When you are first starting out trying to change your family over to a healthier diet I would suggest taking it one step at a time. Do not try to do everything at once or they will likely rebel and be very unwilling to try anything else. Not to mention the hit you will take to your budget.Here are a couple of books that may be helpful.
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Real Food On A Real Budget: How To Eat Healthy For Less
There is also a great E-course called A Peasant's Feast-Nourishing Food On A Budget
I am going to make several suggestions over the next couple of weeks as to places you can start. Pick one and keep doing it until you are comfortable with it and then start adding others as you are able to.
1.) Switch from margarine to butter. You may also want to switch from using vegetable oil to using olive oil or coconut oil.
You may be thinking the same thing I did at first. "I thought all those fats were supposed to be bad for you. Won't they make me fat." Actually my husband has lost 60 pounds with a wife who cooks using only real butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. That's it. The Lord made these fats to be used by our bodies. Man made margarine and most vegetable oils. They are not natural. In fact, my husband read somewhere that margarine is one molecule away from being plastic. Is that something you really want to be eating? For a great book on this subject you could try reading Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats
2.)Switch from using white flour to wheat flour. The taste may take some getting used to, but eventually you will come to prefer it.
3.)Use brown rice instead of white.
4.) Try using natural sweeteners when baking such as molasses, honey, real maple syrup, or rapadura.
5.) Drink more water. When you cut out sugary drinks you not only cut out the cost from your budget you also save calories and your health.
Stay tuned Monday for more baby steps to better eating.
Originally Posted November 2009
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