It may appear daunting to take your family on an unprocessed - or minimally-processed journey. I'm here to share with you how I slowly introduced this lifestyle to my family of five without (much) kicking and screaming - and I don't mean from the kids, lol.
Step 1: Know Your Why
I immersed myself in books and online research about unprocessed eating and the impact of processed foods on our lives. I knew early on this was a lifestyle I wanted to adopt for several reasons:
I want to live a long life. Health is the most important thing, and the old saying goes, I'll take care of me for you, if you take care of you for me.
I want my three daughters to have a positive relationship with food.
I want to support local food sources and help the environment.
I stand tall upon these pillars, so I will unlikely abandon this lifestyle because it is too challenging or tedious. One of my core values is Vision. When I know where I'm going and why, it's difficult to stop me. Find the why that makes you difficult to stop.
Step 2: Get Real and Take Inventory
The first thing I did was take inventory of the most frequently eaten items in our home. They are/were: bread, Silk non-dairy half and half, cream cheese, bagels, frozen waffles, orange juice, coffee beans, sugar, cheese, deli meat, canned tuna, frozen dino-shaped chicken nuggets, hot dogs, frozen pizza, 90-sec rice, string cheese, Chef Boyardee Beefaroni (that was mine do NOT judge), popsicles, ice cream, Oreos, Doritos/other chips, salmon, shrimp, scallops.
I put these items in the following spreadsheet and identified unprocessed or minimally processed versions. I also thought about what I could buy at a farmer's market instead or through our Community Supported Agriculture program. See my example:
Currently Consuming | Switch Out With | Can I Buy at Farmer's Market? |
Nondairy half and half | Regular half and half (fewer ingredients) | Locate dairy vendor at farmer's market? |
I did this with all of the items, but it didn't take too long as a good bunch of my list was not eligible for the Switch Out or Can I Buy at Farmers Market (I'm looking at you, Beefaroni). They're ultra-processed garbage that needed to permanently exit my home. Herein lies the hard part: enter three children who regularly graze on mini bags of chips, Ritz crackers, string cheese, cookies, and more.
Step 3: Exorcize the Ultra Processed Foods
We first let the kids know we would change how we've been eating and shared why foods that are not highly processed are much better for our bodies. Oldest was making the connection - so much so that she announced everywhere we went for the next two weeks when she recognized highly processed foods. I loved it because she'd heard what I shared and applied that knowledge. It was much more challenging when she realized her favorite food - dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets - was also highly processed. Enter weeping child.
I did this with all of the items, but it didn't take too long as a good bunch of my list was not eligible for the Switch Out or Can I Buy at Farmers Market (I'm looking at you, Beefaroni). They're ultra-processed garbage that needed to permanently exit my home. Herein lies the hard part: enter three children who regularly graze on mini bags of chips, Ritz crackers, string cheese, cookies, and more.
Step 4: Back It Up with Action
This step is critical. Your family needs to see you walking the walk that you so vehemently talked. I found our family's success in this because my husband and I were 1000% on board. Not only were processed foods out of our home, but we also did not complain that there was nothing to eat or whine about missing the Pirate's Booty. We snack on vegetables and hummus, brie and fresh bread, sliced fruit, and yogurt.
And guess what? After about a one-week adjustment, they got used to it! Gone are the days of the pantry door opening and opening a bag of fill-in-the-blank. Now they go to the fruit bowl and grab a banana, apple, or cheese. And since they are not constantly grazing because they eat fresh, whole foods, they are hungry at mealtime and eat their dang food. Another upside? We produce less garbage thanks to fewer chip bags, wrappers, and other individually wrapped items in our house.
Step 5: Celebrate!
There are lots to celebrate on this journey, and I encourage you to take time to recognize that you've taken even the first step! Take time to notice differences in your energy level, skin, overall health - and kids' as well! Maybe you see more kindness and even tempers thanks or better sleep habits? Don't forget to celebrate your courage in making new recipes or eating unique veggies that arrived in your CSA share.
Step five is a lesson in slowing down and appreciating moments that may have been fleeting before. Stay in step five for a while and revisit it often.
What is an unexpected upside you noticed in yourself or your family after you went unprocessed? Share in the comments!