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A big part of choosing a homesteading lifestyle is being willing to take back control of your life. Stop spreading yourself so thin! It means stepping back and taking time to care for yourself and your family; to choose health, sometimes over the pursuit of wealth. Homesteading means choosing the hearth and home, and a whole foods diet plan is a very big part of that. In fact, we would say that homesteaders should make a whole foods diet a key part of their focus.
What is a Whole Foods Diet?
Whole food diets are those that focus on foods that have had little or no processing, have been minimally or not at all refined, and do not have ingredients or chemicals added to them. Some whole foods diets are primarily plant-based, but organically grown and raised or farmed meat, fish, and eggs certainly qualify as whole foods and can be enjoyed, grown, or raised by homesteaders anywhere!
Choosing a whole foods diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite foods either. It more means slowing down and instead choosing to make those foods yourself. You can still enjoy peanut butter, in fact, you can even go so far as to grow the peanuts yourself! The goal is to eliminate as much commercial processing and refinement as possible and reduce the consumption of chemicals that just aren’t as good for you as the food in its natural state.
Why Homesteads Are Perfect for Whole Food Diets
Returning to a slower, and in some ways, simpler lifestyle means embracing the ‘hard way’ and giving up convenience. Not every homesteader is going to be willing or even able to bring home a fifty-pound bag of wheat berries and begin grinding their own bread flour. However, many homesteaders will choose to grow a garden. A large number of homesteaders will look into food preservation and can, dry, or freeze
fruits and vegetables they grow throughout the spring and summer. Eating homegrown food fits hand in hand with a whole foods diet. With a focus on what is natural and naturally good, a whole foods diet plan has a large focus on vegetables and fruits that can be found in almost any home garden both across the country and even around the world.
Do you have special dietary needs? Your garden can be tailored to grow and provide healthy, and even organically grown, vegetables and fruits that will provide your body with the solid, supportive nutrition it needs. Have an allergy to nightshades? It’s easy to take tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes out of your garden and instead grow extra carrots and beets. Increase your cucumbers! Make a larger bed for salad greens. The homestead mindset is a natural complement to these kinds of dietary restrictions that often make whole food diets necessary. Gluten-free? No problem. Vegetarian? Beans are incredibly easy to grow in all their many varieties.
The Whole Food – Homestead Mindset
When you turn your mind to homesteading, to eating homemade meals made with garden-fresh ingredients, you begin to see just how easy it can be to bring whole food diets into play. Sure, it may take a little more time and practice to make your own fresh pasta, but the difference in flavor and that sense of pride you’ll feel are worth it. By planning to grow what you eat, you can eliminate the dependence on grocery stores and reduce the impact of supply-chain issues. Your home will continue to grow and your family can flourish when others are struggling to find anything other than fast-food to eat.
Whole food diets connect you to your food source in a totally new and different way. You’ll get to know the people who provide your meat and dairy in a way you never have before. It will inspire and encourage you to get involved in crop shares and herdshares. You’ll create connections and forge new friendships with like-minded people, and discover a happier, healthier way of being.
