10 Ways to Improve your Family’s Health that Benefit the Planet

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4. Choose grass fed beef over corn fed.  Grass is what cows are suppose to eat. They are ruminants and need to graze to maintain health. Eating corn is unnatural and unhealthy for their digestive systems. Thus they are injected with antibiotics and other drugs to prevent them from getting ill. Also because of the ph levels in their gut from all the corn, E-coli levels are much higher and more likely to end up on your plate. Meat from grass fed animals has less fat and actually contains Omega-3’s which are created from cells in green plants and algae, an extremely important fatty acid believed to play a significant role in human brain cell growth. By eating grass fed beef you will reduce your fat intake, eliminate added antibiotics and hormones, significantly reduce your chances of contracting E-coli and also increase your Omega3’s intake. (Not to mention the fact that your cow will have lived a happier longer life of 4-5 years on a farm eating a buffet of grass everyday, instead of living a miserable life in a feedlot being forced to eat corn only to be fattened up for slaughter in 14 months.)

5. Don’t buy farm raised fish. Most farm raised fish are fed a diet of grain (sometimes even dyed pink to simulate a shrimp diet). You want fish that feeds on a natural diet of, well, fish. Buying wild fish insures that the fish is doing what fish do, swim and eat in their natural habitat. Back to the Omega-3 issue….its only in fish that eat fish, algae or phytoplankton.

6. Bake bread once a week. Who doesn’t love the smell of fresh baked bread…..Baking bread is simple, and one of life’s greatest pleasures.  I have yet to find a loaf of bread in a store that doesn’t contain something I don’t want my kids to eat…..even fresh from the bakery, they still contain dough conditioners and sometimes even trans fats….Yuk!!! Not for my family…..I bake bread twice a week, and even as busy as I am, I still manage to find time…..It doesn’t take as long as most people think. I usually will pop a loaf in the oven after dinner and just wait for my kids to come running as soon as they smell it….It makes a great dessert as well, and guess what…..its only organic flours, organic sugar, sea salt, yeast and water……simple, natural and unadulterated goodness….

7. Eat a vegetarian meal once a week. Now that you are buying grass fed organic beef, wild fish and organic cage free chicken, your grocery bills will be higher. That’s OK, you get what you pay for and it is worth it……But a good way to combat that higher bill is to eat a veggie meal once or even twice a week…..I like to make homemade pastas and sauces with loads of veggies or I have some great frittata recipes. Make sure you have a protein, such as cheese, eggs or even grains such as quinoa.

8. Plant a garden. Grow and harvest your own fruits, veggies and herbs. Save money and get your kids involved. They love this…

9. Ban fast food. Please don’t let your kids eat this stuff…..its poison…..enough said

10. Cook a meal once a week with your children. Introduce them to the joys of cooking and you’ll be surprised at what they will eat……If they don’t like salad, have them make a salad with you and guess what…they will eat it and like it…..The other day my daughter and I were peeling potatoes, just talking about the days events and spending time together. I started thinking, most families don’t do this anymore…..It used to be mothers and daughters would prepare meals together and then do the dishes together, getting this time to communicate. Now with the invention of the dishwasher and microwave, this no longer happens in most households….its so sad, because the kitchen can be a wonderful place to bond…and of course learn basic life skills on how to cook and what to eat….