Hi, my name is Christina. I am thrilled that you stopped by this blog because it means you have an interest in healthy living with Real Food. Until May 2012, my family survived by eating mostly fast food and food that came from a box. You know the stuff I am talking about. Just open this can, this packet and stir. As long as I got through a meal without one of the kids throwing a fit over the meal presented to them I was thrilled and thought I was doing a good job providing for them. I didn’t know that Real Food was actually a movement in this country, hadn’t heard of a CSA and thought the farmer’s market was the place you went to get kettle corn. By the way…..the farmer’s market is a great place to get kettle corn, but so much more as well.
How bad did we get? Probably worse than you could possibly imagine. We are a family of 4 kids (who as
of May ranged from college age to preschool), Dad and Mom. Mom and Dad both worked full time outside of the house and then had to race back across town each evening to run the kids to their events. The kids had schedules that often left us double and triple booked and falling into bed with exhaustion each night. I love that they are little over-achievers, but boy is that hard to keep up with. Nutrition was the farthest thing from my mind back then. I was just glad that I fed them something. We would often grab something like sugary cereal or toaster pastries for breakfast for the kids. Mom and Dad would drive through somewhere for a quick bite to eat on the way to work. Lunch for the kids happened at school and who cares what they actually ate. Dinner was another trip to fast food alley. Often making multiple stops to make everyone happy. Nuts, huh?
Still……..I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong! I wouldn’t set out to poison my family with unknown chemicals and food additives. Wasn’t I just feeding my family like everyone else I knew that worked all day and then had to go to dance, scouts, baseball, football, cheer leading, band competitions, Sunday school.? I’m a good Mom who wants nothing but the best for my children and this is how I was feeding them. Oh boy! Did I have a lot to learn.
Are you a processed food eater or do you prefer to keep it real? How do you make your meal decisions? Are you a planner or do you just wing it?
Don’t despair! Next time………….we begin our road to recovery. Make sure you subscribe at the right side of this page so you don’t miss the next episode. You can join us on Facebook for more fun and support along the way. You can also follow us on Twitter @Jugglngrealfood if you are interested in learning more about the Real Food Movement. You can also follow our boards on Pinterest. Till next time…………..Keep Juggling!
Thanks for sharing Christina! We were just like you. It wasn't until I got sick that we changed our diets. Now we almost entirely real food. We only go out about once a month and it's to a place that locally sources and cooks from scratch. As far as planning, I wing it. Whatever looks good (and is generally on sale) at the market/store is what I buy. I need to plan better and it's on the list of to-do's.