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Kitchen Stewardship

Balancing God's Gifts…One Baby Step at a Time

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Give Me 3 Easy Changes that Won’t Cost Too Much

December 17th, 2009 · 9 Comments · KS lifestyle

“Just give me three things I can do to make myself healthier without breaking the bank,” he said.  “If it takes too much time I won’t stick with it.” My bachelor friend Joe visited for dinner a few weeks ago and gave me this challenge, and I’ve been pondering it ever since.  It’s easy to think of LOTS of things to change in the standard American diet, you see.  It’s even easy to think of lots of easy things to do.  It’s difficult to narrow it down to just three and to prioritize them properly.to do list 2

It’s kind of like when I walk through my house most days.  In the bathroom I see three things that need to be done right now, in my bedroom five tasks are calling my name urgently, the living room is filled with toys and I’m tripping on books in the hallway, but it’s lunchtime and the children must be fed or risk total meltdown.

As I build my mental list of tasks to do next as soon as I get a chance, upon entering the kitchen the list grows exponentially.  Before I can get lunch I need to clear the clean dishes out of the sink, and when I grab an apple I realize the produce drawer could use a good wipe-down, gotta slice the bread before I can toast it, and – and – and – and…  My “next on the to-do list” item has become twenty things, and although I’m pretty amazing, I can’t do 20 things at once. Oh, bother.  And then there’s still the hungry children and lunch…

Yep.  Sometimes the journey to better nutrition feels like that too. There are always so many changes to make or new things to try!  It can be exciting and fun if you let it, but it can also be totally overwhelming, and even depressing.

It cracks me up that Joe reads Kitchen Stewardship.  That’s what friends are for, right, but I don’t usually think of my demographic as single young guys.  He tells me he’s been a subscriber longer than he wants to admit:  “I read your stuff until I get too depressed, then I stop reading for a couple days until I get up the courage to go back…you’re always making me feel bad about all the bad stuff I eat…but it tastes SO GOOD!”  (Joe, I’m sorry I make you sad!  This post’s for you!)

Trying to Make a Small Change

Joe read my post on switching to butter and avoiding hydrogenated oils.  He thought he’d give it a try, so he went to the store and stood in front of the butter.  He said, “There wasn’t just “butter” (gesturing directly in front of him) there was “BUTTER!” (arms stretched out as far as his 6-foot frame could go, eyebrows touching the ceiling).”  Poor Joe.

He knew “margarine” was a “no.”  Then he started reading labels and relates, “All the “butter” had hydrogenated oils, and I thought that was bad, so I didn’t know what to get!”  He looked at the “value” section because he’s a single guy trying not to spend too much, and there was…[insert singing angel noise here]: butter.  Phew.  But now – salted or unsalted?  The choices never seem to end!  He got unsalted.  He did just fine.  {Pat on the back.}butter

THREE Changes You Can Make TODAY to Improve your Health

When you’re ready to tackle your nutrition head-on, you can start with the Top 10 Kitchen Stewardship Habits.  None of them are very hard, but they’re definitely meant to be taken one step at a time (and then there’s more to do after that).  A lot of people say to get rid of trans fats and high fructose corn syrup first, then white flour and white sugar.  That sounds like a list of four things to do, but it’s very complicated and takes a lot of little changes in what you buy and/or make to accomplish getting rid of even just the first two completely.

Today’s list can be done all at once, without making anything from scratch or changing your entire menu plan.  It’s meant for serious beginners.  You can even take the plunge right in the throes of preparing for Christmas when you’re really, really busy!  The first baby steps:

  1. Switch to real butter
  2. Eat whole eggs and full fat dairy
  3. Include yogurt and beans in your diet
A Little More Information
  1. If you’re using margarine or a “spread”, you should make this switch to cut out both trans fats (anything that says “hydrogenated” on the ingredients list) and omega-6 oils like soybean and corn oil (in most spreads).  You can use butter in the same way as the fakes, so the only mental energy you need to expend is figuring out where to find it in the store that first time!
  2. Read about the health benefits of egg yolks and why you shouldn’t be eggsafraid of saturated fat in whole dairy products.  God created whole foods and man takes them apart. Put them back together, please.  Again, no change in how you cook other than to buy a slightly different product that you use in the same way.  If you’re scared of this one, try to release your fear of fat.
  3. Buy plain, full-fat yogurt and add frozen or fresh fruit, honey, granola, even sugar if you have to.  You’ll still eat fewer empty calories than the little sweetened cups, and the big tub is nicely economical.  Make your own if you’d like.dry-beans-2Beans can be from a can.  Simple.  See this post for ideas to integrate them into your week without changing your meal plan.  Try to include them once a week if you rarely eat beans, twice a week or more if you already include them in your diet.  Added Bonus:  Beans are super frugal, and you don’t have to worry about the source quite as much as you do other sources of protein like meat and eggs.  Browse my Recipes tab for lots of great bean-y recipes, and see this bean recipe round-up for over 60 from other people.

Have you already guessed that I’m the type of person who asks for two kinds of ice cream when I order a single scoop?

I realize it sounds like I’m giving you FIVE things to do in a post titled THREE things. I might be cheating a little bit, but I’m hoping that even most beginners don’t have to make all these changes, that most people are doing at least one or two of them already.

And yes, I already have “baby steps part two” written with your next three brain-dead easy changes.  Look for it in a few weeks!to do list

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Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

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I’m pleased as always to enter the Pennywise Platter Carnival at The Nourishing Gourmet and Ann Kroeker’s Food on Fridays.

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