Everywhere you look these days someone is touting one diet trend or another. Whether it’s swearing off all meat (vegetarian), all wheat (gluten-free), all grains and dairy (Paleo), or all animal products in general (vegan), let’s face it – unless you have a specific known allergy, there are a lot of conflicting messages out there. Plus on top of some of the more recent trends there are those who still stand by eating low-fat, low-carb, or low-calorie.
Then if you turn on popular health shows or flip through any big fitness magazine you’ll surely see that specific vitamins could improve memory, that some foods might promote better sleep, that particular nutrients can’t be absorbed together, or that certain antioxidants could even help you prevent cancer. I don’t know about you, but I cannot (and choose not) to keep up with intricate details like these. The stress alone of ensuring I follow a bunch of complicated guidelines – or counting every calorie or nutrient I eat – will surely take years off my life. Let’s remember that, aside from providing sustenance, food is supposed to be enjoyable and bring people together!
To be honest, I sometimes cringe a little when people generally classify me as someone who “eats healthy” because I am not sure exactly how “healthy” is being defined. And more often than not people assume that with my “healthy” lifestyle I don’t eat cream sauces, or cheeseburgers, or pizza. Thank goodness that is not true! Plus – since I am being so up front here – I didn’t exactly cut out processed food to get on some health kick in the first place. I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do. I (literally) could not sleep at night once I realized the foods I was feeding my children were full of chemicals, artificial dyes, and other strange-sounding ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce. That right there was enough motivation to transition our family to simple, wholesome, delicious, organic, real food meals, and the fact that we are all “healthier“ as a result was honestly just a wonderful side benefit.
So in the spirit of not being complicated or unrealistic, this is my simple definition of a healthy diet:
Healthy Eating = Consuming a variety of real, whole, unrefined foods that are provided to us by nature. This includes plenty of fresh produce as well as humanely raised animal products, wild caught seafood, nuts/seeds, and whole grains.
And just to make sure we are all on the same page, here is a more detailed definition of real food:
REAL FOOD is defined as…
- Whole foods that typically only have 1-ingredient like “brown rice” or no ingredient label at all like fruits and vegetables!
- Packaged foods generally made with no more than 5 unrefined ingredients.
- Organic dairy products like whole milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese.
- Breads and crackers that are 100% whole-grain.
- Wild caught seafood.
- Locally and humanely raised meat like chicken, pork, beef, and lamb.
- Dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.
- Naturally made sweeteners including honey and maple syrup.
- Foods that are more a product of nature “than a product of industry”*
REAL FOOD is not…
- Labeled as “low fat” or “low carb” or “low calorie” (in most cases).
- Made with refined or artificial sweeteners like sugar or aspartame.
- Deep fried in refined oils like canola oil.
- 100-calorie packs or any foods made from refined grains like white flour, which is
often labeled as “wheat flour” without the word “whole” in front of it.- In packages with loads of ingredients, some of which you cannot pronounce or would not cook with in your own kitchen.
- Highly processed foods that are labeled as organic (like organic cheddar crackers, organic cookies, or organic candy).
- From a drive through window or gas station.
*Source: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Essential Eating Sprouted Foods
In the spirit of real food I also want to give a shoutout to one of our newest sponsors. Essential Eating Sprouted Foods is a company that makes non-GMO products from wholesome, unrefined ingredients. You may have seen their whole grain pretzels in a school lunch that I recently posted on Facebook. We are all about whole grain pretzels around here because it can be hard to find good ones…and my daughters love them! Plus the pretzels from Essential Eating are made with sprouted flour, which is easier to digest for some. In addition to pretzels they also offer other products like the pictured cereals, pastas, and flours.
Lisa – I started following your blog last year and as our New Year’s resolution my husband and I took the 10 day pledge…which turned into 30 days, then 100 days, and now shapes our regular eating habits every day. Thank you so much for continuing to post these healthy reminders, as well as new recipes – it helps keep us on track! You have certainly changed our lives and we are forever grateful for you introducing us to a healthier lifestyle!
Great post as usual! I agree with you and everyone else. It can feel overwhelming sometimes for me but that is because I fail to plan everything out. That has always been my problem, not the food, lol! In the world we live in now, it’s just not always possible to consume real food in every situation. We won’t croak and we will be fine! I am excited to grow heirloom veggies this year in the little gardening space that we have. This is the cheapest way to get real food year after year. Plant seeds, they grow, eat, save seeds, and repeat.
Thank you for posting this! I have a hard time getting people to understand that eating real food is not a “diet,” but rather it’s a lifestyle. We made changes gradually, and I can’t say enough how much eliminating processed food has made a difference in how we feel. In addition, a natural next step in our lifestyle change was switching to health and beauty products with minimal/organic/fair-trade ingredients (I’ve even started making my own), since they’re absorbed through your skin, and cutting out pharmaceuticals by seeing an herbalist and using herbal remedies for pretty much everything you might use OTC drugs for. The human body’s ability to heal itself when it’s well nourished and free of man-made garbage is amazing! Thanks again for all your hard work!
Thank you Lisa for this great article. I absolutely agree with you, although my definition of real food differs from yours: I include deep-frying, refined oils & grains, and regular sugar. I guess everybody makes his/her own rules, which is good.
What I certainly do not include are the products of your newest sponsor. You nicely explain, how everybody is trying to sell as a different weird trend and now you are presenting your readers with a new sponsor, who tells us that (whole) grain is not good enough anymore, it has to be sprouted. Sprouted grain?! Whatever pseudo-scientific stuff that company is telling us, I personally stick with food that has a long tradition – don’t eat anything your grandmother would not have recognized;-) Also, I am not sure if sprouting grains is such a good idea, as the natural defense system of the grain is going to kick in when sprouting starts (google for benzoxazinoids). In the spirit of real food, “sprouted grains” is a trend I’ll happily ignore.
What I like about my newest sponsor’s products is that they are whole grain (sprouted grain or not). Speaking of scientific studies, I would love for you to share how exactly the refined grains that you mention would be better for you than eating a whole grain product like this? Here are 2 posts that might be of interest: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/10/17/nutrients-in-refined-vs-whole-grains/ and http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/22/understanding-grains/
1. Sprouted grain versus non-sprouted grain: I am personally not a fan of sprouted grains for the already mentioned reasons (toxic components).
2. Whole grain versus refined grain: as shown in your article, whole grain has more trace elements and vitamins in comparison to refined grains; on the other hand, refined grains have less phytic acid and lectins. Neither the higher amounts of phytic acids and lectins in whole grains nor the lower amounts of vitamins and minerals in refined grain scare me and I eat both.
The question whether the one or other is “better” for you is hard to answer as just looking at single ingredients might be a too simplistic approach. Traditionally, human beings tested the safety of food the hard way. Therefore, I prefer to stick with products with a long history and am cautious about new creations the food industry is bombarding us with like HFCS or sprouted grain pasta.
To cite Michael Pollan: “Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians.” – good advice, all three nations have excellent food, high life expectancy, and eat refined grains. Those nations have proven for centuries that you can have excellent nutrition although eating refined grains. It does not show (and I never claimed), that refined grains are better than whole grains, but it shows that they are not harmful and therefore a general bashing of refined grains is not justified.
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I don’t think sprouting would trigger the plant’s defense response as sprouting is not a defense mechanism. Rather, by eating sprouted grains one potential,y has greater access to the nutrients that are becoming bio- available as the seed transitions from a dormant state to an active state.
It is not a question of believe, it is a given fact that grains (not legumes) put their defense system on as soon as they are sprouting. A plant cannot run away when in danger, so it has to be prepared and take some preventative measures to not get eaten up. Grain seedlings synthesize a lot of benzoxazinoids (BA) as a defense chemical and BA levels are going down as the plant develops and matures. I cannot tell you how big of a deal BAs in the amount consumed through sprouted grains actually are, but several isolated BAs have been shown to be mutagenic and aneugenic.
In addition, there are some natural maize lines with unusual high BA levels in adult plants, and there were some attempts to introduce that trait into elite lines in order to generate a “natural’ defense system through conventional breeding. Greenpeace was already cheering it as a victory over GMOs, but the potential lines never even came close to a viable solution, because the BAs turned out to be way to toxic to be used on field trials.
For me it is reason enough to stay away from sprouted grains. And it actually really annoys me that the “organic” companies are trying to sell us some BS products with some pseudoscientific explanations without even evaluating the whole picture. I do not know if there is some equivalent in the US, but Europe has a so called “Novel Food Regulation” according to which any food that does not have a long history of consumption in the EU needs to go through a regulatory process in which the producers have to proof that the novel food is safe to consume.
Hey Lisa! I, like others love your blog. I also believe that food serves the purpose of fuel for living and some fuel is good and some is crap.
Whole grain/wheat and fruits&veggies are two areas I struggle to explain to my friends..
I try the “spectrum” idea – where there is a spectrum of options (ex. from whole wheat to sprouted wheat and from apple juice to raw kale) when considering “real food”. I posted a lengthier comment on my blog – hope you like it!
Best,
Jake
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Thanks for this post! Eating whole, real foods means not eating all that junk. When I kindly turn down junk food, people immediately say things like “you eat so healthy.” Not that it isn’t true, because eating real food is very healthy, but just like you mentioned, who knows what they assume “healthy” means. This post puts into words all that I want to say for myself.
Lisa – I am 100% with you. I don’t count calories or following a specific diet. I look at it as if God made it naturally on this earth and He designed your body, then your body knows how to process it. (I know not everyone is into the religious reference but it works for me) Thank you for continuing this blog. I look forward to reading it!!!
Yes. This. So much. I am so tired of people discovering this genius plan that’s going to be their ticket to perfect health, and them carrying on about how genius it is and how no one else knows and understands, and then never shutting up about it. And nearly always, this genius plan somehow falls into their general eating preferences anyway.
Why is it so hard to understand that the “right” way to do things is the way it’s been done for eons, the way that takes some adjustment and some effort but is ultimately, in the long term, the most reasonable?
There is a GREAT book I am reading now called The China Study. It promotes a whole foods, plant-based diet. Check it out!
I once read ‘if it wasn’t food 100 years ago, it isn’t food today’. I recently found your blog. Thank you for promoting real food. I live in a small town with only 2 little groceries and a half size “Mart”. Not always easy to find real food. We also have a Mennonite owned store with some real food (as well as junk food), so that helps. I grow gardens, use the freezer a lot, and eat what is on sale or in season as long as it is unprocessed. I cook large batches once a week and freeze in small portions (only myself and husband).
Very interesting, and helpful post (as always!), Lisa!
What you do here is totally amazing and transformative to countless people and families!!! Please don’t take this as criticism, rather curiosity.
My understanding: You didn’t make this change to be healthier, and better health was just a side effect. You thought it was the “right” thing to do.
If not for health, why did all the chemicals, etc bother you? Why was/is it so important to you to make changes (avoid all the chemicals, etc) if you aren’t/weren’t considering health when you made this big switch?
Perhaps, I view health as a broader spectrum than the “health” you were considering — I see happiness, mental health, well being, as well as the more traditional: heart health, cancer prevention, etc. to all make up health, which of course ALL gets better when one eats REAL FOOD!
Thanks for all you do! And Happy New Year!!
Sincerely,
Colleen
Funny, my husband asked me the same thing when he proof read this post. And I guess you often hear of people changing their diet because they want to lose weight, hope to improve allergies or asthma, desire more energy, or even help with an auto-immune disorder, etc. My daughter’s asthma and constipation improved after we changed our diet, but it was more like a pleasant surprise and not my original motivation. I personally already felt fairly “healthy” and active before we made the change, but I found it to be disturbing that I couldn’t even pronounce ingredients in the foods I was putting in my children’s bodies. Those foods were made with chemicals and preservatives and artificial ingredients even though the package claimed it was “good for you” – that is just wrong. I also like how wholesome food tastes better (I’ve always been a bit of a foodie) and realized I enjoyed it much more. But I guess to your point, in the end, it probably all somehow comes back to overall health…for example, Why get a good night’s sleep? To feel better (which is obviously better for you). Why avoid processed food? Because it’s not meant to be food (and therefore not good for us…or our health!)
I hope that makes sense.
Thank you so much for being reasonable about healthful eating. We are also thanks in large part ot your blog moving toward eating more real food. We are not 100% real food eaters, but trying to improve over time. I really appreciate your sage advice. What you suggest is not a fad, and can easily be incorporated into better living. Keep on posting Lisa.
Natalie
AMEN! Great post! My friends & family do not understand what I mean by not eating processed foods. It is so sad that people are so mislead about how to eat “healthy”. Sugar free, fat free and low fat have never made sense to me even before I started eating REAL food. Do you mind if I link this to my next blog post?
Hi Lori. Glad you enjoyed it. It’s fine to link back as long as you only post an excerpt with a full link back to our page. Jill
We spent two weeks staying with my parents over Christmas, which was a bit of a challenge since my mum is of the camp that all fat is EVIL! (she loves her margarine) and will make her fat. I have put on a few kilos (mostly due to not exercising) so that didn’t help my case that full-fat products are better for you.
In the end I ate the low-fat cheese and milk to keep the peace, but bought some of my own butter, coconut oil, avocado and one-ingredient peanut butter. I am not going to convince her overnight. Unfortunately she saw a nutritionist who told her to buy the lowest fat margarine and we also have ads on TV showing how mums have “saved” their families from saturated fat by switching from butter to margarine. It’s a bit of an uphill battle!
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This is a great post!
I think we all do get bombarded with these conflicting messages of what you “should” and “should not” eat that it’s become confusing everytime you sit down to eat! But if we’re eatiing “real food” then we can’t go wrong.
I have been reading books and watching documentaries for years on the benefits of real food vs processed but I just haven’t been able to bite the bullet and give up my processed foods (they are addicting all right). Right before Christmas though I decided I had enough. I wasn’t doing myself any favors by eating like I was. So about a week and a half ago, my fiance and I ditched the processed foods. It was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. I’m sure there will be those days that I want some fast food or some garbage out of a bag – old habits die hard! – but so far my overall cravings for food have even subsided!
Help NC make a differnec with a petition on labeling GMOS, sign the petition today. Every name counts! https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=403&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=bk7zk43493.app339a
I am surprised by the items you call “diet trends” in this post. I consider my choice to be vegan as much a lifestyle change for the good of my family as you consider eating “real food” to be a good change for yours. Because you seem to be an educated woman I know it is only a matter of time before you make this change for your family as well because in the end scientific and medical fact will win and you will realize it is just the next natural step in your “real food” mission.
Great post! When I tell people that I don’t eat processed foods, their first question is always “Then what DO you eat?”. I eat real food…vegetables, fruits, meats, dessert, etc. I just make sure that it is as close to nature as possible with only a few ingredients that I know what they are. It’s super easy to throw a few real foods in the crock pot in the morning and come home to dinner. And when we go out to eat, I usually don’t have any problem finding something on the menu. It’s not a diet…just the way I choose to live my life and feed my family.
(I am a grandmother) my daughters & I have been trying to eat this way for several years, but I don’t think we labeled it. Last summer, my niece told me thy had quit all processed food except for sour cream and milk.
I was excited to find this site yesterday and am taking the ten day challenge. We don’t have the shopping choices that Lisa has, so winter is a challenging time on this kind of plan. We started trying to feed our families this way for long term health. We can’t always follow it closely because of the increased cost, so I have been really interested in Lisa’s posts on the budget challenge.
I recently was prescribed a low Tyramine diet. Consider this similar to an allergy diet. I use msgtruth.org as my guide. Many of you will find the info on this MSG site as a reason to follow the guidelines that Lisa posted above. I must limit some natural foods, such as raw onions, bananas, and citrus. I have had to find a source for organic chicken, as the local stores have chicken with “flavor enhancers”– a big no-no for me. However, I plan to make Lisa’s recipe for banana bread. If I really watch my potion controll, it won’t be enough bananas to worry about.
I also wanted to comment on the SNAP guide. As I understand it, a family of four with two young girls gets the same amount of money as the family with two growing teen-aged boys. I hope that puts some perspective on it. Three years ago, I took up a challenge to eat on the Snap$$$$. For two adults, that was about $64. I can still do it when I only shp at Kroger and don’t buy organic, and buy mostly frozen produce,etc. Cost o f living has increased a lot since we first tried it. Fresh Produce costs more than the meat we buy. I cook from scratch as much as I can. I started making our bread to save $5 a week. Now, I can only eat stale bread to avoid the Tyramine.
Lisa, keep up the good work.
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The Ships’s Voyages…
I think know-how just causes it to be even worse. Now there is a channel to never treatment, now there is not going to become a probability for them to discover….