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Today I’ll give you another peek into my email box for a short and sweet exchange between a reader and me…
(OK, totally off topic here, but that sentence is driving me crazy. A teacher friend corrected me when it said, “between a reader and I”, but “between a reader and me” just doesn’t sound right…I’m going to trust her and leave it!)
She wrote:
I really like your site. Although, it generally makes me discontent with what I have and what I am feeding my family! I am trying to take slow steps, though, and I figure that any improvement is better than where we were. Thanks for all you do!
My reply: (I didn’t ask permission, so I won’t share her name…)
I often worry that I might be causing my readers stress instead of bringing about my main goal, which is only to bring issues to your attention and to motivate you to look into topics about health & nutrition even more.
Remember, we don’t eat great ALL the time. 
Wherever you are now in your journey toward real, traditional food is OK. Just take it slow, and go through the Rookie Tips one a a time.
Be informed, and then just do the best you can! That’s all we can do as Moms in this crazy world. 
Have you seen this post about feeling overwhelmed? Also read another one about how I (attempt to) get it all done.
OK readers, now I hope you’ll tell me, does my site stress you out and make you discontent? I hope not, but if it does, let me know if you have suggestions for how I could change that!
photo: “a break in the clouds” from EyesplashMikul
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
no, it doesn’t stress me out. I find it helpful. I do the best I can, with what I can. We’ll see how stressed I feel when I go onto super budgeting in two weeks… Thank you.
Caroline’s last blog post..Keeping House
Kelly, the stress that happens when I decide to change something is the only stress I feel when reading your site. I find that your site is uplifting because you write from the point of view of extreme helpfulness and I get so much from what I read. I particularly appreciate that you question yourself and take back something that you want to research more, all the time leaving the information in front of us so we can see your thought process. I think Kellythekitchenkop is free from guilt-trip inducing statements. THANK YOU
Judy’s last blog post..Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits – Scones
No, not at all, though when I joined the organic CSA run by my daughter’s classmate’s parents, I did stress out a lot…mostly because the Mom is so much farther in her journey and so passionate, that I often put pressure on myself to get there so fast. What I’ve come to realize that this is a journey and any step you make is a good one…if you try to do too much at once, you will get completely overwhelmed and end up back where you started (I’ve had to essentially start over a couple of times). SLow and steady is the name of the game.
My other recommendation is to get your husband’s input on it. Mine is very good at keeping me grounded and pulling me back from the edge. He reminds me that he likes how I feed my family and encourages me to make small, incremental changes. (example: he simply refuses to try raw milk, but is on board with me buying organic, so I do that and try not to feel guilty about it).
I use this site as inspiration, not a “how-to” because then I can choose the options that fit well for my family and leave the rest!
Not at all. I think it depends on where you are. 24 months ago I would have looked at most of your articles and said “Ok, need to do that. Yep, need to do that too.” but now I look at them and say “Oh good, I’m doing that already. Whew!”
Kelly,
Your blog is W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!!! What causes me stress is the cotton-pickin’ food industry! Grrrr. I have the ability to block out what I can’t handle yet (like sprouting and grinding my own flour); especially in the beginning. When I am ready for something I know your well-researched posts are available. Thank you for that. I like how you will have posts for the newbies and those further along in the journey.
It’s like other things in life. I can’t compare myself to others (well, I can,but it’s not helpful!). When I look at a fellow ’super mom’ I can get discouraged. I have to look at my own set of circumstances. You show us what is possible and why doing or not doing certain things are important.
Blessings,
Beth
I don’t think it’s YOUR site that stresses us out. I think it’s when we go out into the world and try to implement the good suggestions. When we shop at 5 different stores and still can’t find any healthy sweeteners/etc./etc. When “hopefully organic” eggs are $4.75/dozen at the store, and they probably aren’t even fresh. When we have to drive 20 miles for real milk. When you have to buy beef from one family and chicken from another and you can’t find lamb anywhere. When you walk into the regular old grocery store and realize there isn’t enough truly healthy food in there to fill your cart halfway. I think the state of our nations food supply is what stresses us out.
I find it stressful to make changes. What helps that stress is all the wonderful information you provide on this blog. You bring up topics that I never thought to consider. No I probably won’t ever make my own chicken broth, but I will be using a ton of the other recipes. PLEASSSSE keep doing what you are doing.
I actually think your tone is encouraging rather than stressful. I like reading of new things to try. I don’t think I’ll ever get to full grass fed, raw milk only, etc, but it’s good to have something to strive towards.
Motherhen68’s last blog post..Gardening & Prizes?
I have to admit that there are times when I just have to step away. I’m very interested in the wealth of information you provide, but so much of it seems out of reach right now. It mostly makes me upset about how nothing around us makes eating well easy. I feel like my plate is full trying to homeschool my oldest and caring for the baby, and I stress about when I’ll find time to do all the research that needs to be done and how we can possibly stretch an already taxed budget to buy the healthier foods. I don’t think it’s you that stresses me out as much as the urgency I feel and not knowing where to start.
It’s not your site; just the overwhelming nature of it all. I refer to your Rookie Tips post a lot, just to remind myself that we all have to start somewhere.
Jendeis’s last blog post..Wait Til Tomorrow
I agree with L – it’s not the “learning what to do” that is stressful….. it’s the ability to find the resources we need w/o using a whole tank of gas to get there!
Shauna
Shauna’s last blog post..My worst day of running EVER!
I agree with the above poster, it’s not the site that’s overwhelming but just the magnitude of the subject. As mothers, we all want to do the absolute best for our families. And feeling like we’re falling short of that is what’s stressful. As someone that is new to Nourishing Traditions, I have to remind myself that it’s a process and I can’t change everything all at once. That I might buy cocount oil three times before I actually get the right stuff. That it’s going to take some time for me to find a local source for pastured dairy and grassfed meats. That the best I can do in the way of raw milk is the raw milk cheese at Earth Fare because it’s illegal in our state. It’s just a matter of being patient with myself.
Thanks for all the wonderful information you present here!
Mary Ellen’s last blog post..Town Hall For Hope – TONIGHT!
Kelly,
I think your site is wonderful (as well as the other NT sites I read). I first read NT about 10 years ago and was totally overwhelmed, as well as still being married to my abusive ex who wanted NO changes made to his diet, but have recently come back to NT now that I’m on my own and wanting a healthier diet for my kids and myself. Still overwhelmed by all the changes to make but I get greatly encouraged by your site as it gives me concrete, simple steps to do. I agree with earlier posts – what is stressful is trying to find the healthier foods!
What stresses me out is that my family isnt always on board with eating this way, they still want Doritos and candy ( I do too sometimes, though). It is sooo much easier to be oblivious and just go on eating mainstream. I do buy treats occasionally ( to keep peace in the home) and have gotten to the point where I dont feel that we have to do everything. For instance, I cant stand kefir, neither can anyone in my family, so why do I try to make them? They will eat yogurt cheese if I make it into some kind of dip, my sons favorite it a cucumber dip adn my husband and I love a green olive dip. My daughter loves it with stevia, fruit and nuts. So they are getting many of the same benefits right? I guess, bottom line is do the best you can with what you have – something is better than nothing!
I wouldn’t choose ’stress’ as my adjective here, as I believe what you do is incredibly thought provoking and enlightening. You save us so much time and effort doing the research, and it ultimately comes down to our own individual choices on what we are able to do. I understand the frustration from anon reader, however, because I find it difficult to make the time to do things like sprout my own flour. So along with many of the comments here…I agree that we do the best we can, and limit our poisons. Thank you, Kelly!
Karen’s last blog post..Savor the Earth and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
I don’t think I would say your site is “stressful” – but I do think change is stressful. This past week I had a meal plan & did a lot of cooking ahead, made stock, made lacto fermented veggies. But I was worn out. Tonight my husband is taking me out for dinner.
I’m realizing that as much as I want to do, I can only do so much & being present with my spouse & enjoying time with him will lead to health too.
I am curious about whether anyone out there works outside the home full time & how they deal with NT-type cooking & food-buying. My husband and I married late in life & are about 8 month newlyweds. We both work and have no kids at this point. I would love to hear from anyone else with ideas for this type of cooking / food shopping when both people work.
No, no, no, your blog isn’t stressful, it’s part of what keeps me sane — the whole WAP blogosphere (and, thankfully, there are more people out there who believe the way I do than I ever thought possible).
This is what is stressful:
1. An article in a more mainline publication about the nuns in CT who may be forced to stop selling their raw milk. The article made me grumble, but the comments made me livid. People, somewhere along the line, stopped thinking for themselves and started letting the government make all their decisions. There were two cases of e-coli, one who drank raw milk (and I’m willing to bet THAT wasn’t the actual cause of the e-coli) and one who didn’t and some of the comments said the second “caught” it from the first. AND they want to have the government make the decision about what I put into my body. NONONONO.(I read this article from Hartke is Online)
2. From the Librarian’s Internet Index, a site that vets internet sites (by librarians) and posts what they consider the best, this site this week — New American Dream, an environmental site. One major section was on, once again, the badness of beef. They start their propaganda saying that grass is what cows are supposed to eat, and then lambast beef because of all the ills corn fed beef causes. Their recommendation seems to be a (are you ready for this) low-fat vegetarian diet with a LITTLE dairy and beef.
3. And the lovely article about little old ladies making pies for a church fish fry and not being able to sell them because they (gasp) make them at home.
4. My friends who:
a. use blood sugar lowering drugs to help loose weight but still eats lots of junk
b. guzzle soft drinks and think the way to loose weight is getting their stomach stapled
c. who says a low cal food bar is healthy because it has 19 gms of protein
Sorry, these are rants. But your site and the others I read help me remember there are LOTS of other people out there who KNOW how important good food is to our bodies (and what constitutes good food).
NO GMO
I’ll admit that sometimes seeing what others are doing (and I can’t quite manage) does stress me out but then again I’ve had people say the same thing to me about the things I do manage to do. I do agree that ultimately we all need to do the best we can with the information and resources (including time!) we have. I know very few “perfect” TF-diet people. Almost everyone cheats, takes short-cuts, etc. We no longer live in a world where we have limited responsibilities. Things move much faster and TF is ultimately truly slow food. I think the key is to share the tips and tricks we all use with others and ultimately not be too hard on ourselves. Every little step helps and we are all doing better than we were in the past.
Julie’s last blog post..Making Sourdough Bread
Kelly -
The further down the rabbit hole I go and the more I research, the more I realize that there is no other choice than to eat traditional foods. Our modern food supply is completely contaminated. “Easy” and “convenient” mean nothing to me now. I need to do whatever it takes to feed my family in a way that keeps them healthy.
And yeah, I work 12-16 hours per day.
But I’m finding lots of ways to save time in the kitchen. Traditional foods don’t actually take that much more time — it’s just the planning that you have to do.
Like today — I spent 15 minutes simmering some corn with cal to make homemade masa. It’s soaking now and will sit there for a 24 hours minimum (up to 2 weeks). Then I will grind it in the food processor to make masa, which I will use for tortillas.
More work? Yes. A lot more time? Not really. About 20 more minutes to cook and then put in a pot to soak. Then 5 mintues to grind the masa and roll it out.
And I know how much healthier this is for my family.
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..GMO Expert, Jeffrey Smith on George Noory’s Coast To Coast
Thanks for your great feedback everyone – I appreciate you taking the time to reassure me that I’m not freaking you out with my posts!