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Eating naturally

© Paula Dundore

Last year, my 38-year-old husband had a heart attack. The surgeon and cardiologist stood side by side, shaking their heads, wondering how he managed to live through it. God deserves the thanks, there is no other explanation.

Sometimes it takes a life-threatening event to spur on a life changing habit. Stop smoking, and start eating differently. My husband did stop smoking, and we have all begun to eat more naturally. At first, I thought it would be easy. Eat more naturally, sure. No problem. Just buy more raw fruits and vegetables. It wasn't just "that easy".

It takes time, planning, will power, and creativity to change your eating habits. All those commercials in magazines and on television are always harking to us to buy this or buy that product to "save time". Pop it in the microwave. Four minutes on the stovetop. Mix with a teaspoon of water. Viola! Dinner is served.

Unfortunately, all those ads are for products that hastened my husband's heart attack. Food additives, saturated fats, cholesterol--- not to mention any real food value. Food bulk, a satisfied stomach, but none of the necessary ingredients for our bodies to fight bad cholesterol, live enzymes and vitamins to strengthen our antibodies and cancer fighting warriors that live within us.

So what do we do? If we are truly committed to changing our eating habits or lifestyle we have to come to terms with the fact that is won't be easy, quick or inexpensive. That's not to say there aren't ways to make it less time consuming, and it certainly doesn't take longer to grab up an apple rather than pop in those pizza rolls. So here are some ways to make it easier-- not easy.

Set aside one day of the week for your preparing and planning of the week's menus. This is necessary especially for those who work outside the home. Instead of being time constrained and forced to make a quick meal for those insistent rumbling stomachs, you can take your time and lesuirely plan a good meal. This can also be the day you prepare ahead of time certain dinners to be frozen or canned. If you're not familiar with how to can or freeze foods, here is a good site to start at: http://frugalliving.about.com/parenting/... And another here at suite101 I would highly recommend: http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/food...

We get so stuck in a rut, we don't often realize how wonderful things can be on the other side of the rut. For instance, for those of us used to snacking on chips, the idea of an apple or a peach can seem unappealing. But once you force yourself to grab up a healthy sweet snack such as fruit, it's a habit you quickly learn to love. Nature's candy, you know.

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