A few years ago, on January first, I try my very first Whole30( 45% off on Amazon).
It is simple, 30 days of just eating whole foods, nothing processes. It really isn’t that hard. (Ok, maybe the first 20 days was hard.)
Whole foods are foods that are found in nature (not made in a factory.)
They typically have only one ingredient.
So ever since then, I tend to stick to whole foods.
However, there are certainly times that we eat packaged foods.
And when we do, it is IMPERATIVE to check the food label.
To keep this simple, if the list has added sugar, numbers (example: polysorbate #80), or chemicals: try to avoid it.
Here is my list of the top 5 ingredients to avoid:
#1️⃣ Added Sugar (Another book, that has impact me was The Sugar Detox )
Here are a few other sneaky names of sugar you’ll commonly find in ingredient lists: beet sugar, brown sugar, cane juice crystals, caramel, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup solids, crystalline fructose, dextrin, golden sugar, glucose syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, raw sugar, sucanat, turbinado sugar, and yellow sugar. Don’t be fooled, these are all added sugars.
#2️⃣ Artificial Sweeteners
Chemicals like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame K, and neotame are so sweet that they can change your palate and actually cause you to crave more sugar. These chemicals have also been linked to serious health conditions and cancers.
#3️⃣ Food Dyes
Most commonly, food dyes have numbers after them. Some have even been linked to health risks… Red Dye #40 (thyroid cancer and nerve interference), Blue #1 and #2 (chromosomal/DNA damage), Yellow #6/Yellow Tartrazine (kidney and adrenal tumors).
#4️⃣ High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
This highly refined sweetener is the number one source of empty calories in the standard American diet. It is linked to high “bad” cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, liver failure, tooth decay, obesity, heart disease and dementia.
#5️⃣ Partially Hydrogenated Oils (aka trans fats)
This is highly processed and your body has no need or use for it.
Eating whole foods is just another example how we can show love towards ourself. If we nourish our body with the right foods, we are truly honoring God. We are being grateful to God for our lives.
I know that it is not easy in this crazy busy world of motherhood. But maybe if you pick two things to add that is whole foods and remove one that isn’t. Or just one on one. It is a start.
It is in the small steps that we will be able to do the bigger steps in life.
We got to educated ourselves and our children so that they can live a fuller healthier life.
Today’s great Saint, John Bosco, even tells mothers to show love of self.
Listen, I fallen off a few times (ok more than a few times) eating just whole foods.
I know it is not really that hard, fighting kids to do math set is hard.
Once I had the right mindset, I knew that eating did 2 things for me, either made me sick or made me healthy.
But as a mother of 5 kids sometimes it’s just easier to eat unhealthy and process foods. Or is it? In the long run, does it make it easier on Life?
Not really. I grew up number 6 out of 7 (a bottom feeder) and my mother didn’t have a very healthy lifestyle (no exercise or eating well). Her end of life is not the best one.
I don’t want to live like. I want to live life to the fullest especially as my children grow up. I want to be active like for my grandchildren.
So I challenge myself to do things to keep me on the healthiest path even if I walk away from it for awhile.
So I want to challenge you as well as myself (can you tell I love challenges; 5 Day Catholic Mom Whole-Body and Merciful Love Challenge)
So I thought why not challenge you and me to a 5 Days of Cleaning up our eating challenge.
Over the next 5 days, we will learn how to eat a little cleaner and live a lot better one step at a time!
Receive 5 dinner recipes of whole foods to try. I try them on kids which they love. Ok, so my kids are strange, they like alot of strange foods but try it!
Lasting success takes consistency and TIME.
Many people are surprised at how easy it is to reach their goals. Many people are also surprised with how long it takes to reach their goals.
Success is hard work and it does not happen overnight. It does not happen from one decision – but from the decisions you make day in and day out.
SO, Sign up below for this Cleaning Up Your Act(NO, your eating) for FREE and receive as well 5 Whole Foods Dinner Recipes.
This challenge will jumpstart to a healthier YOU.
With the Love of Christ,
Maria Cecilia
P.S. 2 things that make my life as a mother easier.
1. Amazon Prime – Now in some areas, Whole Foods delivery within an hour! Oh, what a dream that would be for me, not having to drive an hour to a Whole Foods. Maybe you are luckier and they have it in your zip code but even if not, you can get a lot of great items on Amazon ($3 for a month membership for you to try it out.)
2. Mealing Planning – Ok, I am not much of cookbook mama, I am more of pin it on pinterest. So I have a board that says, weekly meal with sections one for each day of the week. I find my recipes, I pin them to the correct day. I can easy find it when it is time to cook!
