Mom in Help of Nutrition in Enid

Hi! My husband, son, and I recently moved to OKC and I found a wonderful food coop. The web address is: http://www.oklahomafood.coop/ Most of the food is organic and all of it is made in Oklahoma by companies that are here. There is a ton of great organic meat, vegetables, and cheese and homemade goodies. You order it online and go to a pickup site to pick up the food. They do it once a month. We have been very pleased with everything and even though it is a little pricer, I feel better about eating it! Hope that helps!

Try to cut out sodas, sugar drinks, etc. Need to have 100% juice, water, skim milk (note: toddlers need whole milk, children need 2%), small children do need some good fats in their diet. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (canned fruits/veggis don't contain very much nutrients, most of it gets destroyed in the canning process)! Eat whole grains (breads, rice, etc.) avoid white bread, etc. Avoid processed meats such as bologna, hot dogs, etc. They are fatty and contain lots of sodium! Avoid sugar cereals. The main thing you should do is always read the nutritional facts on the back of products.

we went organic years ago and it has been great!! we also cut out high fructose corn syrup, msg, preservatives, etc!

have you heard of the dirty dozen? it's a list of the fruit and veggies you should buy organic as they are the most sprayed. this includes things like strawberries, grapes, potatoes, spinach. also - dairy. meat and chicken is important as they add things like antibiotics (leading to increased antibacterial resistance in humans) and hormones to cows to beef up their milk production - and we wonder why kids are going through puberty at younger and younger ages!!

things like corn, asparagus and bananas do not need to be organic as they are either protected by their peel or just not sprayed like the aforementioned.

to help my family eat healthy i do things like roast our veggies - they taste so much better than boiled or steamed!! when you roast them they get carmelized and so tasty!!! i just drizzle some grapeseed oil and salt (and sometimes pepper) onto things like butternut squash, zucchini, asparagus, beets and brussel sprouts and put it into a 400 degree oven and roast until soft and browning and my family devours it!! (i bake them on stoneware from the pampered chef)you can also cut an acorn squash in half, pierce the flesh with a fork and then put some maple syrup inside and bake at 350 degrees until soft.

***the reason i use grapeseed oil is b/c it is the best!! even better than olive oil which is what i used to use until i learned more. when heated - olive oil turns to fat so only use it cold. also - only use grapeseed oil that is expeller pressed otherwise it has been processed using hexane!! grapeseed oil has...
♥ NO preservatives such as TBHQ or BHT.
♥ Not hydrogenated.
♥ NO sodium.
♥ NO trans fatty acids.
♥ NO cholesterol (it actually aids in cholesterol reduction).
♥ One of the lowest levels of saturated fats of all oils (see chart below).
♥ Easily digestible.
♥ Good source of Vitamin E Alpha (an important anti-oxidant)(4.3 mg per serving).
♥ Highest concentration of poly (76%) unsaturated acid of any oil.
♥ Helps produce High Density Lipoprotein(HDL).
♥ Linoleic acid - and its health benefits:
- highest proportions (72%).
- is a fatty acid which acts as a transporter for saturated fats - helps prevent accumulation in the arteries.
- also known as Omega-6 and in near identical proportions to mother's milk.
- vital to life and cannot be produced by the body alone.

i work for a company that was started by a single mom who was struggling to feed her family as they had adhd (but couldn't be treated with meds), juvenile diabetes, severe allergies and more! she couldn't use store bought products as they contained all kinds of garbage that her children couldn't eat! so she started making her own food and it took off as a great company. check out www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com for more info about their food which contains no msg, food dyes, additives, preservatives, and it's peanut free and many ingredients are organic and all are natural!! they also sell the expeller pressed grapseed oil!

let me know if you have any questions and check out my websites for more recipes. (i also offer mamasource discounts)
www.pamperedchef.biz/whatscookingjen and
www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com

hope this helps!!
J.

E.,
Hello! We switched to organic at the end of last year. You can definitely tell a difference in the taste of foods. They are not loaded down with flavors to make them taste a certain way, they just taste that way already. You'll tell a difference in fruits and vegetables as well - they're not shiny because they haven't been waxed, and they go bad faster because they aren't sprayed with preservatives.

One warning - your food bill will go up. It helped us though because when you have the same budget for food, you don't have leftover money to spend on the munchie aisle.

Cooking healthy does not have to be difficult. Take a recipe you love and substitute healthy for unhealthy. If it calls for margarine, use organic butter. If it calls for heavy cream, use a lighter cream or milk. If it says use ground beef, use ground turkey, or a 1/2 turkey 1/2 beef mixture. Also, try the cookbook from George Stella: Low Carb Livin'. he is an Italian chef on the food network. His recipes incorporate a lot of vegetables - for instance making mashed potatoes out of cauliflower instead of potatoes, and a stuffed eggplant recipe, etc, and they are AWESOME. The cookbook is maybe 10 or 15 bucks, so not too bad for the amount of recipes you get. Start with a healthy cookbook, and switch to organic if you can. If you can't afford the veggies, or it is hard to find all organic fruits in your area, at least switch to organic milk. Good luck!

E., try myrecipes.com it gives all the information that you need for good recipes, you can use organic/natural ingredients. the think i like about the recipes is that it will allow you to put in how many you are feeding and give you the recipe based on that number. good for you! R.

There's a great book you should read. It's not really a how-to, more of one family's story. However, it's a great, easy, and quick read that will get you really motivated to make these changes.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

There are tons of resources on the web! I love Michael Pollan's essential info: www.michaelpollan.com
Sustainable Table has a treasure of useful info: http://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/ (be sure to visit their other sites, linked at the top of the page) Eat Well Guide can help you find places in your area, particularly co-ops, farms and stores with healthy alternatives: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=Home

Its good to be informed Good luck!

Hi E.,

First off, my name is M.. I am 32, married to Jason and we are the proud parents of 5 sons and 1 daughter, ages 12 and under. I also work fulltime, so you can imagine how busy I am. I'm checking my email (on my lunch hour) right now, but I just *Had to write to you... I always say that I wish I could change the world. LOL! Try to find a health food store in your area to buy healthier foods.

You have a very good idea!! The main reason most people are sick and with diseases today are because of their diet. About 5 years ago, I read a book "Natural Cures That They Don't Want You To Know About" by Kevin Trudeau and it was such a wake-up call for me. I started making small changes and gradually worked my way up to where I am now, which is almost all organic. I've lost all of my baby weight, I feel great, no more headaches, I'm never tired, etc. I have since read many more books on health. My mom, dad, and sister all live the way I live also and we do not get sick. My kids even rarely get sick and when they do, they get well fast. (But, we also take herbs instead of drugs.)

The main things my family and I eat are (mostly organic) a lot of steamed or raw veggies, a variety of fruit, brown rice, Ezekial bread, lots of nuts, many types of Wild fish, chicken, beef, turkey, eggs and yogurt, oatmeal and other grains. I do buy the kids cereal, waffles, and other snacks like cookies sometimes but they are always a "healthier" or organic version of the real thing. We do not drink soda EVER or any other kool-aid or sugary drinks. Occasionally, I will buy 100% fruit juice (organic of course)and also organic milk, but I don't let the kids drink it often. Mostly we drink water.

It can be expensive to live this lifestyle and many people I know think I'm crazy, but you know what...they are sick and I'm not. SO, think about it this way, *any small changes should make a difference. Do what you can when you can and don't sweat it when you can't!!

OH, You should check out the health section in your library for a book or two. GOOD LUCK with your new healthier journey!

E.,

Hey,
First of all I would like to commend you on taking the 1st step towards better health. It is so hard these days in our fast pace lifestyles to get the right nutrition into our family's diet everyday! And introducing healthy foods to your children early will help them make better choices later. Try to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible. A good idea for snacks for children is in the a.m. get a muffin tin and put different fruits and veggies(carrots sticks, brocali trees,strawberries, grapes) and let the children graze on them throughout the day. Try to stay away from packaged foods they are usually loaded with salt and sugar and other things like high frutose corn sugar and partially hydrogenated oils(which are very bad for us) If you would like you can visit my blog where I try to leave weekly health tips and sometimes recipes. My blog is www.17healthyfoods.blogspot.com and my website is www.juiceplus.com/+ah64006. Juice Plus is something I and my family eat everyday to ensure that we are getting the nutrition of 17 different fruits vegetables and two whole grains everyday. They come in capsules, chewables, and gummies. My husband and I take the capsules, my 6yr old takes the chewables and my 3yr old takes the gummies. And because of the research that has been done on it(there are 11 published studies in peer reviewed journal), Doctors around the world including the one I work for are begining to reccomend it to their patients for prevention. If you have any questions feel free to email me anytime. Again, congratulations on taking charge of your families health!

I have a home based business that provides great nutrition in a liquid form. It provides the full spectrum vitamins as well as minerals, trace minerals as well as ultra-trace minerals that are not available in our foods-no matter how hard you try. The vitamins are recommended for all ages children through adults. There is also an energy drink just released in Nov. '07 that is great for those who drink energy drinks...same vitamin/mineral formula plus an extra kick of energy that lasts for hours....not that quick boost and then drop off with sugar and caffiene....go to my website and check them out for yourself! Also a great business opportunity for stay at home moms!! Costs nothing to be a member, and you get a free website when you sign up to refer your friends and family to purchase! You make money when they buy from YOUR FREE WEBSITE!!! www.myvemma.com/mtuttle
Let me know there if you want more info! Thanks, M. T

Hi E. and all,
Can I hire you mommies to chef my kitchen....please??? :-))) It all sounds good to me. I'll make it easy on you and my wallet, as I have no conern whether organic or not; be my guest. I suggest reading this page on how organic/conventional food works. Up to you. Have a scrumptious and splendid life ;-)))http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/organic-food7.htm

Hugs to all.

Hi, I found some great organic items at Jumbo foods, on Willow and Clevland. I have a great recipe book for sneaking in nutrious foods. Its by: Jessica Seinfeld,
(Deceptively Delicious) I defently recomend it! There is a small small health food store, but I think you would have better luck at Jumbo's. Good Luck!

A nurse friend of mine gave me this website for Nutrition. I have not been into it yet, as I haven't had time. I am sure you could get some help from it. The website is: www.aicr.org .

Wonderful decision, E.. Nutrition is "where it's at" when it comes to our health and wellness.
Many of our friends and we "eat" something called JuicePLUS+. We consider it a concept to fill the nutritional gap.
Always food is the right thing, but almost no one can get all the right variety we need with our busy life styles.
My best idea I know would be to indulge your family in as many fresh raw fruits and vegetables as you can get down them, limit the red meat and check the web for the science behind JuicePLUS+. www.ediemeans.biz
May you all have a healthy and wonderful life, AF dependent, Louise

Hi E.! I am an army brat with family in the Enid area. I would suggest trying your local food co-op because they do have a lot of organic and all natural products and are required to let the buyer know what they are getting. Here is an article about the Oklahoma Food Coop and you should be able to find a link to buying organically in your area.

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/norman-transcript-nov2006.php

I hope this can at least serve as a stepping stone to get you where you need to be.

L.

If you are looking for some local organic retailers look in your local Yellow Book and look under Health & Diet Food Products - Retail you will find a bunch. The internet will give you lots of information but a local retailer will give you what you need.

Hi!
It's great to hear someone else wanting to eat natural foods. I have tried to do this for a few years now. It has been my experience that dairy and meats are the best place to start. We use organic milk (about $1-2 more than regular) and "natural" meats. This means that the animals did not have any growth hormones (the REAL big issue with food, especially if you have girls) and did not receive antibiotics, but did not have an organic diet. Cutting out growth hormones is your best bet. Any frozen veggies I buy are organic because I'm not washing them myself - and prewashed lettuce, if I splurge (pesticides!). I go to Whole Foods about once every three weeks and stock up on meats and frozen veggies (we eat very little meat also). Fresh fruit and veggies I wash as thoroughly as I can because it is so expensive otherwise. Whole grains is the next step. I've made recipes for pancakes, biscuits, pizza dough, corn bread and a cake that all use at least half whole grains and some with blue corn meal (blue corn meal is lower on the glycemic index - which means it creates less sugar in your body). Spelt flour is much smoother than wheat and gives a nice texture when mixed with wheat. I am happy to share the recipes - the whole grains are organic (also because of pesticides), also from Whole Foods - they are cheaper there in bulk, but you can get them at a lot of grocery stores. The only other thing I do is buy organic juice (pesticides!)for my girls, which I will probably stop after the youngest is 5 or so - unless we suddenly have a huge increase in income - heh. I try to be balanced between a comfortable living style and a healthy eating style - we even hit McDonalds on rare occasion. Good Luck!

OoOOh -- and we also buy free range eggs, but mostly because of how they treat the poor li'l chickens that aren't free range.

So, I was reading the posts because I would like to go organic as well. And I have to let everyone know that the cauliflower mashed potatoes that Karen mentioned are sooooo good! My mom makes them, sometimes she throws in a little parmesean cheese and pieces of bacon. Yum, even my husband will eat them and that's saying something. Open a window though, boiling cauliflower is not the best smell in the world!

Be sure and change your cleaners too! Non toxic cleaners are as important as eating good food.

We have some at Shaklee that are AWESOME! It's the GET CLEAN line. http://www.wellnessiseasy.com

T. :)

Hi E. -

I own the Enid StrollerFit franchise and just last week (Saturday) had a Free Family Education Event on fitness and nutrition. With March being National Nurtition Month, we've been talking about healthy meals for our families. Sorry we didn't meet before the event...but here's some answers to your question.

I regularly shop at Jumbo Foods and have been impressed with the organically grown veggies they have started stocking. They are in the regular produce section.

They also carry Hormel Natural Choice meats in the lunchmeat section. They are 100% natural and have no preservatives. They have no added nitrates or nitrites, are gluten free with no MSG added and are low in fat and contain zero grams of fat. They do sandwich meats, carved chicken breast, smoked dinner ham and bacon. I've had the turkey and ham and it's great! Skipping the nitrates is so important for children and pregnant moms.

For eggs - I buy Eggland's Best. They are farm fresh and all natural with 25% less saturated fat than regular eggs. Plus they're high in Vitamin E and have 110 mg of Omega 3. Also at Jumbo Foods in the Dairy section.

If you (and anyone reading this post) will privately send me your address - I'll send you the brochure from my Family Education Event. It has healthy recipes, tips on exercising and a coupon for the Hormel Natural Choice foods.

Just email me at ____@____.com health,
C.

Hi,
Whole foods is a great place to shop for all kinds of organic foods. We shop there alot for our son who has alot of food allergies. Also, you may want to also help your body by taking some good all natural vitamins. Alot of vitamins sold in stores are not all natural, therefore they do not work as well as you think. My family takes the Shaklee line of vitamins, they are all natural and make you feel great. Since I fell in love with their products, I started distributing them as well. We also use Shaklee all natural cleaners, to avoid any chemicals and toxins from being used in our home. If you are intrested in any of the all natural products, feel free to contact me. Good luck!!!

In Little Rock, you can find a big selection of organic foods at Wild Oats Natural Marketplace
10700 N Rodney Parham Rd, Little Rock, AR 72212, ###-###-####.

I tend to buy almost all organic, and try to cook organic for the most part. I stick to organic eggs and organic meats that are mostly chicken because I prefer non hormonaly treated meats or eggs. The hormones used to feed the chickens are dangrous to growing children, so of course if you eat the chicken the eggs that come from the chickens are just as toxic. As for red meat, we try to buy the most useful cuts that are high in iron and the most nutritious. I have replaced all ground meats with soy meat that comes frozen and looks and tastes like ground meat. I buy my family organic snacks, and are becoming more popular and are easily found in Super-Walmart. Instead of frying in high fat oils I use coconut oil which is easily digested by your body and is surprisingly good for you. I pack my fridge with sweet fruits for better snack options for my son, and he loves trying new ones and seeing all the choices. When you shop stay on the outer aisles..because the packaged and high sugar items are there in the middle, stay in the fresh veggies and fruits and breads and dairy aisles. Think wash and eat or cook and eat, no prepackaged meals.

Walmart carries organic eggs, & pastas, some cereals, you just have to look for it in the aisles. There are also health food stores that carrie all organics, I would search for health food stores in your area by using google or phone book.

its gonna be hard in a smaller area where we are. the best thing you can probably do is reading your labels when you shop.
i'm not sure if there is a farmers market or anything in this area- i've only lived here for two months- but if i can find one theres a good chance that there are local people that farm and garden organically that you can buy from. this is going to take some time and resouces of course. then theres always the method of if you stay at home or have time starting with a simple kitchen garden and grow some of your own veggies.

There are several sites on the net with good healthy recipes the food network for one, also go to your nearest health food store for tips and recipes. The store even holds free class sometimes. The libarary would be my next step, there you will found lots of good cookbooks on this.

Hi

Not sure where you live but if you are close to a whole foods your options are endless. As far as meat, my child is the same way. She is 2 but loves the morning star black bean burgers (full of protien). There are several kinds that may help your delimma. We buy the dehydrated carrots and green beans at whole foods where the nuts are and we both love them for snacks. My daughter is a horribe veggie eater but loves fruit...we keep trying. I do puree veggies in a tomatoe sauce over whole wheat noodles. Good luck!