For those growing up on the Standard American Diet, most food has come to us though a factory. Even some “homemade” things are simply a handful of store bought packages mixed together. For some it has been a mix of the “homemade” and from scratch.
Homemade baked goods are regarded a delicious treat — but homemade yogurt? Now that’s weird – that’s scary.
I have to admit the first time I’ve made anything that I typically buy at the store, I have had trepidation in actually tasting it. I know full well it is fine and safe. But I still feel the same taboo some have about non-babies ingesting breast milk.
Why do we find safety in things that come from people in white coats?
Why?
Whether it is food or medicines – the packaged and marketed items are what we find safety and security in. WHY? Why is it that we would rather slather chemicals on our child’s burn instead of some mustard, which is only slightly processed from what God made?
We have been conditioned to believe in brands. To take comfort in the familiar and go along doing what our parents did. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. But when trusted names have strayed far from their original roots, when companies have begun to cut corners for profit and use highly processed and unhealthy fillers we must actively engage.
I’m guilty of it. It is the easy thing to do. After all we have SO much more in life to deal with and fighting the things we put in and on our bodies, frankly, should not have to be part of our struggles.
So we do what we know. I repeated the things my mother did. I know she did her best. And she did what her mother did and so the cycle goes.
The reality is the foods (and products) we make ourselves ARE safer. You can control what goes into them and what doesn’t. Sure it is a little scary at first, but aren’t most new and unfamiliar things sometimes a little daunting?
How?
Take A Step. What is it that you are dying to make? Or maybe there is something your family eats a lot of and it would not only be healthier to make at home but WAY cheaper.
Research. I LOVE the internet. Information is so readily available and such a wide variety as well. Not just recipes, but personal experiences are recorded everywhere. AND quite often you can get questions you have answered very quickly by real people!
Be Safe. If you are working with a cultured product be safe. Read directions carefully. And in any and every case, if it tastes off TOSS IT! My chickens quite often have received my too sour bread or failed baking cast offs – and they don’t seem to mind one bit. And no, I don’t give them any dairy.
Start Small. Don’t do a huge batch your first time out. In fact, with one thing I was making I ended up doing one-fifth of the batch. This will help eliminate waste from your wallet and the garbage!
When we first got chickens last year I was so excited when they started laying. But I have to say I was a little scared of actually eating the eggs. I scrambled it up and passed it off on hubby to try. Of course they were totally fine, which I knew in my head, but my store-bought egg upbringing told me different.
After making my own stock, granola, yogurt, kefir, canning beans and tomato sauce and also eliminating boxed meals and sides – well we do have the occasional Annie’s Mac and Cheese – things are a bit easier. I am able to make something new and taste a spoonful without *much* fear.
Thankfully some of those weird and scary foods are becoming more normal. Sprouted breads at the grocery store are now readily available, foods with shorter ingredient lists are slowly making their way in. But these closer to homemade real foods can be mighty expensive.
Take it slow. My time and wallet dictates our family making a better choice, not necessarily the best. So that has been my focus – BETTER with a huge helping of bravery thrown in!
**This post has been entered in Homestead Barn Hop, Monday Mania, Frugal Days and Sustainable Ways.**
Great post, Sara! This is something that I think most of us have to figure out how to get past. I know that I was pretty intimidated by real food when we first got started. I also remember thinking how weird “those” people were (the ones who ate real food) before we got into it. Now I’m “one of them”! 😉
It’s like one of those heart and head things. Sometimes it is hard for the two to connect.
I’m so glad you shared this post. I have felt ( and often still feel) this way, and always logically thought I was being ridiculous, but emotionally, felt afraid of my homemade products. I feel much more normal, now!
Well as my Chiropractor said, “I like nutters!” I just keep remembering at one time everyone ate homemade real food.
Great post. I’ve never had any trepidation about my homemade products (seem to have a natural inclination to distrust big companies, the FDA, and people trying to sell stuff) but I know many who do feel afraid, repulsed, etc. Once, a cousin merely heard me say, “I made my own shampoo,” and his response was, simply, “That’s gross!” WHY??!! Thanks for helping me understand where that reaction comes from, and for your gentle wording to ease us beyond our hang-ups.
Thanks. Yes, I have received that reaction from a few people too. Mostly its been moms more in awe of stuff I have done for my kids to prevent them from having to go to the M.D. – like, “that really worked?” I am amazed how much we depend on outside sources for things so essential to our well being.
Hope–I’m in the same boat as you: I’ve never really had that fear, either. Research and cost savings have prompted most of my changes. When I see how much healthier real food is vs. what comes from the store, the savings is simply a bonus! I find it interesting how so many people I know are “suddenly” questioning corporations & the FDA and wishing to return to times of old in so many ways. My family thinks I’m a bit nuts but they love me anyway! I’ve certainly learned to be careful what I say to people and try not to be too judgmental!
Yes, I definitely am careful who I fully express myself to. I did recently discover quite a few moms at church who are of the same mind, which was encouraging since I hadn’t found any there yet. It is hard for me to not see certain foods and immediately think “poison”, especially when it is going into my kids. I have faith my hubby will come around. He is slowly learning for himself, which unfortunately they have to do. Silly men don’t believe us.
Wonderfully said! I grew up w/a mom who made bread, jellies, tomato sauce, and canned EVERYTHING. I now do the same, and also make nut butters, potato chips, candy, baking powder, powdered sugar, etc – in part because of my 5 yr old daughter’s 19 food allergies, but also because it is so much healthier and less expensive. Even treats are healthy in my house!
Yes, I am trying to convince my husband that it is cost effective. He keeps questioning the energy consumption. At least right now we have gas stove and range so it isn’t too much. I am excited to see where our family will be this time next year.
Excellent Post! When I found out that we could actually make our own everything, I was so embarressed and jumped right in (this is only recent), but ohhhhhh my husband and son are having a fit about it. It was embarressing to me because DUH, of course we can make our own. What makes a store the authority, but I felt like a Sheeple!! Just following along without question… that was irritating to me. I’m so happy to finally be awake!
What a great way to put it. I have heard people say that they don’t want to know – like not knowing protects them from what is going inside.
When we got married my husband made one request, that the food I put on the table was healthy. I started out with whole grains, juice and granola, quickly decided to cut out msg, and now you find me trying to make my own toothpaste and almond joy bars. I always thought those granola crunchers were wierdos and now I know its true; I’m a real wierdo too!
Glad you are rejoicing in it!
I had to laugh out loud at you passing the egg off to your hubby to try first-I did the same with my first batch of yogurt!
Oh, my first taste was SO tiny. I was SCARED!
Totally true!
I, too, used to think people that ate organic or snuffed at my name brand-filled shopping cart were the ones with issues. It’s hard to switch to the mindset that when you know where every ingredient is coming from, it makes so much more sense than factory products!
I reposted this on my website and linked back.. hope you don’t mind!
jenniferhudy.wordpress.com
That’s great Jennifer! If it is on a blog just make sure it is only a teaser and then linking back here so we can both keep up our SEO.
Checking out your site now 🙂
Hello Sara,
I’ve been preparing, eating, and growing real food for about 2 years now, people think I am nuts. I am 25 years old right now I started eating real healthy good old fashion traditional food because I found out I had candida about 4 years ago I started researching it and tried everything since then. I am a follower of Christ and when someone notices I don’t eat crap food they have a million questions, I tell them why and they come to a conclusion that I am nuts “that can’t be healthy” they say. I tell Christians this is how God intended us to eat, real whole foods that have not been manipulated by man. Their response always is “God gave these people the knowledge to make things better;medicine, food, etc. How do I respond to this?
First of all CONGRATS on getting a good start on life!
To the God giving them knowledge question . . . wow, the thing that comes to mind is WHAT ARROGANCE! God gave man the knowledge to know better than He? That is my response. That makes no sense. Do they actually think that man can make better what God has already made? If they really think “crap” food is better and eating real stuff “can’t be healthy” I don’t think you can reach them.
I think about how many synthetics man is trying to concoct to mimic what God has already made in our own bodies. Yes, God gave us the knowledge to use what He has made to heal and nourish ourselves. Medicines used to be made of actual, ingredients – “naturally processed” if you will. You know the kind all us nutters use. And no these aren’t quick fix, pill poppers.
We live in a Fallen world. A world with sin because of Satan. This means disease and decay.
I would remind them of God’s wisdom. That he is the creator. That if this food he created wasn’t the best for us then why has man flourished on it for SO long. Genesis 1:29-31 – this is a post all in itself . . .
The “crap” foods have been developed out of innovation and convenience. Which started out well intentioned but have mutated into simply pleasing out mutated palates. What God made is good. He said so. What he made is best. He created it. If they are truly Christians they should believe and have faith that he is wise, to think that man can take what he created and make better is arrogance and God opposes the prideful and arrogant.
Wonder what kind of response this will get . . .
I commend you for standing firm. For seeing the light. Stay the course, be a nutter for God and what he made and prayerfully you will touch some people and make them think a little deeper. And if they think it is unimportant maybe they should look at the body being a temple stuff a little closer.
Tyler,
I wanted to tell you that you’re not alone with the push back you get. I have run into similar comments from friends, even family.
A friend of mine put it very well, God does give man knowledge, revelation and “downloads” of new ideas/projects/things however when man is not seeking to glorify God or his kingdom he can use that knowledge to create things that are not of God.
Take for example music. Musical instruments, sound, rhythm, etc is all created by the Lord however man can use it to God’s glory or use it for his/the Enemy’s glory.
Hope that makes sense.
Blessings to your in our journey.
Tyler,
That is an unfortunately common excuse and frankly, by perspective is that this is sort of a cop-out for people who do not want to ask tough questions and change the way they live. The way I respond is to say, “Sure, God gave us knowledge, and free will. But not everything is good, and not everything is of God. Satan walks among us too. If something is causing us more harm than good — like crappy food, which is responsible for quite a bit of disease — we cannot say that it is ‘of God’.” I just don’t understand how anyone could look at God’s natural creation and say “That can’t be healthy.” That makes no sense. You might say, “God intended for us to eat and use what HE made for us, and the further we get from that, the harder it is to say if it is ‘good.’ But the evidence that we have right now based on how sick people are suggests many are not.”
Knowledge is never good or bad, inherently. God gave us free will and Satan is all around us and hard to find. If he were obvious, he’d be easy to avoid! It is how knowledge is used that makes it good or bad. And it is evaluating the results of that knowledge and the uses and outcomes that let us know if it is good or bad. It cannot just be “good” because God gave us the ability. Like I said, that is often (sadly) an excuse not to have to change.
Tyler,
I’ve got to chime in here and say that I understand. The problem with the “God gave us the knowledge” can be seen all the way back at the beginning. Adam and Eve decided that they knew better than God, and they ate from the tree of knowledge… hmm. True, God gave us the ability to think and create, but that doesn’t mean what we think and create is good or “from” Him. Biological weapons are a good example of something that our “knowledge” has created that has absolutely no redeeming value whatsoever. Sadly, many of the “foods” people are defending will kill them, too. It’s just a slower process.
What each person eats is their own choice, though. If they want to eat those foods, they have the right to do so. You also have the right to eat as you choose and to answer honestly when people ask you why you eat the way you do. Just remember that, if you’re trying to represent Christ, He tells us to speak the truth in love. You might be surprised by how many people change their opinions on food (and other things) because you shared in a loving way. Even years after a conversation with a friend, I learned that that one conversation got her thinking and ultimately changed her mind about have an elective epidural versus having natural birth. She just had her baby without any drugs two months ago! 🙂
I haven’t dealt so much with the fear of real food as the time that goes into making real food. How do you manage your time amongst children and other things piling up in your schedule to do it all?
I just got a juicer for my birthday and it also makes homemade pasta and nut butters. I am so excited to try this out over the next couple of weeks! We have slowly been transitioning over the last year to eating real food. It has been a slow process as my husband and other family has been quite against it. But my husband now has truly made some huge strides and we are gradually getting there. We are now buying much more organic, reading labels, and making most everything at home. Posts like this are very encouraging to me – Thank you!
Kate and Justyn (who have also commented) make a lot more from scratch and real than I do. I am only about 8/9 months in myself. PLANNING. Which honestly I HATE having the same routine – but with kids it is actually refreshing.
I am almost done planning out our schedule for this school year – which I am sure will be adjusted once we get a few weeks in and I realize I overestimated what I/we could do. But I have on there which days I am going to prep each foods.
It is starting small and slow. Start making changes to those things your family eats the most. As a former half-time working mom (I am now only working about a third of what I used to) I know I would not be able to make as much as I can being at home more. We would still be able to eat healthy, but it would be limited and expensive as there would be much more ready made in our home.
I have always wanted a juicer, but they always seemed like a lot of work to clean. You’ll have to let me know 🙂
i’ll be honest – making cheese at home kind of freaks me out. and fermenting things. not sure why, probably because of all the reasons you mentioned above. even for someone who doesn’t eat processed food all that much (the exception being the occasional dessert made with white flour or sugar), and advocates for real food – we all have our hurdles. i will tackle both those things though this year. i’m sure of it.
p.s. it’s The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop today and i adore your post. it’s exactly what we’re looking for! you’re welcome to stop by and link up if you like! we’d love to have you!
I LOVED this post! And I chose it for my featured pick in this week’s Barn Hop (which will post tomorrow morning). For some reason, when I tried to use one of the photos, it wouldn’t load, but I wanted to feature it anyway. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!
I loved it too! This issue of feeling a little afraid of home produced foods is a sizable obstacle. We raise hens and occasionally give eggs away … too often I think the eggs will be trashed judging by the freaked out expression on the recipients face :-).
Up until a few months ago, I too was afraid of doing it myself. It always seemed “safer” to buy it than make it. My husband and I started watching a few documentaries (beyond “Forks Over Knives”) and our point of view changed. Some of these may be skewed, but it got our wheels turning. We cannot deny the fact that there are large corporations, who are in the business of making money and do not have our best interests in mind, behind some government agencies. It’s opened our eyes, both what we’ve been conditioned to believe, and how to do it better.
[…] Real foods are those that are closest to what they are in nature. Whole grains, real fat and oils, quality sourced animal products and naturally grown produce. Taking those things we already enjoy and preparing them with quality foods in the correct manner is a simple change we can all make. Yes, some things are a little more expensive, but when you cut of all the packaged foods – and let’s face it that stuff IS expensive – it all evens out. […]