So I nearly forgot that several of you asked that I share what I learned at the local chapter meeting for the Weston Price Foundation. I honestly should educate those of you who don't know what WPF is but if I do that this blog will not get written. Perhaps I will take that up another time! The meeting was about baby steps. Baby steps toward good nutrition...which the WPF says begins with healthy fats and avoids sugar and processed foods. That is just the teeny tiny tip of the iceberg but like I said, I can't delve deeper or I won't get this written.

So, here are your baby steps to begin your journey:

1. Add fats into your diet! YES, FATS! Healthy fats like cod liver oil (which is high in vitamins A and D...vitamins we do not get enough of. You can take 1 SMALL tsp a day of cod liver oil and fulfill what you need. Yes...it is nasty. Get over it. Fill a tiny shot sized glass (I use a condiment cup) with cold water. Pour your tsp on top and drink it as fast as you can. Yes, you will taste it but barely and then it is over for the day! If you are taking fish oil capsules, you are not getting as much good stuff as one tsp of cod liver oil. Get your cod liver oil from www.greenpasture.org. I am not sure it is the best price on their site...just be sure to use their brand because it is naturally fermented. Coconut oil should replace ALL vegetable oils in your pantry. Vegetable oils are terrible for you and coconut oil is NOT! Basically, vegetable oils are heated so high that they become rancid and do terrible things to your system. Yes, coconut oil has saturated fats but they are medium chain fats which have all sorts of benefits for you. You must buy unrefined, organic coconut oil which is not cheap. I started by trying it in small jars from Whole Foods. Once I tried it in recipes and realized it was delicious, I purchased from www.mountainroseherbs.com. Their gallon is $39 which is the best price I have found. A gallon will last a LONG time! Coconut oil is solid at room temp so you can use it as shortening. OR put the jar in warm water and melt it to use like oil. I could go on but if you want to know more...read Eat Fat Lose Fat. Avoid trans fats. Nuf said.

2. Make your own bone broth. So full of trace minerals and good stuff. Much better for you than store broth, so EASY to make and affordable! Basically, once you cook a whole chicken (or turkey) you need to remove the meat from the bones. You do not need to pick it clean. Just eat off of it what your family wants and then toss the bones into your crockpot. Cover with cold water and add 2 tbsp of vinegar to the water. The vinegar pulls the minerals from the bones. Cover and cook on low for as little as 8 or as many as 48 hours. When done, cool, strain and store in the freezer in usuable portions to make yummy soups and add to recipes! See...easy!

3. No white flour or sugar. Self explanatory I think.

4. Probiotics at every meal. Kimchi or saurkraut that you have fermented. Kefir or kombucha drank with the meal or before the meal. Fermented foods have enzymes that aid digestion. You will need to look these up on your own...no time for me to explain. www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com is an excellent site for information. She shows you how to make all this stuff step by step on videos! Awesome!

5. Make something homemade that you eat all the time...like creamed soups. Instead of buying canned condensed soups which are yuck...make it homemade! Or peanut butter. Or baked goods and replace with freshly ground flour and natural sweeteners like sucanat or raw honey. Pop your own popcorn in coconut oil.

OK....that is a lot of info and not enough explanation but it's the best I can do for now! I promise...everything I have learned you can learn too! Blessings!