Preservative Free Me

I was talking to a friend from Bible College recently about starting the "Preservative Free Journey".  We were talking about how expensive it can be - especially when you're living on a limited income. And, believe it or not, living without preservatives can actually be less expensive than not.....

Here are 10 things that helped me as I started my quest for a preservative free life style:

 

First ~ stop buying sodas, and fake juices that are only partly juice and partly sugar, and other preservatives.  This will save you tons of money and it will save your health!! 

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Cereal ~  The "organic section" at Kroger/Fry's is a great place to start!  You can get the "Mom's BEST Naturals" brand for $2.00 a box!!  That's cheaper than the sugary brands.  They use natural sweeteners, and they do NOT use: artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.  They also don't use hydrogenated oil, or high fructose corn syrup.  They do use whole grains, however, they are not organic.

Cheese-Its!!  {and other crackers and chips} ~ You can find more natural brands in the Kroger/Fry's "organic section" as well!  And if these are still too expensive for you - good ole' Aldi has chips without MSG and other preservatives in them too!  Can't beat that!

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Mac & Cheese ~  My kids love Annie's Organic's brand, so  I always stock up when they are $1.00 a box.  Still more expensive than Kraft, but no artificial anything!   And, they have options for you -LOTS of options! 

Make your own spice blends!!  Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of those spice packets?  Before it was nothing for me to grab a few of those taco seasoning mixes.  They were cheap and easy and I had no idea that they were packing more than spices!!

Hamburger Helper ~ Make your own using "Annie's Mac & Cheese, your own spice blends, a few veggies, and your imagine.  They taste great and are fun to make! 

Salad dressings ~ my kids eat plenty of fresh veggies with ranch.  They always have, but I didn't realize until about 3 years ago that ranch is LOADED with MSG and other preservatives.  So, all those healthy meals really weren't as healthy as I thought they'd been.  Making your own dressings is a quick and easy fix, and in the long run it costs less too.

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Organic is a great way to go and I go that way as often as I can, but as I said, we're talking limited budget here. There are only 2 items that I try to never buy if they're not organic...apples and potatoes!  Both are LOADED down with chemicals if not organic - more than most of the other produce.  If you can't afford to get these things organic either, you can wash them well and peel them before you cook/eat them.

If you're worried about GMO you can check the stickers on your produce...they actually do mean something to you and not just to the people that work in the grocery store.  Who know, right??

Garden ~ If you're still worried, or you simply want to take it a step farther - you can grow your own food!  I strongly recommend this route.  It's so much fun for the kids, and educational too.

Don't be overwhelmed....

 

Remember, it's best to ease into it.  Don't try to do it all at once, or you may end up stressing yourself out and that's not good for your health either.  Just pick one and start there.  I started with the homemade ranch dressing. And from there, I discovered the Mac & Cheese and then the cereal.

It's a journey, not a race.  No one has arrived and certainly no one should be trying to "beat you to it".  :)  And, since we're all on this journey together, I'd love it if you would leave a message with your favorite ways to cut back on preservatives and additives in your food!   I can't wait to hear from you!

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This post has been linked to:
Healthy 2day Wednesdays