First 3 Steps to Transform Your Diet

We all know eating the right food is important. But despite this awareness, many of us resist making the first move toward improving our diets. Why? Because when we start to peel back the layers, what we uncover about the modern food system can be downright terrifying. Everything we’ve been told about food, diet, and health starts to crumble, and we realize how deeply compromised our food has become. For decades, we’ve been misled, and this realization can be so overwhelming that many never take the first step.

After all, if you've never scrambled an egg, how can you be expected to source raw A2/A2 dairy, butcher your own meat, and ferment kombucha all at once?

The good news is—you don’t have to. At least, not right away.

Billy cracking eggs to make pasta in our home kitchen

Small Changes, Big Impact

The current state of our food system is more dire than ever. Yes, major changes are needed, and the passionate voices pushing for a food revolution might make it seem like we need to overhaul everything overnight. But this all-or-nothing approach often leads to failure because the goals become unrealistic.

Instead, focus on small, incremental changes that build up over time. Week by week, these shifts compound into powerful results. These changes are more sustainable, less disruptive, and eventually, they become second nature.

This is how you build a healthy lifestyle—it’s not a diet or a fad. It’s a slow, steady progression toward better health that allows you to enjoy the process along the way. As you connect with real food and learn how it’s made, you become part of a community that values nourishment and the well-being of the planet. Each step deepens your education, paving the way for future changes that will feel just as natural as the ones before.

The journey is just as important as the destination. Without embracing one, you’ll never fully achieve the other.

The good news is—you don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. Major changes are often needed, but small, incremental shifts are far more sustainable in the long run. Week by week, these small adjustments can lead to big improvements in your health, all while allowing you to enjoy the journey.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll guide you through three easy but impactful steps to transform your diet. Today, we’re starting with the first step:

1. Remove Industrial Nut and Seed Oils

Industrial seed oils—also known as vegetable oils—include the following:

• Canola oil (rapeseed oil)
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• Corn oil
• Soybean oil
• Cottonseed oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Rice bran oil

These are often referred to as the "Hateful 8." While this list isn’t comprehensive, it’s a great starting point.

Eliminating them involves two steps:

Step 1: Find every bottle in your home and toss them. Don’t feel guilty about wasting food—they aren’t food! These oils were initially designed for lubricating machinery, not human consumption. If you can’t bring yourself to throw them away, at least banish them to the garage.

Step 2: Avoid consuming anything that contains them. This will require diligence when reading labels at the grocery store, and it gets trickier when dining out. Always ask what oils are used for frying, in dressings, or in sauces. Apps like Seed Oil Scout can also help you identify healthier restaurants like the Modern Stone Age Kitchen that has a blue check mark!

What to use instead of vegetable oils?

High-quality animal fats like:

• butter,
• lard,
• tallow, and
• schmaltz are great alternatives.

For plant-based fats:

• extra virgin olive oil,
• avocado oil, and
• coconut oil are excellent options—but remember, they should be extra virgin.

For cooking, stick with animal fats, and reserve fruit-based oils for cold applications like dressings.

A peek into the MSAK pantry. Note the oil on the bottom of the shelves: avocado oil, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil

2. Remove Refined Sugar

There is no biological need for sugar. That’s right—your body doesn’t require it. However, we all know sugar plays a significant role in many emotional and cultural aspects of life. While completely eliminating sugar is ideal, for most people, it’s not realistic. The next best step? Remove all refined sugars and artificial sweeteners from your diet.

Here are our top three unrefined sweeteners at Modern Stone Age Kitchen:

• Genuine maple syrup ( we use Back Creek Farms)
• Raw local honey
• Muscovado sugar

Why choose unrefined sweeteners? They offer:

• Beneficial minerals, enzymes, and micronutrients absent in refined sweeteners.
• A simpler production process, meaning more of your spending supports the source.
• Incredible, pure flavors.

Yes, high-quality unrefined sugars are more expensive, but this helps regulate how much you use, which is ultimately a good thing.

Our MSAK Pantry

3. Remove One Link from Your Food Chain

This is one of the simplest and most rewarding steps you can take, no matter where you are in your journey. There’s always an opportunity to deepen your connection with your food. Here are a few examples:

• If you buy all your groceries from the supermarket, start shopping at a farmers' market.
• Already shop at the farmers' market? Visit the farm itself, meet the farmer, and see the animals. Bring your kids!
• If you buy store-bought bread, switch to sourdough from a local bakery—or better yet, bake your own.
• If you buy chicken breasts weekly, start buying whole chickens. Roast them, then use the carcass to make bone broth.
• If you buy ultra-pasteurized, homogenized skim milk, switch to vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized A2/A2 milk—or even raw milk from a local dairy.
• If you regularly buy kefir or yogurt, make it yourself.
• Eat the same salad every day? Challenge yourself to eat seasonally.
• Love a certain prepared meal? Learn to make it entirely from scratch. Whether it’s your favorite takeout dish or a go-to comfort food, recreating it at home with wholesome, fresh ingredients is incredibly rewarding. Not only do you gain full control over what goes into your food, but you'll also appreciate the flavors and textures so much more when it's made with love and care in your own kitchen. Plus, you’ll be surprised at how easy and fun it can be to replicate your favorite meals!

Meeting with Lockbriar Farms

Local Delivery from Red Acres Hydroponics

Leave a comment and let us know how you have incorporated these 3 steps into your own daily lifestyle!

Learn More by reading Bill's blogpost below: