Time to get off the takeout train, the restaurant money and health suck, and get cooking at home!
One of the biggest challenges that face most people that find themselves with poor digestion, as well as health issues is that they have been eating out of boxes, bags, cans, take out and restaurant food for their whole life. They are TERRIFIED they will “not be able to eat” because they learn that they can no longer tolerate “all the food” in their life. The great news is it’s really a simple process, and over time you will be making food that tastes so much better than any restaurant, take out or canned item you ever bought! So where to start?
1- Ditch all the packages boxes and bags and replace them with whole foods like fruits, vegetables, meats.
Start with one meal if you are feeling overwhelmed with the idea of taking away all the convenience and not knowing how to cook any food. Breakfast is a great place to replace packages. Many Americans eat out of a frozen box for breakfast, or if not frozen another type of processed box. These types of breakfast are not “complete” despite their marketing. They are CARB loaded, no healthy fats, and no proteins. This leaves you hungry shortly after and craving MORE because you got no nutrients to start your day. They are also heavily corn syrup, corn starch and corn based which is also GMO in this country, and a SUGAR overload, thus causing stress on the body to handle all that sugar right away in the morning.
Thinking about how much time you have and the rush to get out of the door? Most people have this problem in the morning. If you are feeling like you cannot cook each morning (ex: eggs, a fresh cup of fruit, or a healthy muffin) this is an easy fix. If you like the quick convenience of rewarming and going, take one day a week that is your down day and prep ahead so this is all that needs doing. OR if you don’t want to set aside a separate time, you prep it ahead while cooking dinner one night. I recommend a whole week’s worth. Here is an example! Make a large batch, individually wrap and freeze! Top with some fresh fruit. These are made in a way that creates healthy fat, protein, and balanced carbs for breakfast!
This is just one meal example, but this method can be done for every meal that you do.
2- Start with recipes from great sources!
If you don’t know how to make up meals on the spot – the best way to start is compiling some great recipes from known great sources. How many times have you decided on a night to try to cook, only to find that Pinterest recipe was terrible? Then you confirm that your cooking skills are subpar? That is actually not the case. Not all bloggers and recipe creators are equal. Here are a few I love!
Working with an NTP also helps you learn what dietary needs you have, as well as getting great sources and great recipes!
3- Learn about ingredients, spices, fats.
This can be done by reading blogger posts on food, working with an NTP, watching cooking shows, and reading cookbooks! Understanding that fats (healthy) make vegetables taste better is key to having an enjoyable meal. Understanding that you can create sauces and marinades from scratch in minutes or less, and how they help food taste better with spices and whole foods is key. You can learn this by doing, or by reading and watching others. A lot of this comes with practice and trying over and over again. You will get a meal that comes out just right. When that happens, remember what you did. When it doesn’t remember what was missing. You just have to DO IT!
4- Start with a meal service.
There are many organic, and clean meal services out there. You order meals for 3 or more days a week. They send you the recipe and the ingredients and you cook it. This helps you see what types of foods pair well together, what types of spices and condiments go with the meals and how to put it together, and how long it takes to cook certain types of foods and meals. I have used HelloFresh myself over the years. They have decent meals and are priced well. A word of caution, this isn’t specific to dietary need and isn’t always unprocessed products that come with it, and it is NOT organic. I highly recommend an organic source, and one focused on cleaner products. However, if you started with HelloFresh to try, you can always make a switch or decide you have graduated to doing it on your own!
With all these things in mind, grab some recipes, head to the store, and make some delicious meals. Even if it is just a few days a week to start, that is better than none! Once you start enjoying those meals, you will want to do it more.
Need help with all this? Not sure what your dietary needs are?
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