Everyone, regardless of whether they are aware of it or not, has a Food Philosophy. We all have habits that typify our eating behaviour, and these are either intentional or mindless.
While I like to think that I have full control of my eating behaviour and consciously eat only that which ties into my chosen food philosphy, the reality is that my ideals change all the time and my behaviours even more so.
Food Philosophy or Marketing Ploy?
When I take a good look back on how my own food philosophy has grown and evolved over time, I am surprised (and annoyed).
This is because however much I think that my food philosophy is specifically chosen because of some principle I hold close to my heart, I can actually see that it correlates almost exactly to the popular eating habits of those times. Or, to the release of information or research study about a certain food group.
As a teenager in the early 2000’s, I was afraid of fats (except peanut butter – but when you love it, it isn’t fattening, right??). Which is interesting, because during that time, we were still coming out of the whole : “fat makes you fat, so don’t eat too much of it” mindset.
When I reached my twenties (now being the 2010’s), I was still afraid of fats. Then(to my dismay), I discovered that sugar was the real enemy. Now, we were right about then one, and I still hold it at arm’s length (I said hold, didn’t I? I still have it from time to time, gasp)
Now I am in my 30’s and it looks like carbs have been ousted. A carbohydrate is just sugar in your bloodstream, you know!! While I tried this for a while, I discovered that I absolutely could not survive without the wonderful foods that are carbohydrates.
No one would want to be around me!
So what the heck is my food philosophy as a frugal homemaker who still wants to be healthy?
If you haven’t guessed it already, this homemaker loooooves food. I like to make it, bake it, ferment it, but especially, eat it. I want to still know the joy of eating while being healthy and not breaking the budget.
But after years of deprivation and food restriction, and with the health world throwing their RDI’s at me, can a girl eat anything without feeling guilty?
Enter: Trim Healthy Mama.
Trim Healthy Mama was introduced to me as a new mama. My mother came across the first book (ironically, it’s a really fat book) and gave it to me.
Note: My mother did not think I was fat. She just knows what I eat up anything about food and healthy eating.
The Trim Healthy Mama book, pictured above, goes into intricate detail about how our body metabolises different food groups, and explains how to eat as much as what to eat.
I read that fat book voraciously. And I loved it. I still do. I think it is the best, healthiest way to lose and to maintain a healthy weight.
The Trim Healthy Mama Diet has really shaped the way I eat food, but I don’t stick to it religiously. While the premise is simple (have protein at every meal, and leave three hours between when you eat carbs or fats), in practice I do find it a bit faffy to be constantly conscious of how much fat and carbs and protein to have at each meal.
Sometimes, I just want to have peanut butter on toast with honey!
Because they are SUPER carb-conscious, the diet is also kind of tricky to stick to without their special ingredients (which are amazingly natural and full of the good stuff. just way too far from where I live).
Where I stand on the THM way of eating:
What I do cling to from the plan is to have some form of protein at every meal. I am conscious sometimes of how much fats and carbs I eat together, but only vaguely. I do not let it rule my life.
The THM way of eating is to have BIG meals (which I love). Deprive yourself not! But you are encouraged to fill your plate with foods that are non-starchy, such as fruits and vegetables. Which is a super-healthy way to eat!
Another reason why I think the THM plan is a great food philosophy foundation is because they are very wary of foods with high toxicity. Sugar is out, and so is white flour (which is where I met my Waterloo, as I love to bake sourdough, and it just ain’t as good – or cheap – without white flour).
So in a nutshell, here is the food philosophy that fuels my menu planning:
- It’s got to be healthy. By healthy, I mean with as few additives as possible. This means food that is as close to it’s natural source as possible.
- Lots of vegetables
- Cheap. I do not believe that having a healthy diet needs to be expensive. So I definitely do not buy specialty flours or protein powders or health supplements. Nor do I always buy organic (you can’t always trust that term, you know!)
- Protein at every meal. I will always try to have the cheapest form of protein, too – beans or lentils or tinned fish. And did you know that 100g of bread has more protein content than an egg?
- Carbohydrates as unrefined as possible, as cheap as possible. This frugal homemaker buys white flour, rice, beans, and lentils. And I will try and only have the white flour if it has been fermented!
- No unrefined sugar. My frugal “sweet” sources are dates, truvia, and fruit, fresh or tinned. I know it’s not the best, but hey, you gotta move with the times, and it is definitely not possible to keep a strict budget and be a purist.
Disclaimer: obviously, as a recovering sugar addict, I do enjoy a treat or two fairly often. More than I am willing to admit.
