Freshover: 10 Things Standing Between You and Thriving Health

March 17, 2015 By Leanne Vogel December 7, 2018

The things in your kitchen that are standing between you and thriving health: what they are, why they’re holding you back and how to replace them.

It’s no secret, you’re here because you want something more out of life. You’re committed to improving your health, we all are. It’s likely that you don’t have these items in your house. But I bet your friends or family do. And, with a little information, strategy (I’ll give that to you), and some simple food switches, you and I can help them create a little health of their own.

Sobeys; a Canadian food retailer and blog partner, has included me in their 2015 Freshover Campaign where Canadian health advocates (like me!) work one on one with clients to give their food choices a makeover. Instead of picking a person at random, I chose my parents. Because if there’s anyone in the world that I want to motivate to make healthy decisions, it’s them.

I have a feeling one or both of your parents could benefit from a little (simple) motivation? You could do a Freshover of your very own!

Last Friday, my Mom and I had a Freshover. We went through their pantry and fridge, then headed to Sobeys to find healthier alternatives to the not-so-good products we found in their kitchen.

Before digging through their pantry, I asked my Mom what challenges she and my Dad had…

• For Dad, healthy snack options.
• For Mom, protein options without relying on pork and beef.
• For both, avoiding mid-morning and late-afternoon energy crash.
• For both, simple breakfast to keep brain sharp.

We sifted through their pantry and fridge looking for the “wins”. You know, to make our visit not so, “you’re doing everything wrong”. My parents have already made huge leaps and bounds when it comes to their health. They use coconut oil for cooking, don’t buy products with HFCS and go for gluten-free options most times.

Then, we moved on to the “problem” foods and I explained; very briefly, why they weren’t so good…

1. Vegetable oils for cooking: 6 reasons why vegetable oils are toxic
2. Sucralose-sweetened jam: hazards with splenda consumption
3. Pasteurized orange juice: Much of the benefits are removed with pasteurization, leaving you with high amounts of fructose.
4. Vegetable oil in pre-made salad dressings: from note above, even the “olive oil” dressings are cut with canola and soy oil.
5. Carrageenan in dairy-free milk: Carrageenan can be a problem when consumed all the time.
6. Maple syrup as a sweetener: Compared to HFCS
7. “Free run” eggs: For the same amount of money you can get “free range” which generally result in more nutrient-dense yolks as the hens live a happier life outside.
8. Microwave popcorn: Why microwave popcorn is a nightmare
9. V8 in place of fresh vegetables: Again, pasteurized fruits and vegetables lose much of their nutrients through the pasteurization process, leaving a lot of sugar behind.
10. Low-fat options a plenty, no nuts or seeds: Incorporating a little fat never hurt anyone ;) Why You Should Soak Your Nuts and Seeds

We headed to Sobeys armed with a list of goals and foods.

We replaced…

1. Grapeseed oil with avocado oil (for cooking) and extra-virgin olive oil (for salads)
2. Sucralose jam with natural jam, no added sweeteners
3. Orange juice for fresh oranges
4. Vegetable oil dressings with 100% extra-virgin olive oil dressings
5. Carrageenan containing coconut milk with carrageenan-free almond milk
6. Agave nectar with organic maple syrup
7. Free run eggs with free range eggs
8. Microwave popcorn for sweet potato chips
9. V8 with fresh veggies to make fruit-free green smoothies
10. Low-fat snacks with hemp hearts, chia seeds, almonds and walnuts

Solutions to address their challenges…

• Healthy snack options: pistachios, mini canned tuna, packs of pre-cut veggies with guacamole.
• Protein options: hummus on salads instead of dressing, hemp seeds on yogurt, smashed beans on grain-free crackers.
• Avoiding energy crashes: including more fat options, less carb options.
• Simple brain-nourishing breakfast: plant-based protein blended with hot water and coconut oil.

All in all, our Freshover took 3 hours, start to finish. What I loved about our Freshover experience was that we committed to spending an afternoon talking about health and working toward a goal.

My Mom kept saying, “I’m learning so much, I’m learning so much!”. It was the first time, ever, where she’d gone grocery shopping and looked at the label before placing the item in her cart. Major win.

It’s easy for YOU to do a Freshover of your very own. Set aside an afternoon, go through the things in their pantry that are awesome, the things that need work (based on the 10 items above), go to Sobeys with your list, find the healthier products, get back and stock up the kitchen, and feast!

Healthful Pursuit Inc. has received consideration from Sobeys or Sobeys’ media partners in exchange for this content. Sobeys has not reviewed these claims and is not responsible for the content.

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