"Ingredients Only Household" — say what?

My commitment to better health.

Right, right, right, guys. This post is coming after a frightful day, of never-ending requests/unanswered demands of “chocolaaaaatttaaaaa” (pronounced just like that) from my toddler babe, Sol.

Chocolate, in case you couldn’t decipher. The “chocolata” is his cute little Romanian isms seeping through, being the cute little hybrid that he was born to be. 

And it’s not his fault. I made him this way. Granted, he may have a more addictive personality than some, OR, I can just shoulder the blame/responsibility and admit my body also screams “chocolattttaaaaa” several times per day — so it’s not that strange that his body does too, given he spent nine months inside of me. 

Some of the refined sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan treats I made for us while pregnant with Sol. And what I intend to begin making again!

Have you heard of the term “ingredients household”?

Because this, my friends, is where we are going. Gabriel is on board, I have his support and enthusiasm.

An ingredient household is a home that stocks the ingredients used to make meals rather than ready-to-eat meals or snacks.

And admittedly, it’s not far off from what we are now… but… *confession* — I am absolutely addicted to dark chocolate; it’s ALWAYS in our house, and deep down for me, it’s about so much more than the taste… but I can dive deep into that honest story another day. 

In general, we are an ingredients household, minus the ten different snacky-snack options I have covered in chocolate…

Rice crackers covered in dark chocolate, almonds coated in dark chocolate, every variation of dark chocolate bar you’ve ever seen, I’ve tried it. 

Sometimes, Sol wakes up asking for chocolate. It’s a problem. And no I don’t give it to him…

But I’m telling you it hurts my head and on a rainy Sunday maybe I have done.

So my next move is this — and to hold myself accountable — I am announcing it to my world before I’ve even “succeeded.”

I am no longer buying ANY snacks from the grocery store, or any other shop. (Unless we have visitors or special occasions / I am referring to our day-to-day life.)

I will bulk-buy ingredients to make my health(ier) brownies, slices, cakes, energy balls and yes even chocolate-covered raspberries. I’m not saying we will never snack again. But what I am saying, is that I will handmake every one of these items. It’s not that huge for me as I used to do this anyway, but with the convenience of grocery shopping, I’ve been a bit slackerola.

I intend to re-set my little man’s palette, to real foods, main meals, whole foods, homemade, etc etc, and also, to increase his level of patience and appreciation for sweet things. If we don’t have a treat made on the countertop, then we don’t! Rather, he can help mummy make something or he can have a piece of fruit, that’s it.

In reality, we don’t even need snacks if we are eating proper main meals throughout the day! But I can’t commit to no snacking, life doesn’t feel as joyous, so my compromise is this ;)

My first bulk food buy was when we arrived in Romania in 2020. And this is similar to how my cupboards will look after switching to an “ingredients only” household.

Once I have finished filming and editing my “ingredients only household” YouTube, I’ll attach a link. I will show you what I buy every week from Lidl (a supermarket chain in Romania), and what we will be going without. I’ll be super honest, I promise. In the YT video, I will also share my bulk buy order of ingredients from an online wholesaler, so you can see which ingredients are needed to be an “ingredients only” household.

My inspiration is unwavering as I know I need to do this for my health, and Sol’s. When I have chocolate at my fingertips, I eat it, just like that. BINGE. I do not have that regular personal behaviour where I can have a line of chocolate and place it back in the cupboard. OH NO. (& don’t worry, Sol has only ever had controlled amounts, it’s me that binges.)

I also love the idea of not having instant gratification, life is too easy when you can just open a packet and consume. This is another reason why we’ve lost skills and become impatient AF (I am talking as a societal collective.)

I am excited for this venture. I am excited to improve my health and my little lads, and for him to re-set to healthier ways of eating. Currently, he’s more of a two-meal and snacks kinda guy, but I’d love to return it to three meals and fruit, with a homemade treat every few days. 

The term “ingredients only” household doesn’t only apply to snack food, although for my family it does. The majority of our main meals are made completely from scratch, minus bread… so I will order flour and finally get my sourdough habit rolling, too.

I know we are ‘ahead’ of the rest in terms of growing and making our food, including DIY natural wine! I need to remember this blessing when I judge myself too hard for snack buying.

I researched the amount of ultra-processed foods eaten in Europe, and the native Romanians will be proud to learn that Italy and Romania have the lowest consumption, although I believe that only to be true in the countryside areas, where they grow and make much of there own food, as well, lower salaries which don’t allow them to splurge at the shops so much. I’ve seen the health of people in the cities and I can guarantee you they’re eating ultra-processed foods, like any other country. Nevertheless, still a great title/status to honour. The growing of food and the home cooking traditions in Romania are so precious, and I hope there is a campaign or something that encourages the millennials and youths to stay connected to this aspect of their culture, for it’s everything. 

In my native land, Australia, we aren’t doing so well. I am from a privileged area, the coastline, where you’d never guess that Australians weren’t healthy. Needing to be in a bikini all summer has that impact on people, right?

But, as soon as you leave the coast, the reality sets in. 

I found this article below which was a good read, about Ultra Processed Foods (UFPs) and Australians. Low key shameful but let’s not live in denial and read further right here.

Another fact sheet about UPFs globally, worth a quick scan so you can understand the severity of the problem we face: Global Food Research Program is linked right here.

I’d love to know how you fare with eating whole foods, takeaways, ultra-processed foods, and the like. Do you have room for improvement in your lifestyle, or are you nailing it? I will dust off my health counselling shoulder pads eventually and get back in the seat of supporting people to improve their health and lifestyles, but for now, I will just share on my blogs.

The best sugar-free peach chutney in the making. I wish I had saved the recipe but alas, I’ll have to simply savour the taste of the last jar. Our peach tree has since been cut down by Marcela, as it stopped bearing fruits… I wish she’d saved it at least for the shade! Ah well.

In our ingredients-only household, the quality of our ingredients is very important to me too. From opting for the best quality cooking fats to eliminating refined sugars, and choosing organically grown grains versus glyphosate sprayed ones. It’s all pretty pricy, this being a healthy business… but I truly believe we have no choice. I’ve learned through all of my studies and reading why food matters so much, quality food… My parents did the best they knew of for me, and now, as we live in privileged times (access to so much information and awareness about propaganda and bias around foods), I can make even better choices for my children.

That’s all from me today, a quicker entry, as I experiment with my topics of interest. 

Sending love to you all. And Nina, I’ll be using your sourdough recipe once my organic flours arrive! (Nina is an avid supporter of mine and an incredibly motivated and hard-working private yacht chef.) I’ll share her recipes for anyone else interested in “tried, tested and nailed it” recipes.

Ally