One Step at a Time

Peg's kitchen lab: raspberry vinegar, kefir, and turmeric bug - alongside her new dehydrator!

Hoping to live healthier in 2014?  I hope Peg's story encourages you. (Peg and her husband Ron are active retirees here in Arizona.)

What a difference a year makes!  A year ago, January of 2013, I began attending fermentation classes offered by Andrea Fabry.  The information regarding how our bodies work and  what’s needed to maintain natural health was, literally, life changing.  Thus started my quest to begin making changes that might encourage a healthy gut.

Reflecting on the past year, I surprised myself with the changes.  While I thought small changes were being made, I realized I’d made kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, laundry soap, sunscreen, and shea cream. I bought and used a number of essential oils, started dry body brushing, began buying some organic foods, bought a dehydrator and have probably missed something.  I have incorporated healthy oils, grains, nuts, sweeteners, etc. all without much thought and have had fun in the process.  My pantry certainly looks different than it did one short year ago!

It has been quite a journey.  For anyone thinking about making healthy changes, it’s well worth the effort. AND my husband has enjoyed the changes! In fact, just this week Ron's dermatologist asked what he's doing differently because his skin looks so much better.

As for expense, I'm surprised how affordable these changes have been. Once you have things on hand, they go a long way!

Need help making healthy lifestyle changes? Consider joining momsAWARE's Natural Year Challenge.

If food is your area of interest, why not take the momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge:10 Steps to a Healthy, Natural, and Flavorful Diet? Each step involves one project per month. You even have two months to take a break or catch up!

If reducing chemicals in your home is an area of interest, we offer the momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge:10 Steps to a Naturally Clean Home.

Don't miss out. There is no charge to join, and,who knows, your kitchen and home may look very different a year from now!

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Healthier Eating in 2013

Everyone wants to eat healthier, especially at the start of a new year. It's easy, however, to get overwhelmed. How can I get my family on board? Where do I find healthy food? What about all of the conflicting dietary information? There are, indeed, lots of reasons to maintain the status quo. (For more, see these Ten Reasons NOT to Eat "Outside the Box.")

If you're excited about transitioning away from our world of processed foods, the momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge may be just the help you need!

The Challenge is divided into 10 steps. One full month for each step. If you need a month to catch up, no problem! Follow along at your own pace. Here is an overview:

1. Explore Your Sources. We'll give you ideas for both online and local food sources. Chances are there is a local supplier near you!
2. Make a Meat Stock. Extremely sustaining to the body and fights everything from cancer to arthritis, if quality meats are used. We'll also talk about cooking meats in general, and the healthiest ways to prepare them.
3. Use Healthy Oils and Fats. Confused about the conflicting information on this subject? You'll learn how to choose these products with confidence. A Lego demonstration explaining the different options is included!
4. Learn Your Greens. Which are the best? How should I eat them? Ideas for juicing, steaming, stir-frying, and more.
5. Make a Dairy Ferment. Time for a challenge, but you can do it—and your body will thank you for it! (Coconut milk can be used as a substitute for dairy.)
6. Make Whey. Once we have made yogurt and kefir, we'll explore the benefits of homemade whey and learn the simple process of extracting it from our fermented dairy products. We'll learn why lactose-intolerant individuals often can tolerate homemade fermented dairy products.
7. Make a Vegetable Ferment. Not as hard as you'd think, and extremely beneficial to digestion!
8. Soak and Sprout. You choose! You can sprout almonds, buckwheat, or sunflower seeds. Learn why sprouting/soaking/fermenting your grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds gives a boost to your health.
9. Make a Healthy Snack. Choose one of the following to try and enjoy on the go:
   
   • Kale Chips
   • Fruit Leather
   • Dried Fruit
   • Energy Bar
10. Make a Cultured Condiment. Adding healthy probiotic food to every meal can be as simple as including a lacto-fermented condiment. We'll look at homemade ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise!

2013 offers a fresh opportunity for new dietary adventures. Join the momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge: 10 Steps to a Healthy, Natural, and Flavorful Diet!

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Chemical-Free by Christmas

Taking the chemicals out of our lives has been one of the most difficult yet rewarding aspects of our family's journey. Difficult, because we learned the hard way that chemicals "hide" in products. (The term "fragrance" on an ingredient list doesn't mean one chemical; it involves a complex mixture of dozens of chemicals. Even products marketed as fragrance-free or unscented often contain a masking chemical of some kind.) Rewarding, because we have discovered so many simpler and safer ways to live.

Altering our diet in light of our health challenges has been even tougher. Transitioning from a sugar-laden diet based on convenience to one of nutrient-dense food that requires preparation time and extra energy has been an uphill battle. The rewards, however, are just as real as the food we're now eating.

The biggest frustration has been accepting the fact that we can't make these changes all at once. I spent two years feeling overwhelmed as I tried to learn new ways to cook. I didn't even know where to begin when it came to cleaning products.

In light of this daunting journey, momsAWARE has developed a 10-month program called The Natural Year Challenge. It's an opportunity to integrate healthier products and foods into your life at a pace that is manageable.

We are currently learning to make our own laundry soap in Month Two of the Household Challenge. Last month we located and purchased five basic ingredients for making our own household cleaning products.

In this month's Food Challenge, we're learning to make a nutritious meat stock. Our focus is the use of an organic, free-range chicken like the one depicted here.

(Introducing Just Sayin', an organic cartoon series featuring

the artistic talents of Ryan Fabry and the creative mind of Chris Fabry!)

Change is never easy. But when it's healthy change, it can be well worth the extra time and energy.

If you would like to join us for the Challenges, we'd love to have you! Just stop by the momsAWARE website to get started. Feel free to go at your own pace or follow along with us for the next eight months. You may be amazed to find yourself chemical-free by Christmas!

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