We certainly dont eat processed foods, although my thing to relax while DD is asleep is Ben and Jerrys Ice cream.  I make sure to buy the ones without soy, corn or canola oil because those are GMO foods unless certified organic.

I would suggest reading all my posts here, watching the videos that I mention, etc http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1321919/reasons-to-go-organic-and-tips-to-make-it-affordable  a 

The main thing you could focus on to begin with is making all your meat and dairy products organic or grass fed/finished, and local if possible.  I would for sure drink raw milk if you can find it(cow or goat), my second choice would be pasturized(NOT ultra-pasturized), non-homogenized organic milk.   And not buying crap food like Fruity Pebbles for example lol.  We pretty much eat nothing with added sugar(except my ice cream), but when I bake I use organic sugar, although I always use a lot less.  I understand how you feel about wanting to improve your families diet and health, and I believe you can do it through food.  Remember, you are improving their health for the rest of their lives, not just now. 

Probiotcs are always a good thing, I recommend Garden of Life Raw Probiotics for kids for your 2yo.  I also give DD kefir as well as drink it myself.

[mambera]

I don't really buy the 'meat/dairy/grain/pickyerpoison is BAD' line at all.  I think humans are readily adaptable to a wide range of optimal diets, and while some people may have sensitivities to certain foods and do best avoiding those, I don't think you can make blanket statements that entire food groups are Bad (except stuff like refined sugar/white flour, but those come under the refined/processed heading).

I do think that refined/processed/'fake' food is not the greatest idea.  I really like Michael Pollan's advice: "Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants."  Food meaning real, actual food, a recognizable part of a plant or an animal, the less that has been done to it before you get it the better.

I'm with you on the organic line, I buy organic for the Dirty Dozen and for other things when available, but overall I feel variety trumps organic status - we would really have to limit the variety of our diet if we were to buy 'everything' organic and I don't think that's healthy either.

From what you've described I'd say the thing I'd work hardest to change would be the processed carb snacks/desserts.  Those really have no nutritional value and typically contain refined sugars/trans fats which are actually harmful.  Could you find a substitute - either something radically different that would feed your sweet tooth (Greek yogurt with nuts and honey? Homemade granola? Dried figs/dates?) or if you like to bake, experimenting with making your own treats using whole-grain flours and reducing the sweeteners?

[SundayCrepes]

I've been a vegetarian since 1984. Mainly for philosophical reasons, but also for health reasons. I don't think it's natural for humans to eat lots of meat. However, I especially don't think that eating animals that have been fed lots of junk and raised in emotionally challenging circumstances is healthy. 

We recently had our dietary lives turned upside down because of our daughter's sensitivities. So, no gluten, no dairy, no cane sugar (though beet sugar would be fine,) and no tomatoes.

And I LOVE this diet. It is so much healthier than what we ate before. Although I'd always tried to avoid stock foods with sugar in them, I would buy some things like Chex cereal. Now I can't do that. Also, I don't buy processed gluten free foods. They are low fiber, tasted bad, and are expensive. Instead I've done lots of searching for alternative. I now cook with a lot of coconut milk (great for creamy soups and ice cream.) I make tortillas out of mung beans, we eat more beans and nuts. I cook with Trader Joe's rice milk or Rice Dream rather than cow's milk. (I try to avoid soy and most dairy-free milks have carageenan, which I've read is an intestinal irritant--something she doesn't need.)

Basically, what has happened is we have been forced to find a wider variety of healthier foods. My husband and I used to joke that all we ate was macaroni and cheese. EVERYTHING we ate seemed to have wheat and cheese in it. Now we must be original--sauteed green beans with almonds and shitake mushrooms over brown rice. Cream of broccoli soup made with potatoes, broccoli, and coconut milk.

So, since you don't have mandatory dietary restrictions, slowly start looking around for vegetarian, gluten free, dairy-free recipes that you find yummy. Start slowly so you don't get burned out and see what yummy foods you come across. The point isn't necessarily to exclude all meat, gluten, milk, and sugar from your diet, but rather to open yourself up to new, healthier foods.

Also, check out www.elanaspantry.com. She cooks mainly with almond flour. She uses a lot of agave syrup but I generally replace with honey instead. So, when I make bread, I know my kids are eating almonds. Same with cupcakes and cookies. Plus her stuff is so tasty. 

So find healthy foods that you like to eat.

[bodhitree]

It can get pretty confusing, since everyone has their own ideas and a lot of them seem to be diametrically opposed (i.e., some people do well on a vegetarian diet, others do best with lots of animal products). It seems to me like some things are true for everybody, and then other things depend on your own particular constitution and pre-existing health conditions. The things that seem to be true for everybody are:

-Processed industrial foods are not good for you

-Sugar and white flour are not good for you

-More fruits and veggies are better than fewer fruits and veggies (unless you have some sort of digestive problem that makes it hard for you to process fruits and veggies, which seems to be pretty rare but does happen)

Things that you have to figure out for yourself are:

-Do you do well with large amounts of grains and beans, or do you feel better when you minimize these foods?

-Can you get by with few animal products, or do you need to eat them frequently?

-Can you tolerate dairy and gluten?

It sounds like the first step for you could be cutting out the sweets and processed carbs. Another good thing to work on could be getting more veggies into your meals. I aim to have half my plate be filled with veggies at lunch and dinner, while most of my fruit consumption is at breakfast. You might also be able to find easier ways of cooking meals so you don't end up going out so much. I know using my slow cooker helps me out a ton with that! Just making improvements in these three areas could improve your health and make you feel better. Then once you're used to that, you can work on figuring out the other aspects of your nutrition to see what works best for you. But for now, I wouldn't even worry about all the controversies about grains/dairy/meat/whatever. Work on the things you know you can improve, and once you're solid on those you can worry about the rest.

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by bodhitree 

It can get pretty confusing, since everyone has their own ideas and a lot of them seem to be diametrically opposed (i.e., some people do well on a vegetarian diet, others do best with lots of animal products). It seems to me like some things are true for everybody, and then other things depend on your own particular constitution and pre-existing health conditions. The things that seem to be true for everybody are:

-Processed industrial foods are not good for you

-Sugar and white flour are not good for you

-More fruits and veggies are better than fewer fruits and veggies (unless you have some sort of digestive problem that makes it hard for you to process fruits and veggies, which seems to be pretty rare but does happen)

Things that you have to figure out for yourself are:

-Do you do well with large amounts of grains and beans, or do you feel better when you minimize these foods?

-Can you get by with few animal products, or do you need to eat them frequently?

-Can you tolerate dairy and gluten?

It sounds like the first step for you could be cutting out the sweets and processed carbs. Another good thing to work on could be getting more veggies into your meals. I aim to have half my plate be filled with veggies at lunch and dinner, while most of my fruit consumption is at breakfast. You might also be able to find easier ways of cooking meals so you don't end up going out so much. I know using my slow cooker helps me out a ton with that! Just making improvements in these three areas could improve your health and make you feel better. Then once you're used to that, you can work on figuring out the other aspects of your nutrition to see what works best for you. But for now, I wouldn't even worry about all the controversies about grains/dairy/meat/whatever. Work on the things you know you can improve, and once you're solid on those you can worry about the rest.

Good suggestions! 

If we had an organic restaurant where I live I know we would eat out a lot more than we do too, but since we do not, and it is so important to me to eat organic foods(and humanely raised animals/animal products), then I can not rely on eating out like I actually used to before I had learned everything that I know now.

It does get extremely expensive, and I have certainly found that eating whole foods versus processed, packaged foods(approx. $1 of every $11 you spend pays for the packaging of your conventional food products) is cheaper.  Cheaper still is growing my own food and buying organic foods at farmers markets!

Also, for snacks during the day, you could just eat a piece of fruit or a cup of berries instead of, say, a granola bar, candy bar, etc.  That is what I give DD for a snack- a pear, cut up apple, banana, blueberries, etc.  And it is certainly not a bad idea for you and your DH either!