Healthified Southern Classics

Heathified :

(v) Eliminating toxins, create with whole foods, maximizing nutrients 

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What causes obesity?

Overeating isn't the number one reason Americans are overweight! What causes obesity is.....

1) Toxins and chemicals in our food supply

2) Disfunction in the systems of the body

3) Nutrient Deficiencies that cause our bodies to crave foods and over eat. Americans are constantly eating to fill the body's cry for the nutrients it is lacking. Yet we never actually give the body the nutrients it really needs! The cycle continually repeats and we end up with an overweight malnourished people.

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Why healthify? 

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The first step in being healthy is eliminating the toxins and chemicals we are exposed too. These chemicals and toxins is what causes the disfunction in the systems of the body which leads to obesity.  Believe it or not our food can be our largest exposure to these harmful toxins. Ill list the top fake foods that sneak into our meals and open your eyes to damage these foods are causing. 

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To healthily Southern Classics or any family favorite, its as simple as looking at grandmas recipe, identify the bad and swap it out with a healthy alternative.

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These meals will most likely not be figure friendly or diet friendly. But being healthy isn't about diets, its about a lifestyle that allows for healthified comfort food on occasion.  Everything in moderation!  

Ways to incorporate moderation in your diet!

Most people will loose weight just by healthifying their current meals and following these simple ideas.

1) Fill 1/2 your plate with a green salad/veggies and rest with favorite comfort food.

2) Have a healthified comfort meal as your "cheat meal" each week if you are watching the scale

3)All yourself one small comfort meal for every two healthier plant based meals.

4) If you don't like veggies: Eat smaller portions of these healthified meals, but try to make your self try one new vegetable a week.  You will eventually find some you like.

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Ingredients to Healthilfy:

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Flour:  The problem with flour:  Because it is mass produced it is also genetically modified, sprayed with chemicals so it can be mass harvested at one time, then it sits is silos full of pesticides until packaged. Synthetic vitamins are then added to it.

The quickest healthified swap is buying organic all purpose flour.  My favorite flour is King Arthur Organic All Purpose Flour.  You can even use this as a bread flour when making homemade breads and rolls.  If you need Self-rising Flour just add 1/4tsp of salt and 1 1/2tsp of baking powder to a cup of all purpose flour.  

Even further healthifying flour and grains can happen when you grind your own flour and soak or ferment your grains, but that is taking it to a whole other level this article isn't focusing on.

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Butter/Oils:  Butter is always the best! And Kerrygold is my favorite because it has naturally occurring fat soluble vitamins from the cows being raised on green pasture!  If I baking Ill use butter or grapeseed oil.  If I'm frying Ill use coconut oil or avocado oil.  If you want to read more about oils and why it is so important to use Healthy Oils check out this link-----

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Sugar:  Buying organic or even regular 100% cane sugar is a start.  Much better than the GMO beet sugar you are most likely buying.  Cutting the sugar in half! Most recipes you can cut the sugar in half and not even notice. You can also substitute healthier sugars like honey and maple syrup. Or even Healthy sugar substitutes like pure whole leaf stevia or pure monk fruit. Be careful of chemical sugar substitutes like Splenda, Sweet N Low, Equal, Truvia. These are very harmful to your health.

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Importance of:

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Homemade: Just making something homemade cuts most chemicals from your diet.  Premade meals, breads, pastries and other foods must contain preservatives to keep it "fresh". Reality is that most remade foods aren't actually food at all.  A sludge of chemicals that mimic food but actually have zero nutritional value!  Making sure your homemade meals contain organic ingredients doesn't just eliminate chemicals but also ensures that meal you serve your family will have the nutrients they need to grow and be healthy.   

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Nutrients:  How does food get its nutrient value?  Plants get its nutrients from the soil it was grown in. And in the case of animals and animal products (dairy) those nutrients come from the plants that the animals ate which came from the soil they were grown in. Unfortaunately most animals are fed mass produced chemical sprayed grains and see very little daylight or green pastures.  

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Organic:  Why is organic the best! Buying organic ensures that the food has the most nutrients possible and eliminates the herbacides and pesticides commonly sprayed on produce and animal feed.

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This is a first step! However if you have an autoimmune disorder or symptoms of poor health there are steps you can do beyond just healthifying your current meals.  Please see the Clean 14 diet

www.olenawellness.com/start-here-clean-14 or make an appointment at Olena Wellness Center to address your health concerns.

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