Part of the reason that there are so many health theories out there is because everybody\u2019s body is different. We all process and react to food in our own way. So just because a Paleo diet worked miracles for your best friend doesn\u2019t mean it will work for you. In fact, restricted diets can have hidden risks<\/a> like not getting the nutrients you need to support all your organs.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t to say that a particular diet won\u2019t be perfect for you. It might. Just listen to your body, and listen to what your family is telling you about theirs. If you\u2019re reacting negatively to a specific food or diet, find other ways to get the nutrition you need.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question that food labels affect our perception of health<\/a> in foods. Nutritional labels can be extremely useful in tracking your intake of both healthy and unhealthy ingredients. If you need to regulate your sugar or salt intake, you probably spend a lot of time looking at labels.<\/p>\n But there are also labels designating food as \u201corganic\u201d, \u201call-natural\u201d, \u201cNon-GMO\u201d, and even simply \u201chealthy.\u201d Some of these terms are regulated and some aren\u2019t.<\/a> Even the regulated terms may not always mean exactly what you think they mean. It\u2019s important to know whether the labels you choose to listen to are standardized and if so, what the criteria for that label are.<\/p>\n You can choose as many or as few herbs as you want, and keep it by your kitchen window so you remember to water them when you do dishes.<\/p>\n Choose herbs your family eats on a regular basis. You\u2019ll probably end up using them more once you have a regular supply, and incorporating more plants into your diet is never a bad thing! If you grow too much for your typical use, you can always dry the herbs or put them in oil and freeze them in ice cube trays for future use. These make great flavor starters for soups, sautes, and other meals.<\/p>\n When you plant your own produce, you get to control every aspect of the process. You even choose the soil, which has the most potential for affecting the nutrient level of your food. You can even start a worm compost so that your food waste sustains your future consumption. Growing your own food can be time consuming, but you can customize your process to suit your needs. Learning how to keep plants alive indoors<\/a> can help you provide your family with healthy food year-round.<\/p>\n These are just a few things to consider when making healthy food decisions for your family. Have more suggestions? Share in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\nTake Labels with a Grain of Salt<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nDIY Your Healthy Food Decisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Indoor](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Indoor-Planters-for-Indoor-Herb-Gardens-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Of course, the best way to really know what\u2019s in your food is to grow or raise it yourself. When you plant produce, you get to vet your seed or starter sources and make sure they meet any criteria you may have as far as coming from pesticide free sources or the presence or lack of GMOs. An easy way to get started growing your own food is to create an indoor herb container garden<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"growing](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/growing-an-herb-garden-cover-300x169.jpg\")
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![\"Making](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Making-Healthy-Food-Decisions.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Jeriann](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/jeriann-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Jeriann Ireland blogs about figuring out how to live healthy, pay off student loans, and have tons of fun while doing it. You can find her articles on her blog, dairyairhead.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"