When making food choices for our families it is like trying to navigate through a jungle. There is so much information, so many choices, so many consequences it is hard to know which is the right choice. For our family I have to factor in not only what would be best nutritionally, but also best for our overall budget.

I have come to certain conclusions, based on my own beliefs and a lot of reading. I try to buy local. I firmly believe that it is better for my family to eat an apple grown here than in South America (although I am sure it is lovely down there, I live up here). Now since bananas are not locally grown and we adore them in this household, there are times I break my “rules”. Sadly price can override local, but rarely since local is often not much more if ever more expensive.

I have started to go to the Farmer’s Market regularly with a friend, and J & I both really watch what we are buying. We are meatless during the week, returning to our carnivore selves on weekends. That is a lot to do with budget, food prices in Nova Scotia are intense and much more than we have been accustom to.

I seriously have a crush on Harper Collins, always sending me the coolest books to read and share with you. I received the Jungle Effect eons ago, and I have been gobbling it up all summer. The Jungle Effect is a cool read, Daphne Miller is a doctor that has traveled the world exploring indigenous diets to unlock the secrets to a healthier lifestyle. She mixes in cool travel stories with hard facts on nutrition. Her style of writing reminds me of Oliver Sacks, a neurologist that narrates the funniest, wittiest stories based on his practice and experiences. I loved reading his works when I was studying psychology in university.

The Jungle Effect, really focuses on what foods, combination and approaches we can work towards to ensure a healthier life. It is not a diet book, which was refreshing. Miller however does include some recipes in the latter part of the book, that I was determined to try a few before my review. Sadly I have yet to do so, but when I do I will share it with you. The book is definitely a great read if you are seeking answers to what to feed your family or if you have specific health/family history that you would like to avoid through your diet. Her focuses in this book include diabetes, heart disease, depression, bowel troubles, breast and prostate cancers. It was amazing to read that there are areas of the world referred to as “cold spots” that those diseases are rare, mostly due to the diet the people consume there.

It has forced me to further reduce the amount of processed foods in the house (although we are far from perfection!) and ensure the foods we are consuming are the best that they can be. For example, I am going to share with you a list of ingredients, can you tell me what it is?

water, gluclose-fructose, sel, caramel, hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate.

Have you changed your approach to buying foods? Have any tips?