Healthy Foods

We’ve all heard the above saying, but do I really realize it’s truthfulness? Healthy foods are the fuel that powers our bodies. If we fuel our bodies with natural foods, nutrients and vitamins, we can expect optimal performance.

But if we fill up with processed foods and drinks full of chemicals and preservatives, how can we expect our bodies to react well? It’s a simple matter of cause and effect. The difference between healthy and unhealthy foods can mean the difference between health and sickness, if not immediately, then definitely over time.

That being said, there are specific foods that affect specific areas of our bodies. Take a look at the following healthy food list for various organs and stages of development.

Top Healthy Foods

If you want to start taking steps to in the right direction towards health, these are the top foods to have in your diet regularly:

• Quality fats. Surprised to find this first on the list? Fats are essential to everything from brain health to heart health. These include raw (unpasteurized) butter & cream, coconut oil, small amounts of olive oil & raw seed oils, and even lard.
• Fermented/cultured foods. These include raw yogurt & kefir, as well as many things you probably didn’t realize could be cultured – homemade jellies, mayonnaise, traditionally-pickled vegetables, and more.
• Organic vegetables and fruits. Yeah, I know you knew that one. It’s important, though. And a good amount of these should be raw. These will do the work of alkalizing your body, which is key to your health.
• Quality animal protein sources. Free range eggs & pastured meats are a great way to start changing your diet for the better without even noticing a difference in what you’re eating.
• Raw dairy. If you consume dairy, it should be grass-fed & unpasteurized (raw). This includes milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, butter, etc.

You may notice that a lot of my recommendations include the word, “raw.” Generally speaking, the less your food is cooked, the better. And some foods, such as milk, may not seem cooked, but when you buy them in a normal grocery store, they have been heated to the point of damaging their nutritional value.

Healthy Foods for Kids

• Keep washed, sliced fruits & veggies in handy portion-sized bags in the refrigerator. Keep plenty of fresh fruit or fresh fruit salad around. They’ll eat it if it’s readily available and if there are not cheese crackers to choose instead!


• Let (or help) them make a fruit smoothie – they are very cooling on a summer day when made with frozen fruit! We’ve gone through spurts in our family when we make smoothies for breakfast every morning. They’re very versatile, you can change the taste to be whatever you like. I even add greens into our diet by tossing one or two handfuls of spinach into our fruit smoothies, and no one can taste it! And be sure to add some healthy fat, like coconut oil, to make them both filling and more nutritious.


• Make homemade popsicles out of pureed fruit or fresh squeezed fruit juice. My kids love the simple pops I make by blending homemade yogurt, berries, and a little agave nectar. A popsicle mold is cheap on Amazon.


• Stop keeping juice or soda in the house – instead keep a nice jug of ice-cold water ready in the fridge, and even make fresh lemonade by adding a little lemon juice and some agave or xylitol. But getting your kids used to drinking water will benefit them greatly.


• If your children are used to being given a separate meal if they don’t like what the adults are eating, you’ll need to gradually change that habit. I know it’s easier in the short term, but treating them this way can have very negative effects on their long-term eating habits, and thus their health. Start introducing them to greens and colorful veggies by adding a little to their plates at every meal. Don’t despair if they turn up their noses at first. Just go on and on yourself about how delicious the new foods are, and keep putting them on their plates until they eventually try it (it might take weeks!). I’ve always found that it helps to talk about why we’re eating certain foods, too (did you know that eating those green beans is helping you have strong bones and muscles? Let me see your muscles!). Remember, your attitude toward healthy foods makes all the difference! Don’t get upset if they whine, try hard to keep it positive.

Healthy Diet Foods

If you’re looking for healthy diet foods, all these natural healthy foods are fine. Just remember to eat in moderation, especially of the higher calorie foods. It can take time to adjust your appetite to eating less than you’re used to. Eliminating the excessive carbs contained in wheat products can go a long way towards helping you lose weight. But remember to pay attention to the amounts you’re eating. Put less on your plate than you think you want, eat slowly, and stop before you feel full. Eating fewer overall calories not only shrinks your waistline, but has been shown to extend the lifespan, too! It’s a package deal!

Okay, so now I understand the importance of Eating Healthy Foods. Now let’s talk about how to work them in to our lives without breaking the bank.

Finding local sources

You might be surprised and thrilled at the local sources available to you for finding healthy meats, dairy, eggs, and produce.

• For fruits and vegetables, joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a must. You can google, “CSA” and your area to find ones local to you. This not only gives you a way to buy organic fruits & vegetables affordably, but it will probably introduce new and exciting foods into your diet that you didn’t know about!


• For unpasteurized milk, you can visit realmilk.org to find a source near you. But what if there’s nothing available in your area, or your local milk co-op is full? Well, do what I did, and start your own co-op! Find a farmer with grassfed cows who would like to sell their raw milk and cream (you can use craigslist, your local paper – any advertising source you can think of – to find these folks). This farm doesn’t need to be very close to you, because then you’ll contact the owners of the realmilk.org site, or run your own ad on craigslist, stating that you’re starting a raw milk co-op and are looking for members. It might start out small, but there are more people every day searching for sources of raw milk, and over time you’ll have a nice-sized group of people with whom to rotate driving to a farm and picking up milk each week.


• Pastured meats are most affordably bought in bulk. This is where your,”bulk savings account” is crucial. After a few months of saving, you’ll be able to afford to buy half of a grassfed cow, or several whole pastured chickens. Your freezer will be full of healthy, yummy meat, for months! A great place to start looking for pastured meat is eatwild.com. But if you don’t find someone in your area (or if they’re all too expensive, which many are – I’ve seen grassfed ground beef sell for over $7/pound!), start asking farmers in your area. Again, run a craigslist ad, contact your local Weston A. Price chapter, ask any local agricultural contacts who might have information. And if you encounter someone selling bulk grassfed meat for more than you can afford, don’t be afraid to bargain with them! They might be willing to reduce their price rather than lose your repeat business.

Making your own

Now, don’t cringe. I know you’re busy, I am too! But most of us waste just as much time running out to grab something to eat at the deli as we would taking a few minutes to prepare our own healthy food at home. It just takes a little forethought and preparation.

I have made my own yogurt, cheese, cultured mayonnaise, cultured butter, meat stocks, cultured jam, delicious raw foods, and so much more. It’s easy, and it’s fun (and if you knew just how much I hate being in the kitchen, that would really mean something to you!). And the satisfaction you’ll feel when feeding your family the fresh, healthy foods you’ve prepared is worth every minute of planning and prep.

Below are some great books to get you started finding ways to prepare your own healthy foods at home (I don’t necessarily endorse every single view in these books, but they all contain fabulous, family-friendly, truly healthy recipes). The small amount you spend on these books will pay for itself many times over in the health benefits your family will experience!

- Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
- Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen
- Alkalize or Die by Theodore Baroody

How to Grow Healthy Food

Starting your own garden is a great way to start eating healthy on a budget! Even if you don’t have much space, you can grow “bush tomatoes” on a patio, herbs on window sills, even many vine plants can be grown in containers.

Do you love salsa? Plant patio tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and a pepper plant.

Back to my own shortcomings – I have a black thumb. Seriously. I’ll be honest and say that I have not yet attempted my own full-scale garden. But even I can keep a tomato plant alive in a pot! Keep a little compost heap in your kitchen and add all the leftovers from your organic CSA. Use this yummy fertilizer to keep your food-bearing houseplants strong and healthy.

Do you want salads? Plant a variety of lettuce not available in your grocery store, tomatoes, scallions, spinach, radishes, and carrots. Add a little olive oil and vinegar dressing and some pastured grilled chicken or steak & soft-boiled eggs. This will fill you up and taste better than store-bought veggies.

Healthy herbs are easy to grow in containers if your home is short on space. They’re far more pungent than store-bought, dried herbs in jars.

Aside from saving money by growing your food rather than purchasing it, you also will gain exercise by planting, watering, pruning and harvesting your food, plus you’ll have satisfaction at having grown your own food. And let’s not forget the natural vitamin D you’ll be receiving from the sun as you tend your garden! ( You can skip the chemical-laden sunscreen. The sun provides vitamin D, which is essential to healthy living. It’s not sun alone that causes cancer, it’s a host of lifestyle and food choices.)