Question Everything

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We live in a world full of information and mis-information. If there is one things I've learned in my six-year wellness journey, it is to question everything. Assume nothing and don't trust common sense and accepted wisdom. For all the volumes of health information available to us, very little of it empowers us as individuals to discern what is best for our wellness and longevity.

For me it started years ago with 'Eat to Live' by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, which opened up all kinds of wellness and nutritional concepts which continue to inform me to this day. Then there was "The Science of Natural Healing," from The Great Courses, which further opened my view of what happens in our bodies nutritionally, and how simple (counter-cultural) choices will greatly improve our health and life.

If I hadn't been willing to open up my thinking and question what defines real food, I'd still be eating Pop Tarts and ice cream every day. I know I can turn the migraines, muscle and joint pains, and digestive issues on and off based on my nutritional choices.

Instead, I accepted the challenge of looking differently, even radically, at my pantry and wellness. Changing my thinking has changed my life. Through lots of questioning, I now know how sensitive my metabolism is to corn, nightshade vegetables, dairy and wheat. I know I can turn on health issues by having high-glycemic foods, and also that I can live pain-free and full-of-energy by eating clean. How cool is that?!

So, how's your journey and your pantry? Have you tried reading labels and questioning common knowledge about what constitutes food, and what is really healthful for our bodies? If you haven't, maybe today is your day. What can seem radical and health-nutty can quickly become a life-changing step in the right direction. Then it just takes another step and another... and a bit more reading and bit more curiosity and a bit more questioning. Soon enough, you will likely gain momentum on your own course toward wellness.

By the Way

One other wellness conviction that is very compelling to me is that there is no money in healthy people... follow the money, and you soon realize our government and society has a vested interest in peddling disease and failing health. I know that sounds super-cynical (and I'm not a conspiracy theorist) but if you follow the money it is evident that health and wellness don't help create jobs and commerce and make cash flow in our western world. For me, I'd rather be counter-cultural and healthy :o)

A Simple, Delicious Choice

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Power pantry pick-of-the-week: today's post offers a terrific addition to your snacking choices. While carrot sticks and a nutty, dried fruit trail mix might be great, we've recently become fans of Van's. Van's International Foods, that is.

We first found their multigrain crackers some months ago, and with them being not only gluten-free, but corn free, they were an instant hit around our house. And they taste great and have a crisp, light texture... perfect for the latest hummus or guac recipe.

Then I saw more of their stuff at the local super-store, shopping emporium: cereals, granola, snack bars...wow! The thing I love is their ingredient list, and that they have a basic grain mix which shows up in almost all of their offerings (here are the ingredients for their 'Lots of Everything' crackers):

Van's Gluten Free Whole Grain Blend (Oats, Brown Rice Flour, Millet, Quinoa And Amaranth), Potato Starch, non-GMO Expeller Pressed Sunflower And/Or Safflower Oil, Brown Sugar, Rice Flour, Sesame Seeds, Salt, Poppy Seeds, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Yeast Extract, Sunflower Lecithin, Caraway Seeds, Mixed Tocopherols For Freshness.

Maybe you'd enjoy something from the Van's Foods family. Check them out online here:
http://www.vansfoods.com/, and look for Van's in the cracker aisle at your supermarket. If you don't find them, be sure to ask, because there may be a gluten-free section, or it's possible your grocer's purchasing folks aren't yet enlightened to the great products from Van's. Happy snacking.

By the Way

Van's doesn't have a huge product line, simply crackers, cereals, pastas, etc. Their tag line is "Simply Delicious" and their offering supports that profile. Check out their full product line here: http://www.vansfoods.com/our-products

Making a Start

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Committing to a new way of life is a big deal. Even committing to the first step in a new direction, when you know it may be life-changing, can take a measure of courage and boldness. Have you looked back on some endeavor in your past and had that surprising realization of how far you’ve come, recognizing that you never thought you’d go that far? The catalyst  for the progress you made on that journey was the day you started. Making a start is where all momentum, and eventually growth, comes from. To succeed at something, all we really need to do is start.

I know, that’s easier said than done, especially where nutrition and stocking a power pantry are concerned. I’ve struggled so many times about the familiar, easy foods I will leave behind once I improve my eating habits. I get challenged by new information and realize that it would require yet another shift toward a healthier power pantry, and I’m convicted all over again to start a next chapter in the journey.

So if you’re new to a power pantry wellness lifestyle, and you find yourself struggling with the launch, don’t be surprised. The start is the biggest hurdle to overcome. Once you’re moving in a healthier direction with your wellness and pantry choices, momentum will build and you’ll grow and benefit even more.

I love a quote from WH Murray about making a start; this is from his work The Scottish Himalayan Expedition:

“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!"

Maybe today is a great day to commit to a power pantry and move along in your wellness lifestyle. I’ll bet some boldness on your part might yield some genius and power, and maybe more than you could dream would come to your aid.

By the Way

If you’re staring at your pantry trying to decide your first step, and what healthy choice you could make that you would stick with, try to eliminate  foods with these three ingredients:

• Hydrogenated oils (found in baked goods, dressings, condiments; things like granola bars and candy, and any number of snacks)
• High fructose corn syrup (can be in almost any sweetened, processed food)
• Monosodium glutamate (as a flavor enhancer in everything from soups to dressings to snacks; MSG hides in untold prepared foods)

These are the first unhealthy ingredients Jen and I went after when we began building our power pantry. It means developing a habit of reading labels (see previous post here), and then searching the shelves in a discerning way to find healthier alternatives. Starting with these three will get you on your way.

What's Inside

Simple label: for an egg

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We are what we eat. That's a simple fact, and unfortunately one which is often ignored in our western culture. When striving for a nutritious, powerful pantry, we need to know what we're eating, and that starts with reading labels.

I know it might seem geeky to invest precious minutes of our busy day reading food labels, but it is absolutely worth it, especially realizing the bizarre stuff that is in foods we buy. The pantry premise is that if it's there, we'll eat it (or when we're stumped on what to make for dinner Tuesday evening, we're obviously limited to whatever we find in the pantry, so it better be good.)

The 40+ ingredient cake

What are we looking for on labels? We want whole, natural ingredients wherever possible. A rule of thumb is the less ingredients, the better -- simple wins. Here's a label from a cake we got as part of a recent birthday party. I counted over 40 ingredients on the label between the actual cake and the toppings. It looked good to eat, but seeing all that stuff in what should have been a simple pound cake made me lose my appetite.


Another guideline: if you can't pronounce it, or it has more than three syllables, look for a healthier alternative. There are key offenders that can be avoided once you know to watch

A simple bag of potato chips - 3 ingredients

for them: refined grains, enriched grains, all refined white foods (rice, flour, sugar, vinegar, salt) high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated / partially hydrogenated oils, monosodium glutamate, and ingredients that may be problematic to food-sensitive folks in your household (like soy or gluten, etc.)

Here's a worthwhile exercise if you're getting into the habit of label-reading: search Google or Bing images for 'healthy food labels' and 'unhealthy food labels' and review what comes up. You can get quite an education by scanning the materials available on line that explain parts of the label and reinforce what healthy guidelines are for recommended daily allowances (RDAs) and such.

The point is that at some level, we need to root out the unhealthy choices that are lingering in (or dominating) our pantry, and replace them with nutrient dense, healthful alternatives. Here are a few we've found:
Progresso soups (compared to Campbell's - almost all Campbell's soups have MSG)
Neuman's Own dressings (compared to Kraft - almost all Kraft dressings have MSG and many have partially hydrogenated oils).
Nature's Own bread and rolls - 100% whole wheat available, and no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.
Almost everything from the produce section is a good choice, because they all basically have singular ingredients (veggies, fruits, greens, etc.).
The lists can go on and on, but you get the idea that there are nutritious healthy alternatives to basically all of the unhealthy ones that can occupy our pantries.

By the Way

My wife, Jen, has acknowledged that her label-reading experience improved over time. She didn't like reading labels at first; it's a time investment, rooting out poor nutritional choices compared to good ones. But it has gotten much more tolerable. Once you know what to look for, it is easier to recognize poor ingredients compared to good, nutritious ones. You'll be well on your way to a power pantry.