This document discusses healthy eating and provides tips for adopting a healthier diet. It begins by outlining the author's personal journey with nutrition and health issues. Next, it defines what healthy eating means, including benefits like glowing skin and balanced hormones. More reasons to eat healthy include setting a good example for children. The document then discusses choosing whole, fresh foods and avoiding GMOs and processed foods when possible. Specific food groups like vegetables, carbohydrates like fruits, and healthy fats are examined. Overall recommendations encourage starting small, finding balance, and making informed choices about food sources and costs.

1. Healthy Eating
Living, feeling and learning the
importance of eating the types of
food God has designed us to enjoy

2. The account of my own journey (thus far)
Journeys don’t all start or look the same
• Where I started: my roots, reasons and influences:
– Mom
– College
– Marriage (health issues)
• Infertility and hormone imbalance battle (the BIG why)
– The long road (the many styles of eating/lifestyles)
– The balanced approach I am currently striving for: looks
similar to vegan but not strict and incorporates the
occasional meat

3. Defined
• Let’s ask “What is healthy?”
– Healthy can be defined a number of ways, but here are a
few evident indicators you will reap by making a majority
of your foods whole:
• Glowing skin
• LOTS of natural energy and vitality
• A fit body (and one that functions well in motion!)
• Balances hormones, blood sugar and mood
• Good perspective on life and positive attitude
• Enhances your sharp mind
• Aides in becoming pain free (you will start to know your
body better)

4. More reasons why you should try to eat
healthier
• NUMBER 1: Your body is a temple. You are stewarding even this for
the glory of God. MAKE IT USABLE!
• Have lifestyle-related ailments or health issues? Eating healthy and
balanced is proven to help battle symptoms and sometimes,
resolving the problem!
• It is cheaper and easier to eat the basics (more on that coming…)
• BIG ONE: Your kids are watching; they are learning about food by
what YOU pick and deem as good:
– It’s important because, in a ever changing society, food is not what is used
to be. We must now be proactive about our choices.
– Your children will have long term battles with food if not properly
educated at home
– Many additives and processes our food undergoes could be very harmful
to their health long term if not properly handled

5. Why your grandparents didn't deal
with food allergies
 They ate seasonal, fresh, real food
• Preservatives and processing methods did not exist yet
• They ate what was available
 Didn't diet or play games with metabolism
 Cooked food at home (and from scratch)
 Ate the whole animal and, unless the illness/case was life
threatening, they used food as medicine
• Bone broth needs to make a come back (minerals and
vitamins galore! And talk about economical)
• Organs were frequently consumed back then as well
 Spent a lot of time outside
• Sun burns germs off, boosts immunity
• Its proven that moving boosts immunity and makes us heart
healthy
 Didn't eat GMOs, additives, preservatives, stabilizers or thickeners
5

6. Wait: what exactly is a GMO and why
the hype?
• GMO is a genetically modified organism (aka, your food)
– “living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially
manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering…. This
relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant,
animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or
through traditional crossbreeding methods.”
• Pro: makes American crops less susceptible to disease and
decreases harm by pests
– Pads the pockets of food producers as it extends the shelf life of the
products, giving us the convenience of ready made food.... But at the
cost of the customers health
• Concern: It’s outlawed in more than 60 countries… but not
ours.
– “a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health
problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and
consumers’ rights.”
6

8. Other GMO possible consequences

10. And truth be told:
Food isn’t what it used to be
Today, its important to make
informed choices
**Quick Tip: looking at the
ingredient list on the back o
a product is helpful
(the rule of thumb is if it has
more than 5 ingredients,
pass it up)

12. Where do I start?
• Start small, baby steps and add as
you go!
• Have fun with it/make it delicious!
– Try one new thing a week or a month
• Switch out tried and true
ingredient replacements
– (if you are feeling adventurous, play
with recipes a bit and transform old
favorites into something with more
nutrition!)
– Example

13. What does this look like?
• First off, ITS NOT A DIET! It’s a lifestyle.
– Health trends exist because we have forgotten
how to eat
• You will eat a lot of colorful, flavorful foods
– aka: foods with benefits, going beyond the vitamin
• Good way include observing how others eat
around the world!

14. Lets take a balanced approach

15. Afewexamplesofdeliciousrealfoods
(Withbenefits!)

16. What will it cost me?
• Buying high quality foods might mean you
need to buy organic
• Some convenience is lost: requires some
prep time (the cost of labor)
• Might feel like a total waste if family doesn’t
like it or if not prepare it well

17. No one ever said all healthy had to be
expensive!

18. Tips for cutting costs
• Buy what’s in season and what’s on sale
• Remember to watch out for the clean 15 and dirty
dozen!
• If you have to choose from a can or frozen, always
go with frozen (the exception is organic tomatoes)
• Serve meat as a side item and not the main dish (r
emember our balance picture?)
• ** Especially helpful when you are buying high quality
meat
• Buy in bulk when you can, join a co-op or use
farmer markets/online resources (depending on
what you want)

19. Let's take a look at balance in everyday
meals and starting points
• Picking Veggies
• Proper carb sources
• Proteins
• Fats
• ...and other mentionable food groups!
19

21. Start with vegetables
21

22. Reasons certain
foods are on the
clean 15:
• Thick skins (or
you don’t eat
the skins)
• Usually skins
are tough
enough that
pesticides
don’t seep in

23. Kale, Cabbage, Celery and Spinach
• Personally, my “go-to” few
• Benefits:
– Add bulk to your meal
– Add additional nutrition (kale and spinach contain
plant proteins)
– Mostly versatile for many dishes
• Spinach can be tasteless when added to smoothies
• Celery adds crunch in salads or other dishes
• Cabbage sautéed looks and acts like a noodle

24. Kale
• Sauté
• Smoothie
• Dips/sauces
• Make great chips and
salads!
24

25. 25
Cabbage
• What do you do with
it?
• Use it as a filler, sauté
it, roast it, make roll
ups with it

26. Celery
26
• Makes for a great
crunchy filler
• Need a handy
dipper? Use celery
for more than just
peanut butter!

27. Onions, garlic, vinegars...oh my!
• Can we say immunity boosters?
27

28. Brussel Sprout
Salad
With homemade
Dried cranberries
Pacific caught
salmon with
Avocado kale
salad
ORDERING OUT:
Grilled Mahi Mahi with
Rice, asparagus and
Okinawan Sweet
potatoes
Some examples:

29. Other dishes found in our
home!
Brown rice and carrots
Many different shades of soups!

30. If you are able,
embrace smoothies!
Really can't get kids to eat
their greens?
Our favorite smoothie
recipe:
* 1 frozen banana
* 1 handful of spinach
* 1 T maple syrup
* 1/2 avocado
* 1 t vanilla
* 1/4-1/2 c milk of
choice
* Optional: cacao/cocoa
powder, cinnamon,
chia seeds, oatmeal,
other frozen fruits

31. Carbohydrates: Pick the right ones!
31
Kale Sweet potato
quinoa fritters!

32. Fruits and other power carbs
• Yes. A fruit is a carb. And a sugar. But they are
the best of both worlds!
• Contain dozens of antioxidants and are
considered superfoods
– A majority of them are found in the top super
food categories!!
32

33. Many of these are
fruits, but notice the
beans, nuts and other
mentionable foods
(coffee and chocolate
to name a few)
mentioned here too!
** remember to buy in
season for both cost
and freshness!

34. Yes, baked goods and
treats are still
possible!
** These are examples of
other good carbs
More carbs
Just be mindful of your
cooking ingredients!

35. Kids will love alternative
carbs too!
Get creative with your treats!!

36. Fats:
(don’t be afraid of them!!)
• Pick those that don't clog arteries (raw, unsalted nuts over a
dairy product)
• Moderation
• Good choices:
– Butter
– Clarified butter (Ghee)
– Olive Oil
– Coconut Oil (don’t like the taste? use refined)
– Avocado
– Cacao butter (when making chocolate!!)

37. Homemade Chocolate!
My recipes
incorporate maple
syrup/honey as my
sweetener; I also
add chia seeds for
crunch and maca
root powder for
hormone balancing.

38. Consider the other costs…
• Either pay for high quality foods now or insurance
deductibles later (many major companies getting on board
with this idea....)
• You lose much needed nutrition buying pre-washed and
packaged/canned foods (exception to the rule is tomatoes) --
plus they are usually more expensive than buying fresh!
• You are depriving your body of the many needed vitamins
and minerals naturally found in food (taking vitamins: the
body can't absorb the essential vitamins unless balances with
a healthy diet)
• Husband addition: Pain in exercise with great payoff or pain
in the hospital…
38

39. Recommendations
• Resources: Starkville real foods (facebook page),
Pinterest (lead to very helpful blogs), Azure Co-op
(Tupelo branch)
• Eating out? Helpful tip: if you want a bunch of
vegetables on your plate, always order from the
vegetarian or vegan menu and add your protein
choice and other items on the side
• UPDATE: CSA AG Garden in Starkville (Johnny
Wrays– over the garden)

40. More helpful
eating out
advice:
watch the
wording!

41. Take aways
• You must make the choice to do it
• Be aware of your foods sources
• It’s all about balance!!
• Ask these questions:
– Using or abusing food?
– Self serving or kingdom serving?
– Will this food choice give me the proper fuel I need for
the rest of the day or will it have me crashing and
burning in about 20 minutes…?