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My dad took a tumble a few days ago so the children and I are basking in sunny Oklahoma to help out my folks. My parents moved here a couple of months ago and this is our first visit. It is quite beautiful and quite warm.
My dad broke his collar bone, a couple of ribs and dislocated several other things. He also hurt his foot and ankle but didn’t realize it at the time. Yesterday morning his foot was swollen and extremely angry looking. We spent the day at the docs and the hospital having tests to rule out a blood clot. Thankfully it is only a bruise/sprain.
My mama has asked that I teach her more about ‘real food’ while we are here. She says she has been doing some reading but isn’t exactly sure where to start. Like many people they are on a fixed income so the financial aspect of higher quality food is a bit of a stumbling block for her. Where to start is the big question that she isn’t sure how to answer.
If you have read here much you know that I am a big believer in transitioning to real food a little at a time in order to keep from overwhelming the budget and also to get used to the new foods and preps. BUT…
I find myself wondering if transitioningslowly is really the best choice for my parents. Their health is not as good as it could/should be. I find myself thinking that they need to go of a Standard American Diet (SAD) cold turkey. They need the health benefits associated with good fats, high quality proteins, bone broth, ferments and cultures. But then we are back to the money issue. They have a pantry full of food and the idea of tossing it all and replacing it freaks my mom out a bit. Plus being new to the area they will need to find all of their sources. And with health issues (both from my dads fall and ongoing) they can’t run all over the place to make their purchases.
We’d love to have your suggestions as to where you would start with a quick transition from a SAD diet to a nutrient dense, real food style of eating.
If they are living in the south western part of the state I can tell you of an organic buying club & other sources for real food?
Hi Torie,
North east. Do you know of anything up here? I was happy to find out that they can buy real milk from the farm. I think there is one near here but at the moment they probably wouldn’t be able to go due to health reasons.
Swan Bros. Dairy near Claremore Oklahoma for raw milk/cheese. The farmers markets are really good this time of year in NE OK and are also a way to find local farmers. We get great eggs from Canyon Ridge farms and they deliver to some of the local farmers markets.
Start by eating real meats not processed and vegetable and fruits that are fresh frozen or canned in juice. These are available in grocery stores everywhere and just get rid of mixes and packaged or altered food. Eat only whole grains oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice and ww pasta and ww breads if they do grains. This is a good start and gets their tastebuds ready for less sugar and lets them start thinking about what is food and what is junk. If you can’t butcher it, pick it or grow it and still recognize it it isn’t really food. Have them keep increasing the greens esp. and other vegetables and keep their protein intake up with meats and eggs. This doesn’t cost anymore and sometimes less than cured meats and packaged snacks. Then they can start reading and learning about the rest. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks Cindy! Great suggestions.
Just some thoughts and ideas. I don’t know where your parents are Oklahoma, but see if there is a Bountiful Basket site nearby. They can order the organic basket which would be a start. Talk to your Mom about getting rid of the worst offenders, the things that they shouldn’t have at all. White flour and white sugar, a lot of the things with wheat in them. Approach it gradually, and talk but don’t push. Sorry to hear about your Dad. Hope he is doing better
Hi Cathy,
Discovered while here that my dad is not a veggie fan (I don’t remember that from living at home). He is open to some ideas but not veggies. 🙂
I think you could mix it in…when I was trying to get my sons used to real food, I would mix them together.Some rapadura mixed with sugar, gradually adding more rapadura as the sugar bowl emptied.
WW flour mixed in greater proportions to white, until the white was gone, and they were getting whole wheat pancakes. Sea salt, raw cheese (grate it all, and mix it together). I put raw milk in the old jug so it looked the same…same with yogurt. Bought juice and club soda, and let them make their own “soda”. Little wasted and tasted buds adjusted with little fuss.
No, canned green beans aren’t great, but they can be added to a bone broth with other fresh veggies and be used up. Or make a canned food salad and take it to church potluck!
Get a sourdough culture started now, and get some bones from the butcher for nourishing broths..which will help your dad heal faster (sorry about his fall, BTW!). Make a roast of any beast, then pop the bones into a crockpot, and cover with water. Let it cook for a week, covering bones with more water as needed, adding spices and root veggies, drinking the broth, using it as a base for other foods, and composting the bones. This could be done every week, with turkey, chicken, pork, beef, lamb…whatever is on sale and is to your liking.
Sprouting beans, soaking nuts and flours…these all can be done now, and will make a difference in their gut health pretty quickly. When I first started soaking all grains and legumes, I didn’t tell my husband…I didn’t hide it, but I didn’t volunteer the info, YKWIM?;o)
Anyway, he kept saying he wasn’t hungry..that what I fed him was filling him up more, longer. But, at the end of the first week or two, he was 4 lbs lighter, and less bloated.
Good luck, good health to you all!
Hi Kate,
Great suggestions. The mixing in of the flour and sweeteners was what my husband and I did. It made it lots easier in many ways.
I brought along a sourdough starter and will leave some with my mom if she wants it. We’ve been having stove-top biscuits out of no-knead sourdough and my dad loves them.
I think one issue is that my mom is not really able to spend alot of time in the kitchen (because of her own health) and while she has the desire to learn new things the actual doing may be a challenge.
Millie, I just want you to know that I’m praying for your Dad (for healing); your Mom (to be open to your help & to be able to help your Dad heal) & for you (to be wise in this journey). Overall, I’m just praying for your family. He knows <3
Thank you my friend!
hi Millie~
i was recently caring for my Papa in north central oklahoma and came across a great lady and resource for real food -https://www.facebook.com/paulette.rink
she might be able to point you in the direction of people closer to you, but she travels all over the state with her goods too.
i pray that your time is rich as your dad heals. what a wonderful time to be together as a family!
~*ginny
Hi, I live in Oklahoma City and I do the Paleo Diet. I shop at Buy for Less for Kombucha, Kefir and other in between the aisle items like Bionature canned tomatoes, coconut oil, spices, etc…
There is also a few Farmer’s Markets around the City. I like the Urban Agrarian downtown in the old Farmer’s Market area. They have various produce, meats, dairy, grooming products, pre-made food. Also lots of share programs for meat, dairy and produce.
I also shop at Sunflower Market and Whole Foods for various meats, seafood and produce items.
It is possible to be Paleo here in Oklahoma City, but I do have to work for it. Hope this helps.
PS. The Farmer’s Markets are out of the way but Whole Foods, Sunflower Market and Buy for Less are very close by to each other.
Sorry, I guess Akins is worh mentioning as well. It’s just across the street from Sunflower Market
I think the first thing would be to substitute, gradually if necessary, healthier versions of what they are used to, making sure to get rid of ALL hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Coconut oil is pretty easy to use and so beneficial. Online sales are probably the cheapest way to go. If they’ve been eating plain fluffy white bread, have them eat sourdough white bread, then part-whole wheat. (In my opinion, though, we’d all be better off not eating any wheat at all!)
Fish broth is really cheap to make if you can find a fish market that gives away the heads. Would you dad eat veggies if they are seasoned or fermented? Braising greens in lard and broth with some onions, herbs, vinegar and sea salt makes them much more palatable than just boiled. Maybe while you’re there you can try a few recipes out and see if he will eat them. Look for recipes that are kids’ favorites! Also, adding tomatoes often makes things taste better to some people.
I know you can’t pull money from thin air, but if they’re just balking because real food seems too expensive, ask them to think about how expensive illness is!
Call Azure Standard http://www.azurestandard.com and ask if they can connect you to a nearby drop point.
I thought this was a great article about something similar to this. http://nourishedkitchen.com/the-cheaters-guide-to-real-food/
Thanks for all of the great responses and suggestions! You all are terrific. 🙂