In this episode of The Whole Circle, we share our top five tips for living additive-free. They are easy and anyone can do it, we promise.
Tip One Start Out Slow
You might be like Tracey and have the privilege of being able to take things a bit slower, or you might be at your wit’s end (like Jo was), ready to explode. Either way, we still recommend taking it slowly when just starting out.
This is for a few reasons. First, it allows everyone to come to terms with the transition. If you go full-boar and make drastic changes, then chances are you will have the kids up-in-arms about it all, and that will just stress you out even more. You will probably return to your old eating habits and nothing will ever change.
By taking it one packet mix, one meal or one day at a time, you will have a chance to introduce new things without as much resistance. Think of it like running a marathon, no one just goes out and runs 45 km without ever training for it. They put in the training, starting out small, working up to the big event. Eating A&P free is exactly the same.
It is a decision that will change the rest of your life, so there is no need to rush, just gradually make your way through your fridge and pantry, making the necessary changes as you go. When you run out of an item, replace it with a better choice. Most of the time your family will not even notice, especially when the changes are small.
Tip Two Don’t Expect That You Will Know Everything
It has taken years for the both of us to gain the knowledge that we have. This has involved many, many hours of reading medical jargon, listening to wellness experts, attending seminars, doing online courses and basically absorbing as much information as we can about the topic.
It wasn’t an easy path to learn all the information we did, and we are still learning, every day. There are constant changes in food, more specifically ingredients added to food, and it takes a lot of time and energy to stay current. So give yourself a break, no one is expecting you to be an expert overnight.
Tip Three Join A Like-Minded Community
It is important to surround yourself with people who are on the same journey, this helps you stay on track. You can learn from one another, ask questions without any judgement, and simply belong to a community of people who are all doing the same thing as you.
We have a fabulous community of people at Additive Free Lifestyle, it’s something we are so proud of, there’s never any judgement and we all support each other #GoUS
Tip Four Get Your Partners And Family Involved
This is probably one of the things people find the hardest to handle when transitioning into an additive-free life. Some families find it really difficult, and the biggest hurdle. The best advice we can offer is to be open and honest with all your friends and family, right from the start. Make them aware of the issues you are having, the health concerns you are facing or whatever the reason is for starting the additive-free process.
By keeping your family and friends informed of what you are doing, they will (hopefully) be completely supportive.
Tip Five #DontStressIt
We have a motto throughout our Additive Free Made Easy course, and that is #dontstressit.
By this we mean, don’t stress out if you have a bad day and things seem overwhelming. Just take a deep breath, get back on board the next day and remember this is a lifetime change, not a fad that will pass in five minutes.
If you have no other choice but to get takeaway because your flight was delayed five hours #dontstressit!
If you have not had time to bake and need to buy some biscuits #dontstressit!
If you buy a cooked chicken for dinner, instead of roasting your own #dontstressit!
You get the idea. Basically, do the best you can each day. If you do this 90% of the time, you are doing freaking awesome in our books. Doing something is better than nothing!
Great tips ladies….Love learning with you guys
Commonsense yo go slow I have started with the kids looking at labels my daughter will hold the card and check etc.its not easy stay the moment with the panic buyers because of corona virus bit once it settles down we will b÷ at selecting or making the right choice
I’m soooo glad I signed up! Thanks girls x
I just signed up today after watching Jo on fb & am sooo keen to get started. I can’t wait till tomorrow.
Yay! Welcome :)
Finally started the course today after seeing your facebook posts and purchasing your everday additive-free cook book. Even made the instant gravy last night but have just discovered the fancy sausages we put it on have Preservative in them! Looks like I have a lot to learn!
You’ll get there Julia, slow and steady wins the race :)
Those tips are great. Not being able to have people over due to the slow restriction easing in Vic is kind of helping me in the slow and steady to get my head around the process. I’ll have a chance to get some recipes under my belt before family start visiting again. This time I am ready for them and their tut tutting about going additive free. Or, they can not visit and I’ll be winning on all fronts. LOL
I signed up 2 months ago and finally started the course tonight (due to work commitments), and I love the “don’t stress it” motto! I’m going to take it slowly, and not stress about not knowing everything straight away. Thank you for this opportunity!!
So glad I’ve joined up and so far in, not feeling pressured or stressed in any way and so keen to learn more. Thank you for this amazing course!!!
Look at you go! You’re amazing!
Great tips ladies! Loving the course so far, so much to learn. You are both such an inspiration.