We’ve heard of Vegetarian and Vegan; even Flexitarian. So now, what does it mean to eat Freshiarian style? It’s exactly as it sounds. Food that is fresh; not processed or preserved.

In my book, “Fit with Flavor, your Guide to the Freshitarian Lifestyle,” I explain how to transition from a fast paced, on the go existence, to a new way of thinking and eating. Being in the right frame of mind, and ideally, the with the support and participation of everyone in the household, this can easily go from fantasy to reality. Oink!

So where to begin… I believe we all deserve to know what we’re purchasing, but more importantly, what we’re willing to put consume. Most of us are very confused, and rightfully so. We have so many contradictory truths on television shows, commercials, radio ads and print advertising like magazines and newspapers. We have also been taught to overlook ‘healthy’ and that ‘skinny and lean’ is what’s important. This has created some deep holes in our hearts and no matter what our weight, some people still struggle with poor body image. It’s all relative. Being so weight-loss focused, we have lost our creative and intuitive abilities in regards to health and wellness.

Education is of the upmost importance. No one wants to be deceived. Food and marketing companies conspire to find new ways to keep you as a customer and purchase their products. They know the new trends and key words that will get your attention, labeling things low sugar, high protein, low carb, low calorie, gluten free, etc… Learn to effectively read labels, and if you can’t pronounce some of the words on the ingredients list, I highly recommend reconsidering your purchase. When we use our knowledge, we are empowered to make better decisions.

The goal of the Freshitarian lifestyle is to avoid consuming pesticides, preservatives, food colorings, flavorings, and other factory made wanna-be food products. The best case scenario is 100% fresh, organic food pulled from the ground or off of a tree. Our society keeps us so busy that this may seem extreme or unrealistic. With that said, we  move toward “better,” simply reducing our labeled product consumption, and adding more fresh, earthy elements to our menu everyday. In the beginning, try aiming for a grocery cart that’s 60-70% fresh food, with no ingredients label, and 30-40% labeled products.

For a better understanding, review the effective eating questionnaire on pages 18-19 of my book, ‘Fit with Flavor.’ Begin by considering these answers when meal planning; that’s a really great place to start. It can be very eye opening when we start tracking what foods make us feel low energy, bloated, and acidic, verses foods that energize us and help us vibrate higher. The more earth foods we eat, the more we increase our vibration, which increases our quality of life. That’s the Freshitarian lifestyle and I’ve seen it work on so many levels, with so many families. Do it for you. Do it for the family. It’s a Fit Piglet Revolution! Squeal!