Dining In

Cooking at home doesn't have to be an experiment in cooking junk, you can swap out many of the unhealthy choices at the grocery store with ingredients your body will thank you for long-term. We need to cook less like our Moms and more like our Grandmas who cooked way more from scratch than by box stuffed with artifical colors, preservatives, GMOs and low cost ingredients. Is it easier & cheaper to cook from a box, can or freezer? Yes, but the question is how bad is it long-term to pummel your body with harmful toxins. I think it's better to eat cleaner and spend less money on the latest pill to help with the damage you've done to your body, don't even get me started on the side effects of the latest miracle cure. I don't know about you, but I'm done with the idea of today's miracle cure that becomes tomorrow's class action lawsuit, time to get back to what nature provides.
How to prepare food at home that isn't toxic: 1. Eat whole foods - when you buy an apple, you generally know what's in it as opposed to apple sauce, not so sure there. 2. Purchase fresh fruits and veggies from a known source that isn't using pesticides - Organic in the grocery - Or even better, grow your own! 3. Purchase meats that do not have nitrites, hormones, antibiotics, flavor enhancers etc., also understand what the animal ate will pass through to you. If a farmer uses feed for the animal containing pesticides, think that doesn't get into what's on your plate? Think again. If at all possible find a local rancher/farmer for your meats. 4. Go for grass fed beef, I know lots of folks like the extra marbling from corn-fed or corn-finished beef, but it is far healthier to avoid the corn. 5. Water is probably the healthiest liquid you can consume, but make sure you're not drinking junk water, I don't know that I would trust any sort of city water anymore, if you can get a filter to get all the chlorine and other chemicals, that would help. Preferably a whole house filtration system, since you're showering in this too. 6. OK, I totally get it, sometimes you're going to indulge, so when you do, you can indulge in a healthier way when you cook at home by using all clean ingredients, at least you're not getting preservatives and food coloring garbage in your treats, then the next step is to indulge lightly, don't binge the junk and then feel like crap physically, mentally and in your soul for eating the ENTIRE pie, invite people over to share in the dessert, then it won't be sitting in the kitchen taunting you to take another bite. You know, the sealed left-over pie that has the fork in it and you just pop by for a bite . . . . . . or 12!
My healthier cooking at home go to items: 1. Opt for olive, coconut (yes, once villified, it's actually healthy, see article link) and nut oils, avoid vegetable (corn, canola, soybean) (yeah, not as healthy as once thought, see article link) and other seed oils. I'm also a huge fan of good old fashioned butter, from cows that only eat grass, it was also vilified, now we know better. 2. If you're going to bake, at least use organic flour/sugar, every little bit helps. 3. Cook with cookware that isn't toxic, I'd avoid tephlon and go with stainless steel, cast iron or if you need non-stick, go with a pan with a ceramic coating like Caraway. 4. If you're going to have an adult beverage with dinner, there are organic wines out there, much better to drink wine than a fruity cocktail filled with sugar, colorings and artificial flavorings.
Full disclosure: I am not a nutritionist, this is based on my research and are my opinions, please do your own research and contact a nutritionist or health professional for more information.