In no particular order...
1. It's too expensive. To this I can only say "start where you can." I always suggest starting with food, then adding in other products (i.e. makeup, clothing, etc.) as you are financially able to. More specifically, start with soft skinned produce and meats. For more information on that, read the post below titled "A Few Simple tips for eating Organically on a budget." Also, I would argue that prioritizing plays a big part in this, if you put food (and your health) at the top of your priorities list (with everything else coming after) you may be surprised at how much you really can afford. Michael Pollan talks about this in his book "In Defense of Food." Investing in what you eat, is just that, an investment! The amount of money you will spend later down the line NOT taking care of yourself and what you eat (i.e. prescriptions, medical bills etc.) will certainly cost far more than anything you invest now. If you quit viewing a healthier lifestyle as optional, but rather as a necessity, it becomes a much realer prospect.
2. I don't have access to organics. This is tougher, but not a roadblock, just an obstacle. First I would suggest doing your research. Use some of the sites in the posts below to research just how far organic growers/farmers are from you. If this is not an option, consider growing your most used herbs/vegetables (I will talk about this in later posting). Lastly, we have internet! Clothing, make-up, children's toys, etc. can all easily be found with one click of the mouse. Limited access is now becoming a dying phrase thanks to the web!
3. I can't cook/ I don't know any recipes. Again, use the internet! You can search for ANYTHING online (i.e. 5 ingredient recipes, crockpot recipes, vegan recipes, etc.) Also, use each recipe as a suggestion. Make necessary substitutions to cook a more "real" meal. Meaning, if it calls for a can of cream of mushroom, search for how to make
homemade cream of mushroom (ha, can you tell I love cream of mushroom?!). For those who say that can't cook, I would say you must have quit trying. You only fail when you quit trying! Perservere! Learn from what you did last time and move forward. Also, start easy! Don't take on a 7 hour sauce that has to be reduced and calls for a list of exotic ingredients. Make simple changes in meals you already make. Take a meal of burgers and fries. Start simple, make the fries from scratch, or start with the
ketchup! Try to take one element of each meal and make it from scratch, don't start with the whole meal! This way you don't become overwhelmed before you even begin, then congratulate yourself on your success! This is so important, regardless of the end result, you did it! If you take one taste and go running for your ketchup stash in the fridge, that's ok! Now you know to try a different recipe next time! Good for you for giving it a try, that's a huge accomplishment! I started by incorporating one new recipe a week. I saved it for a day I had more time, energy, and patience, in no time you'll have a whole stash of great recipes!
4. I don't have time. Again, this is a tough one. Not a dead end, but yet another obstacle. Time, and lack there of, is a very real dilemma. Let me encourage you by saying, "YOU WILL NEVER HAVE MORE TIME." To the normal person, this sounds like the exact opposite of encouragement, but let me tell you why it is: It is encouragement to get started NOW because you will never have more time, and realistically as your life, family, business, etc continues to grow, your amount of time will shrink. So get going now! Be creative now! Start the habit of making health your number 1 priority now, and your life will work itself out around that. Pick a day you have off and take that entire day to make and freeze meals for the week. Or pick one aspect of each meal to make (i.e. the sauce, the meat, etc.) and freeze for the week. Just this small step will make those 30 minutes you have to cook throughout the rest of the week much more fulfilled. MAKE EASY MEALS, I can't emphasize this enough, homemade does not have to mean hard-to-make. Again, pick what you can do and do it! If you only have energy to boil a pot of whole wheat noodles, toss in some butter and seasonings and call it a day, do that! Good for you, you've made a homemade meal! Most importantly, PLAN. Plan, plan, plan. Plan your meals, then plan the when, how, where, etc. When you are starving and exhausted after a long day of work/activities the last thing you want to do is take the time to try and plan then. Do yourself a favor and make it easy! Lastly, I come back to prioritizing. Whatever you do not make a priority in your life, will become a casualty.
5. But... This may be your toughest one yet. This represents every excuse you are going to come up with. "But... I don't have enough cookware... but... my kitchen is terrible... but... I can't do this by myself... but... I already have so much on my plate (pun intended!)... but...(I'm sure you can fill in this blank). This will probably the hardest thing for you to overcome. This is why I have listed some encouraging quotes on my next posting...
Have any ideas to help encourage others? Is there something you have overcome with living a more natural life that has paid off? Have you seen positive results since your lifestyle change? Comment below (if you can!) or e-mail me at naturallynourishing@gmail.com
