Real Food Face-Off: Hallee’s Complete & Expanded Answers
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I will be walking the Boston 3-Day the last weekend in July in honor of Gregg's mom, Ryta Gail, who died from breast cancer when he was a little boy.
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ok I guess I’ll go with #2(major incentive for having a real food lifestyle)-honestly it has come down to our budget…its so much cheaper to make things from scratch. Then I learned to read labels…and that too was such an eye opener. The process from going from processed food to whole food hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. I do still have my doubters and people wondering how I find the time to do, but I find I just make the time. The food tastes SO much better! You are my inspiration, Hallee, you inspire me everyday!
Heather -you have constantly been a source of encouragement for me. Thank you so much!
I am loving this Real Food Face-Off and have enjoyed so much learning about everyone’s food journeys! Here are a few of my answers:
4. What food was your favorite that you no longer eat (or shouldn’t eat)? Well, this is a drink, but I was amazed when I first noticed that I have no desire for soft drinks anymore. Those were one of the hardest things for me to give up when fixing our favorite meals like tacos, hamburgers, pizza, and snacks like popcorn. For a long time, I would indulge only during those times, but I am perfectly content drinking water or unsweetened tea these days and I honestly thought that would never happen.
6. What was the hardest transition to make to real food? The hardest transition has been getting used to spending more time in the kitchen and having to think ahead about meals. I used to come up on 5 p.m. and wander into the kitchen, open the fridge and try to come up with something for supper. I can’t do that anymore.
8. What’s next on your list of changes to make? I would love to start fermenting vegetables and making yogurt on a regular basis.
9. List your top 3 baby steps to move from a Standard American Diet to Real Food. The first step I took was to cut out MSG. I was having headaches sometimes three times a month that lasted for two or three days. It was debilitating and I was in a vicious cycle of driving through the drive-thrus on those nights just to get my family fed. I was feeding the headaches with more MSG. I started making my own dressings, taco mixes, soups, etc. and stopped buying boxed mac and cheese, etc. It was very hard because in the beginning I was still having headaches but the changes at first were small and doable and I was gradually able to move ahead to more. The second thing was to begin buying free-range eggs, raw milk, local honey from people I knew or knew about. I felt empowered to know that I could make small changes and still benefit my family’s health. Third, I started making homemade stocks and freezing for use in everything I felt I could add it to. I could go on, but you said three. :o)
14. Biggest drawback of real food lifestyle? I am still working on the budgeting. We have five very hungry people in our house and can put away the food! I have to figure out monthly what I can and can’t buy and continue to make adjustments and grow in the area of food budget.
17. What do you refuse to buy at a grocery store that you do eat from its source? With a 12-year-old daughter and a teenage son (and an older son who still lives with us), and me beginning the menopause journey and a husband who enjoys his masculinity, it is important to me to forego all the hormone-filled meats, so I buy local (within the state) grass-fed/finished beef from our Oklahoma co-op. I am at the point of only buying hamburger since it is the most affordable way to purchase meat now, so we are doing without the other cuts of meat. If only I could afford the chicken…
19. Best book recommendations? The first book I ever read that started me down this journey is “What the Bible Says About Healthy Living”. I still love it today. I have recently purchased “Nourishing Traditions” and look forward to diving into it more. I also love “Virgin Coconut Oil” that I got free with my first order through Tropical Traditions.
This has been fun! Thanks for opening up your comments for all our answers!
I love “What the Bible Says About Healthy Living” and I have “Nourishing Traditions” on the way! I’m so excited to be getting it.
I, too, am surprised at how much I don’t want soda now. I used to drink 3 or 4 Cokes a day and never imagined not drinking it. Now, when we have the treat of an organic soda for parties or something, I don’t enjoy the super sweet taste at all. We do have the benefit of a local ginger-ale bottling plant that uses real sugar, so I do keep that on hand for my husband and guests. That will satisfy my occasional want of something not too sweet but still carbonated.
My response to the “organic” question is a lot different because there are certain things that I am willing to spend a lot more money on to get “organic, locally grown, hormone-free,” including dairy and meat. Specifically milk, eggs, cheese and chicken.
To offset that cost, I grow many of my own vegetables (especially our regular daily/weekly favorites) in my own organic, pesticide-free backyard.
I do it because I think that chemicals and hormones weaken our body.
I also love the fact that my kids sat down for dinner the other night and ate carrots they had pulled from the ground themselves and avocados they had picked from their own tree.
Sara:
I don’t know if you’ve read the other “face offs” for this or not. Across the board, there was a consensus that local over-rode organic every time. You live in a rocking state, produce-wise, though, where your local IS organic – lol. Where my mom lives, you’re lucky to find organic lettuce in a bag shipped from Peru, much less anything else labeled organic.
We’re looking into buying a cow from a local farmer and having it butchered, and we already do hormone-free chickens and eggs. But the organic eggs are four times more than the hormone free, so I only treat myself to the organic ones on occasion.
I’m glad I found your blog at Kitchen Stewardship today! :)