Ditch Ultra-Processed Foods: Swap These Common Store-Bought Items for Homemade to Enjoy Holistic Health Benefits
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For so many years I thought I could never enjoy foods like pizza, bagels, tortillas, pasta, or crackers without my stomach hurting or feeling guilty and stressed because I indulged in “unhealthy” food.
I thought the store-bought hummus, sauces, and frozen meals were healthy… not realizing that they are full of chemical ingredients that are not food.
By stripping things down and choosing to buy high-quality whole foods, you can make all your favorite things from scratch and enjoy holistic health benefits.
Making food yourself is powerful for physical health because you know exactly what goes into everything you consume. I’ve healed my digestive issues and out-of-control cravings by doing this. I found that I was not actually sensitive to the pasta sauce, the gluten, or the dairy, I was sensitive to the seed oils, gums, dyes, pesticides, and chemical manufacturing of these products.
When you make food and household items yourself, you get the pleasure of creativity and a sense of accomplishment. Your food feels and tastes better because you have your loving hands all over it and that loving energy gets stored inside.
Everything you consume holds a specific vibration so by infusing love during the cooking process, you impact the energy of your creation. When your natural body aligns with the loving energy that you take in through food, skincare products, or scents in the air, it’s easier to digest.
By making these common packaged items myself, my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health drastically improved. Because I physically feel well and experience more mental clarity, I have been able to create a lifestyle that is suited for these activities.
Making instead of buying does not feel like a hassle. It does not cause me stress. Just the opposite.
Next time you have one of the following items on your shopping list, I encourage you to try making it yourself instead. Let’s get into it!
Bread Items With Sourdough
I do not recommend jumping on most trends, BUT if you have not hopped on the sourdough trend, you really should.
By nurturing sourdough starter (promise it’s so easy once you get the hang of it), you have a gut-friendly — dare I say, magical, tool to make almost anything you can imagine.
I wanted to start making sourdough so I could enjoy bread again, because store-bought loaves made me feel bloated and weighed down.
My OG sourdough loaf is probably my all time favorite and most used item in my house. I use a classic sourdough loaf to make homemade croutons for caesar salad, for breakfast sandwiches, and I’ve been loving two slices of sourdough instead of a burger bun when a burger and fries is up for dinner.
After mastering my sourdough loaf I quickly moved on to making:
Crackers (*Add these crackers to a blender to use for any recipe that calls for bread crumbs.)
I’ve also enjoyed the following sourdough goodies that my friends have made:
Focaccia Bread (When this recipe lists the ingredient “Bubbly” it’s talking about active sourdough starter, not sparkling wine…)
Pancakes
Croissants
Cookies
Pretzels
*Only linked recipes that I know they followed and succeeded with.
I’m telling you, anything bread-related you can think of, you can make yourself with your sourdough starter for an easy, cost-effective, and probiotic-rich way to have all your favorite carbs.
Bread Items Without Sourdough
Okay, all my non-sourdough people, I hear you. There are still some yummy carbs you can make without caring for a sourdough starter.
Here are my most commonly made bread items without sourdough:
Pasta
I use this pasta recipe for mac and cheese, shrimp scampi, and a classic marinara. I have a hand crank noodle maker to funnel the dough into for macaroni or rigatoni noodles. If you don’t have a pasta maker, I make linguine noodles completely by hand by following these steps.
Here’s the marinara sauce recipe most commonly served when I make pasta:
1 jar Carbone Marinara
¼ cup coconut milk
¼ cup natural red wine
Sprinkle: dried oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and pepper
Grate parmigiano reggiano
Tortillas
Mix 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ⅓ stick of butter, and 1 cup warm water.
Knead the ingredients together. Then cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Break dough into 6 equal balls and roll them out into thin saucers. Cook on a large pan or skillet until they bubble up and are ready to use for your quesadilla, burrito, or wrap.
I love dipping this flatbread in my cucumber dip or homemade hummus!
Packaged Grocery Items
I try to avoid most things sold in a box, jar, or can because usually, that’s a clear indicator that the ingredients inside are not exclusively whole foods from nature. Rather than Googleing lengthy chemical names trying to decipher which article will tell me the truth about how safe and healthy it is, I’d rather know for certain by making it myself.
Jelly
Stir frozen raspberries in a saucepan over low heat until jelly consistency forms. That’s it. That’s the recipe.
Store-bought jelly has a paragraph list of ingredients when all you need is the fruit. Since there is not a laundry list of preservatives this is not shelf stable but the recipe is so quick and easy, I usually just make it to eat right away. You can store extras in the fridge, but I wouldn’t store them for longer than three days.
My favorite way to eat this is on a toasted homemade sourdough slice with butter. Then spread your homemade jelly and sprinkle chocolate chips, cinnamon, and sea salt. Top with a drizzle of raw honey and enjoy!
Granola bars
Blend dates and nuts (I like walnuts, pistachios, & macadamia nuts, but you can use any) in a food processor. Press into a baking sheet and drizzle melted chocolate on top. Freeze for one hour before cutting into bars.
I never buy seasoning mixes because they add unnecessary seed oils and chemical preservatives. Plus they’re so simple to mix up yourself, it makes no sense to buy a premade packet.
Hummus
I use this recipe as a base, then mix it up with whatever seasonings I feel like. Sometimes spicy with cayenne, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Sometimes tame with cumin, extra lemon juice, and herbs.
Mylk
Blend 2 tbsp of raw nuts, hemp seeds, or oats with 1 cup of water. Then strain with a cheesecloth and store in the fridge in a glass airtight container.
Salad dressing
Stir olive oil, dijon mustard, and juice of a lemon with S + P and your choice of herbs.
This vinaigrette is also amazing.
Home & Personal Care Products
I always buy non-toxic cleaning supplies from Branch Basics or Dr. Bronner’s to avoid hormone-disrupting chemicals in my home.
Instead of lotion, body oil, or hair conditioning treatments, I use coconut oil. It’s hydrating and has some SPF to protect your skin from the sun naturally.
My mentality in this area is to strip down and use fewer products overall. But when I want a little something special, here are the recipes I’ve tried:
Candles
I’ve made homemade mason jar candles by purchasing 6-inch candle wicks, pressing rosemary sprigs and lavender from my garden into the jar, pouring warmed coconut oil to the top, then adding a few drops of essential oils. The coconut oil will naturally harden once cooled and your candle is ready to light.
You can also look for 100% beeswax candles at your local farmers market.
Air fresheners
I use this recipe for a natural homemade room spray.
If you want your home to smell amazing for a party or special occasion, I love doing simmer pots like this one.
You can dive deep on Pinterest and find everything you need to make your own soaps, lotions, laundry detergent, and more. To see all the nontoxic products I personally use beyond what I make myself, download my ebook.
Experience Mind-Body Healing
The mind-body connection you feel when consuming food made with love, from scratch is unmatched.
By having control over the quality of every ingredient you consume and infusing your food with love as you bring it to its finished product, you can enjoy all your favorite things without feeling bloated or drained.
Pinterest is a fantastic resource for finding recipes for anything you can think of. I created a public board to share all the recipes I’ve made and approve of. However, don’t be afraid to adjust every recipe to fit your preferences. I definitely do!
So, what did I miss?
There are SO many more things to make from scratch instead of buying at the store, but I think I covered all the food items and products I have on hand in my home.
Plan a Sunday to explore some of these creations. I bet you’ll feel the difference so much that you won’t be able to purchase from the store anymore.
For up-to-date recipes and holistic wellness resources, download my ebook, 6 Pillars of Holistic Well-Being. This book is a comprehensive resource where I share my personal health journey and give all the resources that have helped me maintain vitality.
🤍 Jaclyn
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