You may or may not have noticed, but things have been a little quiet around here at Sarah June Bakes. Part of the reason for that is overall life busy-ness; it’s been a little crazy around here. Another reason is I’ve been doing a little soul searching lately in regards to food and wasn’t sure what it might mean for the blog, so I’ve been hesitant to post.
Healthy eating is something that’s been on my mind for quite some time. It’s something that I’ve always struggled with because I love food so, so much. However, after watching the documentary Food, Inc. a couple of years ago, my eyes were opened to all kinds of new information, and ever since then, I’ve been processing that and slowly changing the way I eat.
Most recently, I have had some health issues pop up that have made me delve into this topic a little more. Over the course of the past few months, I’ve been researching all kinds of diets and gathering lots of information. The conclusion / philosophy I’ve finally landed on is the one on Lisa Leake’s popular blog – 100 Days of Real Food. I find this approach refreshing, achievable, and it makes a lot of sense to me.
I had a hard time, however, reconciling this with my love of baking. After all, white flour and white sugar are pretty much the building blocks of traditional baking. This is what has held me back from fully committing to a “real food” (unprocessed diet) for so long. I didn’t want to give up the hobby that had become a true passion of mine. It just didn’t make since to me. I believe that it’s a God-given thing and it didn’t seem right to just quit.
So, I’ve decided to keep on doing what I love. Life is all about balance. The conclusion that I arrived at is that it is okay to treat yourself every once in a while as long as you’re doing it in moderation. I still believe in the power of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie – white flour, white sugar, and all.
Also, after reading this article and learning all of the downright scary ingredients that are in store-bought cakes, I believe it is ever more important that people learn to bake from scratch. Yes, you may be using refined ingredients like sugar and flour; but it is far, far better to make a dessert as an occasional treat at home than to purchase one from a supermarket. Even places like Fresh Market, Earth Fare, or Whole Foods, in a lot of cases. The same goes for boxed cake mixes and canned frostings.
So, I will continue to feature classic baking recipes on my blog, but also hope to feature others that also cater to a more healthy lifestyle and that are more for every day. I may also write some posts about my experience with trying to switch over to a diet completely free of unprocessed foods (which is harder than it sounds!) if you, my readers, are interested in that. I hope to make baking from scratch easier for you so that you will feel empowered to bake at home.
Thank you for your patience and be ready for some delicious things coming up soon! Please let me know your thoughts on this topic – whether you agree or disagree, or what your own story is. As always, I love hearing from you.
Love,
Sarah
sarah june bakes 
i cant wait to see what you come up with 🙂 we are doing the same thing in our home and i’m having trouble coming up with recipes
Thanks, Rachael! It is very challenging and overwhelming at times to try to completely change the way you eat – but I am hoping we can do it in baby steps! I will be sure to share any great recipes I find here. 🙂
You know I agree with everything you said 100%!!! Also, in simply responding to the box cake and canned frosting: while I have great difficulty in turning down any baked good in front of me, I truly no longer like the boxed and canned stuff. After baking from scratch for a while I can truly taste a big difference. There is no flavor. They’re not satisfying to me, and I just feel disappointed when eating something premade/mixed.
I love this post and can’t wait to see how the healthy eating and baking merge!
I am glad we share this interest, Renee! It is so encouraging! 🙂 I recently made some cake mix cupcakes with canned frosting just for looks to use in the photoshoot J and I did. I tasted one, and it was disgusting! I didn’t mind the cake as much as the frosting – it just tasted like chemicals. I think even if you HAVE to use a cake mix for convenience, homemade frosting is so easy to make and makes such a HUGE difference. I am excited to going on this healthy baking journey with you!
You know I love this-because I HAVE to!! I can’t wait to see where your journey takes you!
And I love YOU! 🙂 Thanks for commenting – looking forward to baking with you!
I’ve been following 100 Days of Real Food for almost a year now and wish I could find the motivation to get a little more serious about it. I don’t eat “that bad” (rarely have candy/sodas/other obvious unhealthy things, eat fruit & veggies every day) but have LOTS of room for improvement. I started my first garden on my apartment patio this spring and I hope that will get me motivated to do even more! I completely agree with your stance on balance. If baking is something you love and feel gifted in, then enjoy it! Like you said, home-baked goods are still light years better than store-bought.
I am so glad that someone else I know is trying to do this, too! I know it won’t be easy, especially for me. It is REALLY hard for me to resist temptation and often I find myself not really even realizing I’ve done it until after it’s over. If someone puts a doughnut in front of me, my first response (usually) is to eat it. Then I regret it later. I hope to one day have a garden of some sort, but I am SO awful with plants… I kill everything! Thanks for commenting and for the encouragement! 🙂
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