We invite you to read along and hopefully join in as our family seeks out the real food in a processed food world. Our hope is since our family (that does not live on a farm, has two young children, and a husband that travels frequently) went 100 days without eating a single ounce of processed food or refined ingredients that you will consider taking our 10 Days of Real Food pledge. To make the boundaries clear we set some ground rules. If we did it for 100 days, then I am absolutely convinced that anyone can do it for only 10 days! And in case you need some more convincing, check out our list of 10 reasons to cut out processed food. If you would like to make some changes without going “cold turkey” also check out our 100 Days of Real Food Mini-Pledges, a 14-week guide for slowly cutting out processed food.
Our original 100 Days of Real Food pledge ended September 4, 2010 and boy was it a wild journey. You can start reading the blog from the beginning on “Day 1” if you’d like. During that pledge, one piece of feedback we heard often was…isn’t real food expensive? And the honest answer? Yes. So we decided to set out on yet another real food journey by taking a 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget pledge. This one began on October 4, 2010 and allowed us to spend only $125/week on food for the four of us. That is less money than a family would have on full food stamp benefits! You can read more about the rules for this second pledge by starting on “Budget Day 1.” Thanks for stopping by!
A little more about our family and why we are doing this…
At the beginning of 2010 our eating habits were just like those of any other average family. We thought we were making fairly healthy food choices, although we certainly weren’t following any special rules. Then came along the Oprah show “Food 101 with Michael Pollan”. After the show, Jason and I (Lisa) both decided to read Pollan’s book “In Defense of Food” which ended up being life changing for us. As it turned out, a lot of what we thought were “healthy” food choices were actually just highly processed and what the food industry was labeling as “healthy.”
Jason’s background is fairly different from mine. As a young child he lived with his parents and aunts and uncles on a hippie commune in Oregon. They grew and raised all of their own food. Jason and his parents have since become more industrialized when it comes to eating, but that doesn’t change their basic understanding of where our food comes from. On the other hand, as a child I had both Doritos and Kraft macaroni & cheese as staples in my diet, and I barely stepped foot on a farm. This shaped my views as an adult. As most other wives and moms can relate, I do most of the meal planning and food shopping, therefore I was (and still am) the biggest influence on our family’s food choices. And after reading “In Defense of Food” I decided it was time to make some big changes to those food choices.
So it wasn’t easy at first, but we slowly revamped everything from what we bought, to where we shopped, to how we cooked. It’s been such an eye opening experience for us that we didn’t want to keep all this exciting information to ourselves. So soon after we started making changes I launched a blog called The Food Illusion (which has now been moved over to this site) and began to build an audience. After a few months of blogging I decided it was time to do something big, something bold, and something that would get as many other people as we can to not only read about eating real foods, but to also make a commitment to this important change. Which is when the original 100 Days of Real Food pledge was born. You see, every time we food shop or eat a meal we are voting for either processed food-like substances or real food. If all of us make the right choices together then we can make a big impact, which will help change our country’s food system for the better.
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Jason Leake, Lisa Leake, and their two daughters (ages 7 and 4) reside in Matthews, NC outside of Charlotte. Visit their first blog post if you would like to start at the beginning! To contact Lisa directly her email address is lisa@100daysofrealfood.com.
Family photos taken by Photography by Chanda: http://photographybychanda.com/pope/
Disclaimer: Lisa Leake is not a trained dietician, nutritionist, chef, or medical professional. The information on this blog is based on facts, research, and personal experiences. This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any disease. Never dismiss any advice your health physician gives. The author shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or any other damages.
Love what you are doing and am grateful you are sharing it with the world! This coming from a fellow “real” food advocate.
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Hi! I am loving this blog and your other one. I literally get up everyday and think “ooo did she write another?!” I also went out and bought In Defense of Food, and my husband and I are halfway through it in about 3 days. I got inspired and went through my pantry and threw away 2 bags of food becuase it’s not really food!! My daughters first birthday is this weekend, and where I would usually go to Bi-Lo to get a cake, I am getting one at Earthfare. Bi-Lo cakes first ingredient is, you guessed it, High Fructose Corn Syrup. In just a few days I am already feeling more energy (and loser pants), and my husband has lost a few pounds too. I do have a question… As a working mom who’s going to school, has a baby, and a husband who works a retail schedule, it is so difficult finding time to cook. Do you have any quick, easy, non-processed meal ideas for those busy nights?
That is so sweet…thank you! It definitely makes it worth my time to do this when I get feedback like that
I applaud you for starting to make changes for your family because it really isn’t easy at first. And it is wonderful to hear that you are already reaping some of the benefits too. With you being such a busy mom the best advice I can give you is to make your own convenience food. I think I will have to do an entire post on this soon, but for now consider “scheduling” in time – let’s say on every other Sunday – where you will cook a double batch of 2 different recipes (all of which can be frozen). There are a lot of great dishes like pastas, quiche, mexican dinners, pancakes, and soups (just to name a few) that freeze beautifully. And once you are making a recipe it isn’t that much more work to double it. If you don’t have one already I also recommend that you invest in a freezer (you might even find one on craig’s list) and lots of tupperwear to store all of your homemade creations. There is nothing better than pulling a homemade meal out of your freezer when you are short on time. It will probably take you a few weeks to build up a stock, but I think it would pay off in the long run! Let me know if it works out for you.
So…you have totally inspired me. Looking forward to reading the book and starting put changes in action.
That’s great to hear! Good luck!
I met your husband today as he was doing a demonstration at our lab. I actually gave him reccomendations on where to eat that used locally grown foods here in Charlottesville, VA. I look forward to reading your blog.
Thanks so much for taking the time to check out the site! Also, Jason passed on the “Buy Fresh Buy Local” guide that you gave him – we appreciate you being so accommodating with the lunch plans!
Very instructive to read your experience. I agree in lot of your statements, I don’t agree with some of them, but I’m Italian, living in Germany and I understand that about food culture, we definitely live in different planets.
I did this cold turkey during Lent… I had never given up anything, but just went for it! I gave up all processed foods for those 40 days and felt better than I ever had. People thought I was crazy (and, quite honestly, I think they were waiting for me to fail), but I did it! Our family has decided we are going to do it together now… my 6-year-old, who has incredibly healthy eating habits anyway, is so excited to get started. Thanks for the reminders of how we should all be eating!
(BTW — your daugther was in my daughter, Juliann’s, dance class at Miller Street. Hope you all are enjoying your summer!)
Paige
Good for you and what a small world! Thank you for your comment
Just read an article about your family in the News and Observer. Good for you for what you’re doing! Our family tries to eat healthy, but we are no where near to what you are steadily accomplishing in your 100 days of real food. You remind me a bit of the Author, Barbara Kingsolver –Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Her family strived to eat strictly local food as well as what was grown in their garden–not an easy task. Great book, very inspiring. I regularly email companies that have products that are “almost” acceptable to me(but for a couple ingredients) in hopes that they may change their list. I think if they hear from enough of us who are concerned, we can make an impact. If you are not familiar with the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), they publish a list of 49 fruits and veggies in order of the amount of pesticides/insecticides typically found in them. This is a good guide to determine what foods to buy organically versus which to buy conventionally grown. EWG also has a cosmetics database called “Skin Deep” that helps the consumer compare cosmetic and skin care products. I consider what you put on your skin pretty close to eating it since many ingredients can be absorbed.
Lastly, once you’re off your 100 day quest–you mention that you do not like your homemade ketchup in the article– Heinz organic ketchup is very tasty and has 7 ingredients (all the other name brands I have tried typically have HFCS or just don’t taste good to me). Kindest Regards!
Thanks for your comment! My husband is actually in the middle of listening to that Animal, Vegetable, Miracle book when he is on road trips for work. It sounds like a very interesting project and possibly even harder than what we are doing! I have also checked out the other websites you mentioned, and agree they are great resources.
When we are not doing the 100 days we use Heinz’s organic ketchup…that is one thing we will definitely go back to on day 101! We don’t eat very much ketchup, but it sure is more convenient and better tasting than what I have made.
Hi! I read about your family today in the Charlotte Observer. Kudos to you for doing this for doing such an awesome thing for your family’s health!
It was funny to run across the article because I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to eating more whole foods and cutting out a lot of the processed foods that I eat. Perhaps this was my confirmation?? I recently reached a weight loss goal I’d set for myself of 25 lbs in 6 mos and I managed to do it by getting very good at counting calories (and of course exercise) and figuring out ways to reduce the calories in almost anything! The struggle I’ve been having with taking the leap to all whole foods is that many of them seem to be much higher in calories than their processed counterparts. Have you found this to be an issue at all? Also, does your family factor in at all the amount of calories you consume even with eating clean?
This article was a sign!
I think one of the best things about eating whole foods is that you don’t have to count calories (or fat grams or carbs) because if you are eating foods that are more a product of nature than the product of industry the rest just falls into place. When we first started eating this way I felt that I had been getting fuller fast because real food is so much more filling, and I worried that I may have even gained a pound or two. A couple of months later I finally got on the scale and was surprised to see I had actually lost five pounds since eating this way (I was already in my optimal weight range and don’t normally fluctuate much). I know that everyone is different, but for me I can eat absolutely whatever I want (that doesn’t break our rules of course) although at the same time I make a big effort to not overeat (just stop the moment you start feeling full!) and we use items like honey, maple syrup, oils, butter, heavy creams, etc. in moderation. My husband lost 10 pounds following all of these same guidelines as well. You can read the entire article I did on overeating here: http://thefoodillusion.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/not-cleaning-your-plate/
I just now found The Food Illusion link and copied the zucchini recipe. Disregard my previous e-mail requesting it.
I will make the recipe soon. Thanks.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Deirdre Holmes, Dee Reid. Dee Reid said: 100 days of real, fresh, local food: 1 family, 2 kids, 0 processed food http://bit.ly/91bhyu [...]
After watching 30 days raw,food inc and several other documentaries and Books I challenged my husband to do 30 days! 100 days is awesome! I do believe that once I start I will continue.Have you found though in trying to tell loved ones,i mean trying to educate them that they look at you like you have two heads? I’ve told so many people about what I’m learning and they really don’t want to know.Some people are very comfortable eating processed food,I’ve learned you can lead a horse to water…you know the rest! LOL…My hubby and youngest are game! So I’ll keep ya posted on a start date,I know it wont be easy,But it will be worth it! Thank you for letting me in to your new world!
Yes, some people (friends and family) definitely look at us like we are crazy and like you said are totally content to continue eating all of the junk! That is why I am glad to meet all of you (through comments) who understand! Good luck with your real food pledge
I have watched Food Inc., the companion book and all of Michael Pollan’s books. In fact, yesterday I spent two hours with my nutritionist friend learning what to look for, avoid and eat at Whole Foods. I cleaned out my house and am starting fresh! Can’t wait to feel better.
What would you suggest using for a sweetner in coffee? I use honey in tea but would not want it in coffee; tried several natural sweetners such as stevia and agave but they were horrible and do not like coffee without anything, so am using Splenda. Also love yogurt but have looked thru all brands (including Greek) and they all have sugar–even the plain ones. Some a lot. People are under the misconception that the Greek yogurts have none.
Do you try to not use GM foods? I was amazed looking at a list of foods and brands that have them. Of course the greatest culprit is corn (Monsanto the monster). We are so far behind Europe in fighting this (lobbyists and all the Monsanto alumni in FDA, etc.) Have you read and seen DVD Food, Inc.? That’s when I really started going to organic chickens and grass-fed meat. I have long tried to use farmers’ markets (many do not have organic things or you have to just take it on faith that they do farm organically). I use the dirty dozen list but can’t find organic peaches which are highly sprayed. Big problem is trying to eliminate diet sweetners as I like to drink iced tea and I don’t like it plain. Are you saying that whole grain bread in supermarkets (such as Arnold or Pepperidge Farm are not good?) or margarine such as Smart Balance with no trigylcerides is NG? I use Spectrum low-fat mayo when I need it. Now I discoved canola oil is GM and oo is NG for high heat conditions. I see you use white potatoes; I thought anything white was NG and we should use sweet potatoes (many more nutrients). Between trying to go green for years (I now mix up essential oil with water for fresheners) and finding decent cleaning products, probably switching over to glass instead of plastic leftover containers, having to find where to drop off batteries and fluorescents) and watching for nutrition, pesticides, corn syrups, GM, low-fat, low-sugar, low-glycemic, no bad products in makeups and hair products, I go nuts. I am now trying to tend to the bugs on my herbs and tomatoes and keep chipmunks from eating my impatience organically. I am also trying to feed my pets healthfully with the best ingredients (use Whole Dog Journal and blogs) but the healthy brands have gone up hugely and are all being bought by the mega companies like P&G or Purina, etc., who change to lesser ingredients to make more money. Wish I had room for xtra freezer and bone grinder to go raw and make my own. Requires lot of research to do it right so they get proper nutrients and then some say they can’t find the kidneys or chicken necks in quantity to do so. All this makes this world more complicated, time and money and energy consuming. Since I moved here I have so missed a good seafood market locally with good selection and decent prices, wrote many times to Trader Joe’s to come here and still looking for a Whole Foods. I write to the government constantly on foods and pesticides and, yes, many other things and try to stay informed and get many publications and email updates. Unfortunately, since I started attending seminars and lectures and reading constantly 50 years ago along with raising a family (and yes, working some years, altho I believe in that process, I haven’t seen things get too much better. Now it’s lack of morals and greed and corruption. Forgive me for sounding old and garrulous and way off the subject; I think it’s very credible what you and family are doing. That’s what needs to be done: educating children if they will let you and getting the message across everywhere. Alice Waters did a good job with that. And Michelle O. is also trying now.
Thank you for your comment! It is great to hear from people who have been making such educated food choices for so long. And as far as genetically modified foods and white potatoes go…everyone certainly has a different stance on what they believe are the “healthiest” rules to follow. These are just the guidelines that we thought would be appropriate for this project and really our whole point is to make people more aware one way or another. And I would like to believe we are at least accomplishing that much. Thanks again for your input!
Thank you for bringing your experience to the world–Voting with your dollars is so true. I’ve seen my own grocery store slowly change over the past few years to offer more and more nutritional and organic options-I rarely shop in the “middle isles” anymore. As it showed in the movie (Food Inc), it is just rows and rows of different formations of corn! If we don’t take responsibility for our own health and diets, someone else definitely will. And by the way, the weight does drop off effortlessly when eating whole foods because you’re getting nourished, not just full. The monetary investment plateu’s as well, because you don’t eat as much. It’s a great thing! Can’t wait to see what comes of your journey!
So, I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to true healthy eating but was interested in an entry you had posted about gum.
My boyfriend and I started doing our research several months ago and found that gum actually contains aspartame, something I am sure you know about but definitely suggest you look into a little more thoroughly.
Also, I have read several things on “sugar-free” products which are actually worse than just eating the same thing with sugar. Just another opinion
I think it is awesome that you are only feeding your kids the best that’s available, they will truly benefit from it all in the long run!
Yes, I just shared on another reply that I surrender and will give up the gum! Also, you might like this post I did on imitation products (artificial sweeteners included!) and also another post specifically dedicated to sweeteners. I agree if you are going to use it just use the real thing!
I have just started reading your blog this week and really enjoy it! My husband and I made a new year’s resolution this year to cut out all processed sugar from our diets. As a result, it has pretty much led us to cut out all processed foods! I also recently read “In Defense of Food”, which was a completely eye opening experience and has now lead us to buy locally and organic as well. So I have to thank you for sharing your story…it’s nice to know we are not the only ‘crazy’ ones out there. I am really looking forward to trying some of your recipes too! Do mind sharing where you have found hotdogs, bacon and sausage without added sugar? We have searched and searched, but even the local/organic options we find still have sugar. Our only luck has been a brand of bacon from Harris Teeter, but it is not local or organic. Thanks again for sharing your story and good luck!!
Thank you for your comment! I am glad to know we aren’t the only ones who have friends/family that think our eating habits are crazy! LOL The more of us that change the more commonplace it will become. I am assuming you are in the Charlotte area? I found local hot dogs (all natural, no nitrites) from Gilcrest Farms at the Charlotte Farmers Market. Their number is 704.308.1431. Also, I get bacon that is uncured (therefore no seasonings have been added) from the Matthews Farmers Market – Grateful Grower’s stand. I was also buying sausage from them and later realized it does have some sugar in it so we aren’t buying it anymore! I am sad b/c I do really like sausage, but is amazing how even someone as aware as I am about what’s in our food can miss something every now and then. I recommend that when you find a good meat source to stock up and freeze it!
Great work on the blog and the concept! I saw the article about your family through Facebook, and though we live in Toronto, Canada, we are going through alot of the same things as you! You guys are more hardcore than me, but we’re trying! This year we’re growing food so that we can do our own pickling, preserving and sauce making. Tomato sauce is tricky at the supermarket–always filled with sugar and salt (and gawd knows what else!)
I’ve just discovered your blog and look forward to reading through it.
Cheers-
Hilary
Lisa,
I am loving your blog and am looking forward to Great Harvest opening up in the University area!
I saw that your kids really enjoy PB&J. Do you have a particular brand or recipe that you use for the jelly? Even the sugar free that I was buying has artificial sweetners. Thanks!
-Julie
Hi there and thank you! In the meantime you could make one trip down here to South Charlotte and freeze some loaves of Great Harvest bread if you really want to try it. It comes out of the freezer really nice and will last 7 – 10 days.
Also, the jelly I found is at Earthfare and called Crofters organic “Just Fruit” spread. It is sweetened with fruit juice concentrate. You could stock up on those too and keep them in your pantry!
[...] I haven’t mentioned yet, is that yes, I am going to do a story on Mrs. Lisa Leake and her 100 days of real food challenge, but I am also, going to take her 10-day challenge. And daddyO is going to do it with me. See why I [...]
I love your blog and I’ve learned so much reading it! I had a rude awakening after watching Food, Inc. (just like everyone else). I am trying to get Trader Joe’s to start selling grass fed beef at their Charlotte locations, currently they have “vegetarian fed” which is clearly includes grain too. If anyone else can contact them to start selling that there, maybe they will listen!!!
Thank you for the comment! I was surprised as well when I learned they didn’t have grass-fed meat. It also seems as though their organic produce is mostly available in big packs (not individual pieces). Things can definitely change though so it is a great idea to voice our feedback!
There have been books and people who have inspired me. Inspired me to live a better life, to make a more positive impact in my personal life, in the lives of others, in the world. You and your family, your efforts, your struggles, your accomplishments have inpired me a great deal, thank you for that.
I wanted to mention to you another recent person/book that has inspired me tremendously, and I really think you would appreciate what he went through in his own life’s experiment. He is Colin Beavan, the “No Impact Man”. He spent a year of his life with his wife, 2-year-old daughter and dog trying to live a “no impact” life. A life where he and his family tried not make a negative impact on the environment. In his experiment, they walked/biked everywhere, only ate food produced within a 250 mile radius of where they lived in NYC, turned off their electric power….He wrote a book called, “No Impact Man”. I thought of you when I read this book, expecially the part at the end where the year is over and he is kind of lost because all the “rules” no longer apply, he has to decide how to live his life from that moment on, and what type of choices he will make now that he has learned so much about how his choices impact his life and that of the environment.
If you get a chance, I think you would really appreciate his story, what he discovered, and how his discoveries have impacted the rest of his life….just like it has for you:) You can find him on facebook, but he also has a blog: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/
Thank you for the positive impact you have had on so many people!
I really appreciate this comment!! I’ve heard of the No Impact Man, but have not followed his journey closely. I had no idea that he (and maybe others) experienced a similar “withdrawal” from rules that frankly I thought would be happy to be done with! I will have to take the time to look into the details of his little experiment…it is strangely comforting to know we are not alone with our “post-pledge” confusion!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I had just come up with a 30 day Whole Food Challenge for me & my co-workers. I was surprised to find so many who were on board. I tried to do some research for whole/real food and found you. I am so glad to have come across your website.
I am subscribing & reading!
Wow, that is fabulous to hear of a group of co-workers doing this together! Good luck!
Hi Lisa–
Very excited to find your site and even more excited to find out that you live in Charlotte. (I had assumed that the 100-day challenge originated from someone in San Fran or NYC where there seems to be a larger movement in regards to eating real food.)
Looking forward to reading your site and blogs.
Thank you!! And I agree it is about time the food movement came to Charlotte!
As someone who (among many other thing) teaches folks how to grow vegetables year-round and as a devoted vegetable gardener myself, I say bravo.
Eating whole foods, cooking them fresh, and avoiding processed foods is a great step forward for health and taste.
Good for you for successfully promoting your efforts to a wider audience!
Hi, I stumbled on your page. Great ideas. But what do you do if you are gluten free and or dairy free as well?
If you are gluten free there are many brown rice and other whole grain options when it comes to pasta, bread, and crackers. For dairy try almond milk and other similar alternatives.
Hi! I just found your blog and am loving it. My family of three (also in Charlotte!) has been on the “real food” diet for about 4 months now and are DEFINITELY on a budget- I stay at home with the kiddo, so we only have one income and spend $80 per week on food. I definitely think you can eat real food on a budget if you just plan! We have to write our menu every week and ONLY buy whats on the list. It’s work, but it’s worth it.
Are you signed up for Earth Fare’s mailing list? They send out great coupons about 3 times a month for something for free with a $5 purchase. We’ve gotten free chicken, beef, grapes, melons, sugar, apples, brie and a ton of other stuff i cant remember. I highly reccomend it.
I’ll be following your blog for sure!
Thanks for stopping by the blog! It is nice to know I am not alone on my mission
Also, I am on Earth Fare’s email list and love getting stuff for free from there!
Good morning, just found your web site in Eating Well magazine. I am approaching 70 I have been through the gauntlet of real foods (grew up in So California) to processed foods and the swing back and forth. Fast good came into being during my lifetime and works very hard to convince us it is good for us. I am also a very big fan of Jamie Oliver and find it a shame a Brit has to come to West Virginia to try and get them to eat healthier in schools. My husband and I live in PA in Mennonite/Amish country and real food is plentiful and fairly inexpensive. I love to cook but still work 48 hours per week, counting commute time to DC from PA. I cook on the weekend and freeze food for quick wholesome meals during the four day commute, have a garden and bake my our bread. I believe that many of our health problems can be traced directly to our diets and also read In Defense of Food. Thank you for your web page and even though I have not read any of your blogs yet, I cannot wait to jump in. Great work!!
Thank you so much for your comment…it sounds like you have a lot of experience in this department!
Just read my comment and I really meant fast food not fast good.
Good Morning! A good friend of mine just sent me a link to your site last night and I am so interested in everything you are doing. I would love to hear you speak, what time is your discussion at EareFare on 1-12-11?
Welcome to the blog! The Jan. 12th discussion will be at 6:00 P.M. – hope to see you there!
Thanks so much for what you are doing! This is all very new to me but I am so excited to learn from someone who is in the same place as me with a 3 and a 5 year old. I was completely dumbfounded when I cleaned out my pantry and refrigerator at the amount of items containing sugar. And I thought I was doing pretty good…Things are definitely changing around our house. THANK YOU!
I was right there with you when we started all of this a year ago…at first it felt impossible “relearn” how to food shop and eat, but it got so much easier over time. You can do it! And your kids will thank you for it one day (and by the way persistence is key with them)!!
Any chance you could do a gluten-free segment? I cook in very similar ways at home and like your style. Thanks for the fun ideas.
I just found your website and am so encouraged! We have a 19 month old daughter who is intolerant to eggs, dairy, corn, wheat and bannanas (whew!) and it has completely changed how I shop for and cook our meals. She is projected to grow out of this if we keep it out of her diet for a year and slowly introduce the foods into her diet. Even though this has been tough, it has been a blessing to our family because we are making better choices. More recently, we are on a strict budget so I was thrilled to see your real food on a budget series! Here in Oklahoma City we do not have a lot of options, but we do try to visit our farmer’s market each week and buy organically at the supermarket. Anyway, thanks for inspiring and educating us with your story!
Uggghhhh allergies are so tricky. I am ale ays looking for new blogs. We are eggs, milk, soy. These poor babies. Mine is 20 mo. Contact me via my blog and i will help you with recipoes. It’s so tricky.
Thank you so much for your comment, and I wish you the best of luck with your daughter!! Food allergies are not easy so I hope she does grow out of them!
[...] you’re eating healthy? So did this family until they read Michael Pollan’s book ‘In Defense of Food’ and it changed their [...]
[...] more useful to me are the guidelines followed by blogger Lisa Leake in her 100Days of Real Food Challenge. With a few of my own tweaks. (This is where I came up the [...]
[...] My friend Amy sent me this link about how one family took a 100 Days of Real Food pledge. I love the thought of giving of processed food makes me VERY happy. Yes, I know that I eat about 80% this way already, but I do have my weaknesses and I would love to help Hubby eat more REAL FOOD too. You can read all about Jason and Lisa’s story here . [...]
[...] Mar A few months back I took the 10 Day Real Food Pledge as advocated and created by the 100 Days of Real Food blog. At the time, I was trying to really understand how to structure my diet to be the most [...]
I’m excited about learning which foods to eat and not to eat. I’m also just starting to learn how to use this site. I hope to be able to convert my adult daughter and 4 grandkids to eating real food, rather than all that processed junk. I just learned from Dr. Oz the other day, the nitrites in processed meats & cheese are linked to alzheimer’s. That was a wake up call.
Now that you’ve transitioned off the official pledge, do you buy any products with sugar? And if so, do you try to to keep it under a certain amount?
That is a good question…and we pretty much hardly buy anything that would break our original “pledge” rules except for the occasional homemade (from scratch) birthday cake. We also sometimes buy products with 6 or 7 ingredients although none of them are sweeteners. The times when we really break “our rules” is when we are out at a restaurant or friend’s house mainly for convenience. Our pledge really got us used to living this way!
I love your site!!! My first question is what did you do with what you currently ate/owned when you decided to change your lifestyle?? I look at my pantry (which I thought had pretty good stuff in it) and almost all of it needs to go. Since $$ is an issue for us all these days, it feels like throwing money away, but I also feel a ton of guilt when I think about feeding my toddler any more Gerber Graduate cereal bars!!
What kind of oil do you use?
Do you have an recipes for graham crackers?
Do you have any ideas for an alternative to cheerios or puffs? These are my lifesaver to fit into a snack cup when we’re out and about.
Do you make your own bread?
Do you buy store bought pasta?
What is your favorite go-to meal? I struggle with not eating “real food” when I’m in a time crunch. Any ideas?
Sorry for all the questions, but I couldn’t find a better place to ask. I really appreciate all the time and information you’ve put into the site. Such inspiration!!
Good questions! I actually gave all of it to our neighbor (she wanted it! and I felt a little better that I wasn’t “wasting” what was once perfectly good food). While it was probably not the most budget friendly approach I felt just like you did about still eating all of that stuff. You could also donate some unopened items to a food bank. Here are the rest of the answers…
What kind of oil do you use? I am actually having a guest blogger do a post all about oils later this week…so be on the lookout!
Do you have an recipes for graham crackers? I don’t, but someone posted one on the blog somewhere (in a comment)…I have not tried it yet though. You can always post questions like that on my facebook page too.
Do you have any ideas for an alternative to cheerios or puffs? These are my lifesaver to fit into a snack cup when we’re out and about. Little bits of homemade whole-wheat pancakes or waffles (you can freeze these and defrost), there are several whole-grain crackers that I mentioned in a recent post called “The best store-bought snacks” that you could break up into pieces. Also plain shredded wheat cereal and arrowood mills “corn puffs” cereal are both only 1 or 2 ingredients and 100% whole-grain. How about cold whole-wheat cooked macaroni noodles? They are the perfect size and soft. My girls like them cold. Or frozen peas…my girls like them frozen. I remember the snack cup days!
Do you make your own bread? I just got a breadmaker and have started trying some recipes. Before that I got our bread at a franchised bakery called Great Harvest.
Do you buy store bought pasta? Sometimes – it is really easy to find whole-wheat pasta. All brands are pretty much the same although some are organic.
What is your favorite go-to meal? I struggle with not eating “real food” when I’m in a time crunch. Any ideas? Scrambled eggs with toast and fruit!! Or leftovers or better yet something I made extra of in advance (like pasta sauce or enchiladas) that I saved in the freezer. Whole-wheat noodles are also really simple in a time crunch. My girls like their noodles with just a little paremsan cheese, olive oil and frozen peas sprinkled in. And it is super easy.
i just noticed a small feature of you and your project on the earthfare website. i was certain that you probably lived in new england or california. what a treat to see that you are in NC. you’re a great inspiration to all of us. thanks for all the work you put into getting out the real food message.
Wow! Just found your blog and I have thoroughly enjoyed browsing around! Can’t wait to come back and read more. Your philosophy is similar to what I am striving for my family but looks like you’ve already done a lot of the leg work and laid out the plan. Thanks!
[...] to talk of the benefits of real food over processed food. You might like to check these out http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/about/ http://www.facebook.com/RealFoodRealLife http://www.realfoods.net/ [...]
Your blog is amazing! My family has been making changes to our diet since the beginning of the year – it was our new year’s resolution – and I wish I would have found your blog then! Ultimately we changed to be healthier and lose weight but also because my daughter has a nut allergy and the laws regarding allergy warnings on food in the US is terrible and I was tired of constantly worrying about the food she ate. I thought I was doing good with changing what we have but you have inspired me to do so much more! Thank you so much for sharing your journey here and being a food superhero for all of us!
Thanks so much for your comment…feedback like this keeps me going!
[...] our fairly typical family in the suburbs of Charlotte, N.C. took on this extreme and sudden “real food” pledge, it led to [...]
Just found your blog today. A friend posted link to FB . . . Didn’t see Pollan on Oprah but did see Jamie Oliver. Are their philosophies similar? Any significant differences? . . . Thanks for sharing your journey!
Jamie Oliver’s focus (lately) is more on kids and probably not as hard core as Pollan’s…both great points of view though!
so glad to have stumbled across your site! trying to collect info like this to start my husband and i on a similar lifestyle journey! i love how most of your recipes are adapted from popular versions. thank you for sharing with all of us!
Hi Lisa,
I came across your website through my work at Chefs Collaborative and I was completely intrigued! Today is my first day of my 10-day challenge (saying goodbye to Twizzlers is probably the mist difficult!) and I am really looking forward to it. I have an extra challenge, I live on a sailboat in Boston harbor (with a boyfriend who claims he likes to eat healthily but when he gets hungry…it’s a whole other story!) and our refrigeration is meager, to say the least!
This is actually just practice for the winter–we will be sailing the boat down to the Caribbean in November and my plan is to eat as locally and “real” as possible, taking advantage of local markets, etc. I’m still fairly young, 24, and I admit, I eat a lot of junk just because I am always in a hurry so this is definitely going to be tough but I would love to get in touch with you and swap ideas–
looking forward to it!
Mallory
Good idea…sounds like you are living it up! Enjoy these times while you are young
Welcome to the real food revolution. My wife & I have been on this journey for a while, and recently bought our own farm. Regarding your rules – great list however I avoid ALL grains. One caution – watch out for “juice”. Even “all natural” orange juice is highly processed. Read more here http://www.foodrenegade.com/secret-ingredient-your-orange-juice/
[...] also interested in cutting out processed food and refined ingredients then check out our family’s “100 Days of Real Food” story as well as our list of favorite recipes and meal [...]
This website is amazing! As a mom of three young boys, I am excited to make this journey. I read Mothers Against Junk Dining in September’s Prevention and find the information you provide an easy, one-stop shop for what I need to know to get started. Prior to visiting this site, I had a lot of questions about eating “real” foods meant and you’ve answered them. I’ve found finding snack options to be difficult and also tend to “eat on the go” on the weekends. Despite getting sleep and exercising regularly, I still look worn down and struggle to get out of bed most mornings. I look forward to the positive changes eating real foods will provide. Thank you and congratulations to you and your beautiful family on changing your lives and the lives of others.