Planning and preparing what we put into our mouths can be one of the most frustrating and confusing things to figure out for those who are conscientious about such things. I have varied widely in food choices throughout my life. I grew up on the "standard American diet" and continued to eat that way until I married and started seeing a midwife before my first child was born. This midwife encouraged me to change the way I eat and to look deeper into the food choices I made. Throughout the years I have continued to figure out what good nutrition meant for me and my family. I am a firm believer in balance and moderation, not so much in fads and diet plans. There is still a large amount of processed foods in my diet, even though I carefully read labels and try to avoid certain additives. Long ago I shunned things like soda, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, along with high fructose corn syrup and monosodium glutamate (MSG). I have in my food storage cans and packages filled with foods where I can read and understand all of the ingredients and feel somewhat satisfied with my choices. Ultimately I hope to store and use more foods "from scratch", but since we store what we eat, we're not quite there yet.

I happen to think that foods are best in their most unaltered form, or with a little prep work to make them more palatable. Growing or raising your own food, and buying from a local farmer's market or farm, is the ideal source for your food. Do I do this? Partially, and more frequently as I find more information about what is available in my area, and expand my own home growing and raising efforts. Many use terms like "whole foods" or "real foods" to define a return to eating foods in as close to their natural form as possible, or raised and grown without hormones and harsh chemicals. This makes sense to me, as does learning more about traditional means of preparing food. My ultimate guide has always been scripture and what I feel God inspires me to do.

During my research efforts I have come across some interesting websites and insights into what nutrition and healthy eating looks like to some. I may not agree with everything they say, but much of it makes sense to me, or has caused me to think and ponder further about changes I would like to make. (07/2023 - broken links have been removed/replaced).