We all remember the good ol’ days. That scrumptious spaghetti your Aunt Judy used to make when you were a kid was just to die for. And the recipe has been passed down for generations. You might be thinking, “Why wouldn’t I make it for my friends and family?”
Hold it right there! Just because your beloved Aunt Judy used to make it, doesn’t mean it can’t be adjusted to meet your current health and weight loss goals. While we want to honor Aunt Judy, we yearn to be healthy role models for our kids and grandkids. Plus, the nutrient deficient, processed foods that have made their way into the Standard American Diet over the last 50 or so years don’t necessarily deserve a place in our (or our family’s) futures.
Here are some tips to tweak your family recipes:
- Old recipes should be looked as inspiration for how you make your healthy, clean meals. Could you serve that delectable spaghetti sauce over steamed vegetables instead of pasta? Steamed broccoli slaw or zucchini noodles are a wonderful and CambiatiClean replacement for nutrient deficient flour-based noodles.
- Delete and insert new, healthier ingredients to these recipes. If you just can’t live without the homemade ranch dressing, what about serving it over kale salad instead of wimpy old iceberg?
- Benefit your family by passing down healthier, improved recipes that help the generations live longer, healthier lives. Record the revisions and pass it on. You’ll inspire others to continue the new tradition!
- Get your family addicted to healthy meals instead of overly processed, nutrient deficient foods. Get family members involved in cooking. Make meals together using fresh ingredients and share your skills so they can get familiarized with the ins and outs of the kitchen. After all, people are more likely to enjoy nutritious food when they make it themselves.
- Help your family live healthier lifestyles, so that good genes are more likely to be expressed.
We likely all carry some sort of ‘bad’ genes within us, whether those are markers for cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and on and on. However, our diet and lifestyle makes a difference for which genes are “expressed.” By making better choices with how we eat and feed our families, we can increase the likelihood that disease-fighting genes are expressed, and decrease the likelihood that disease-promoting genes will be expressed.
“Your genes are the gun, and your lifestyle is the trigger.” Though we can’t control everything about our own health, and that in our family history (what people often feel is “inevitable”), we CAN control how we choose to eat and live. And those choices affect which genes are expressed, and which are not. Choosing to pass down nutritious recipes so that you can live long, boundless lives is an incredible act of love that far surpasses the bliss of one overly-indulgent meal.
Choose to help yourself and your family by passing down nutritious recipes so that you all can live long, healthy lives marked by vitality, not disease.
Want to take control of your health even more? A nutrition coach can help you design your menu plan and revamp your family faves. Simply call (925) 280-4442, email info@cambibati.com, or sign up for one of our amazing classes. You won’t be disappointed and your family will thank you!!