Top Recommendations for Nutritional Healing

My brother and my mom working in the garden.

I was going through old emails today, and I came across this list that my mom wrote. She emailed it to a friend awhile back who was interested in changing her family's diet but didn't know where to begin. I saved this list because I liked it and thought it was very good. I'm sharing it on my blog in hopes that it benefits others. 

Nutritional Healing

These are my top recommendations for where to begin:

1.    Learn to make bone broth and incorporate more soups into your meal planning. Bone broth is immune boosting. It is rich in minerals, gelatin and other nutrients that are extremely beneficial to your health. (Two resources I highly recommend are the book Nourishing Traditions –see the section on soups and The Healthy Home Economist website thehealthyhomeeconomist.com see recipes and videos section)

2.    STOP drinking pasteurized milk. Buy raw milk and consume it plain or as homemade yogurt or kefir. (Kefir is extremely easy to make. We like it in smoothies and drink one almost every day. I know that the raw milk is more expensive… but we are able to afford it because of the money we save not buying processed foods.)

3.    STOP buying as many processed foods as you can. Begin transitioning into buying only single ingredients: vegetables, fruit, meat, butter, good oils, dried beans, etc. Make oatmeal or granola instead of boxed breakfast cereal. Make your own salad dressing, mayonnaise, catsup, mustard, etc.. 

4.    Eat free-range, pastured chicken eggs as a low-cost alternative to meat.

5.    Buy grains in the most natural state you can afford. (Start with brown rice, oatmeal…down the road, consider getting a grain mill and grinding your own wheat and corn flour. A grain mill is a great investment. It will pay off in the long run.) Eventually you can learn to make sourdough bread instead of yeast bread. Traditional cultures used natural yeast from the air (i.e. “sourdough starter”) to leaven their bread…industrial yeast is a modern invention and is less digestible.

6.    Soak your beans and grains according to the directions in Nourishing Traditions or on The Healthy Home Economist website.

7.    Even if you’re not grinding your own flour, whenever possible make your baked goods with whole ingredients, don’t buy boxed mixes or pre-made baked goods! (bread, cookies, muffins, pancakes, etc.)

8.    STOP using refined oils such as corn, vegetable (which is really soybean) and canola oil! Use only extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, butter, and (down the road when you can make it yourself) tallow or lard. I usually buy my coconut oil by the gallon and order with a group to save on shipping. 

9.    Replace refined salt with ancient sea salt. Your body needs the minerals and micro-nutrients that are found in ancient sea salt. It is refined white salt that has given salt a bad reputation. Even white sea salt is refined. Only use ancient sea salt, which will be speckled pink or gray in color. I buy it from a co-op in bulk. 

10.  Replace refined white sugar with raw honey, succanat, or rapadura. Natural sweeteners have not had the nutrients removed…so you are getting nutrition along with the sweetness. Beware of Agave…which is being touted as a healthy sweetener  but is highly refined. (I get raw honey from a local farmer and I buy succanat from a co-op in bulk) Even natural sweeteners need to be used in moderation…no more the 2-3 Tablespoons per day. (One other healthy natural sweetener is stevia leaf which is nice in herbal tea…again be careful because the green leaf stevia is much better than the white powder because it is less refined)

11. There are many wonderful herbal teas that nourish and strengthen the body. Herbal teas can be used as vitamin supplements. I highly recommend the Bulk Herb Store. Check them out at thebulkherbstore.com.

12. Learn to make naturally fermented drinks (such as kombucha and water kefir/natural soda pop) and naturally fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut and salsa). These will be amazingly healing to the gut due to the large amounts of enzymes, probiotics and micronutrients. They also rid the body of toxins. 

Just think…baby steps! Each step you take is an investment in your health.

Many blessings,

Cathi