Break free from Junk Food!

Do I need to even give the definition of junk food?  For those who might be in denial that they don't eat junk food, humor me as I give you junk food definition!

Junk Food products are made up of refined ingredients (white flour, white sugar, chemicals, coloring and additives for flavor) with empty calories with little or no vitamins, minerals or fiber.  Junk food does have carbohydrates, protein and fat that keep you alive but not nutritionally fed.

Pretty bleak when you put junk food in light of the definition.  Unfortunately, it is too convenient to stick junk food into our children's lunch or for that matter our meal as well.  Another downer to junk food, it usually tastes great which means we don't want to give junk food up!

So why are American's so hooked on junk food?  It is what we have trained our tastes buds to like.  If you think about it, all human kind has the same taste bud arrangement; yet, you can travel all over the world to different nations and have completely different food type preferences.  We have the different food preferences because that is what we have grown up eating.  Most Americans food preference...junk food. sigh.

So what is our solution?  What can we do to change our palate or our children's taste preferences?  We need to decide to help our taste buds 'grow up' again with new food tastes.  We have to learn to enjoy wholesome foods.  If this doesn't appeal to you or your children are not on board with your new challenge to get off junk food, start small.  Have bite size healthy food choices available.  Require your kids to eat their small portion of your new healthy choices.  They really will learn to 'grow up' their taste buds into a newer healthy way of living.

A great example is what happened in our own family!  Through this blog, I began to try lots of new recipes and breads.  I have been such a stick in the mud cook for years!  I began to share my old traditional recipes on this blog but that doesn't go very far!! :)  My daughter and I began to try new foods and new whole grain breads.  At first, my family baulked at the new food flavors.  I have been pleasantly surprised that the family enjoys food groups (veggies and grains) that my older kids would never have eaten!  The difference?  I have retrained our families taste buds.

Be encouraged to start choosing less junk food and more wholesome, natural foods.  It really won't take that much time to create the wholesome foods.  My motto is fast and easy.  Search some of my recipe ideas in my blog to help your family eat more natural. :)