Thursday, January 1, 2015

35 Simple Healthy Changes to Make in 2015

Over on Keeper of the Home there was a list of 101 Simple Healthy Changes Anyone Can Make in 2015.

Looking at the list, I found many that I would like to try in the upcoming year. They are listed below, and as I complete them I'll write a post about them and link them to my list.

If I need directions, ideas, or references as I'm working on the changes, I'm going to refer to the list on Keeper of the Home since she has links to additional information, recipes, and directions for each of her items.

These are the changes that I am most interested in making:

Waste Less

1. Compost your kitchen scraps. (Or try worm composting.)

2. Eat whole foods, not packaged ones. One suggestion on the list that I noted was the recommendation to use white cheese in a block rather than orange cheese to avoid food coloring. Organic or raw cheese is better than non-organic and/or processed.

Also, shop the perimeter of the grocery store where the meat, fish, dairy,vegetables, fruits, and whole grain baked goods are located. Some of the rows have good ingredients (e.g., brown rice, coconut milk, baking powder), but for the most part it is best to stay out of the aisles.
depended on it!

3.Creatively re-purpose and put some ideas to good use in a new way. (I do some of this already, but not nearly as much as I could.)

4. Stop using wrapping paper and gift bags, and go eco-friendly with your gift wrapping. (I made fabric bags for birthdays and Christmas. Sophia and Olivia don't like them as much as when their presents are wrapped in wrapping paper. However, environmentally I always feel better when I use the fabric bags than when I use wrapping paper.)

5. Start a mason jar collection and use them in multiple ways in your kitchen.

Eat More Real Food

6. Learn to define real food.

7. Cut your kitchen prep time. Do meal planning; and use appliances like the bread maker, Vita Mix mixer, and crockpot.

8. Save money on real food at Costco. Determine if a membership is worth it to purchase items like organic fruit, yeast in bulk, and larger quantities of items like maple syrup.

9. Roast a whole chicken; and then use the bones to make broth and can it.

10. Make your own spice mix.

11. Start using your crockpot to make something beyond the typical stews and casseroles.

Make Quick Switches

12. Use your crockpot to make the easiest homemade yogurt ever. (Live Renewed has a recipe for making homemade yogurt that I would like to try.)

13. Figure out what one small change you could be making and how to get over the barrier that’s holding you back.

14. Choose one of these 21 strategies for cutting down the sugar you consume.

15. Switch out one or two of your pantry staples for these healthier choices.

6. Find a simple homemade recipe to learn to make.

17. Choose one of these 7 foods to avoid (refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, preservatives, MSG, GMO, trans-fat). Look on Keeper of the Home page with suggestions for alternatives to replace them.

18. Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

19. Switch over one of these nine common kitchen products to get rid of more hidden toxins. For example, bleached paper products can be replaced by natural ones (they are brown rather than white). Two things that we use are coffee filters and parchment paper - both which have natural alternatives available.

Choose unbleached flour instead of bleached. Also, choose baking powder without aluminum. Rumford is one brand that doesn't have aluminum in it. Use arrowroot instead of cornstarch - the latter of which can be genetically modified.

Buy frozen instead of canned vegetables since most cans contain BPA in the lining.

20. Make one of these ten quick and easy household switches listed on Keeper of the Home. The most realistic for us to do and follow through with is to use natural soap (the kind that we keep by the sink to wash our hands).

21. Make a plan to avoid just one of these four, toxic fake foods. The one that I would be curious to try is to purchase nothing with artificial colors in it.

Clean Greener

22. Make just one of these 67 homemade, all-natural cleaning recipes.

23. Freshen up your carpet with this super simple, 2-ingredient recipe.

1/2 cup baking soda
20-40 drops essential oil of choice

Mix baking soda and essential oils together, and put in a shaker container with holes in the lid (such as a large, empty spice container). Let this mixture sit for 24 hours to allow the essential oil to permeate the baking soda. To use, sprinkle lightly over carpet. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and then vacuum as usual.

24. Try a natural air freshening spray around your home.

- 12-15 drops of pure essential oil (I like grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lavender, but go with any scent that you enjoy)
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups water

You can also make an even stronger version of this spray by using a higher ratio of vinegar to water and upping the essential oils (more like 20 drops) to use in a small diffuser bottle. This works better for just a quick spray into the air to freshen up a bathroom before guests.

25. Let the sun whiten your whites. Install a clothesline and hang clothes during all months except winter.

Love Your Skin (Naturally)

26. Make some safe and natural beauty products.

27. Make one out of this long list of skin scrubs, toners, cleansers, masques and more – all easy, all naturally nourishing.

28. Make homemade toner that's easy to make and good for your skin.

Raise Healthy Kids

29. Make healthier lunches for Sophia and Olivia.

30. Get more of the good stuff in them with with these real food snacks.

31. Make a plan to include the girls in the gardening this year and teach them to love vegetables more.

Move That Body

32. Make an exercise plan that will actually work for you.

Keep Your Family Well With Natural Remedies

33. Treat a nasty cold with one of these 10 natural cold remedies.

34. Fight the yuck this winter with our favorite herbal remedies for colds and coughs, stomach viruses and headaches.

35. Try one of the cold kicker. Supposedly the concoction works despite its less-than-appealing combination of items.

No comments: