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Below are the rules we followed during our original 100 Days of Real Food pledge. If you are taking the 10-Day pledge you will follow these same rules.
What you CAN eat:
- Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
- Lots of fruits and vegetables (we recommend that you shop for these at your local farmers’ market)
- Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
- 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains (find a local bakery for approved sandwich bread and check the Understanding Grains post for more info)
- Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)
- Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
- Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, and, to help the adults keep their sanity, wine and beer!
- Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
- All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation
- Also check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes
What you CANNOT eat:
- No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
- No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
- Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
- No deep fried foods
- No “fast foods”
Please leave a reply below if you have any questions about what is okay to eat during your pledge.
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How to Avoid Processed Food in General
If you feel that you have the will, but not the skill to do the 10 Days of Real Food pledge then here are some general lifestyle changes to consider instead…
- Read the ingredients label before buying anything. For years, if I even looked at food labels, I was reviewing items such as fat grams, calorie count and sugar content. While this may be important to some, the best indicator of how highly processed a food is can actually be found in the list of ingredients. If what you are buying contains more than 5 ingredients and includes a lot of unfamiliar, unpronounceable items you may want to reconsider before buying.
- Increase your consumption of whole foods especially vegetables and fruits. I am sure you’ve heard similar advice a thousand times, and I hate to tell you that it couldn’t be more true. This will help to displace the processed foods in your diet, and will actually make your food selections in general very simple. No more counting calories, fat grams, or carbs when your only concern is selecting whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry.
- Buy your bread from a local bakery. I actually used to eat white bread, but what I bought for my husband from the grocery store was what I thought was whole-wheat bread. When we finally checked the ingredients and found 40 different items on the list, including white flour and sugar, we decided it was time for a change. Why would there be so many on the list if it only takes a handful of ingredients to make bread? We since started buying our bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. Not only do they grind their own wheat every morning, but their honey whole-wheat loaf only has five ingredients – whole-wheat flour, water, yeast, salt and honey.
- In addition to your bread choice, when selecting foods like pastas, cereals, rice, and crackers always go for the whole-grain option. And don’t just believe the health claims on the outside of the box. Read the ingredients to make sure the product is truly made with only 100% whole grains – not a combination of whole grains and refined grains which is unfortunately how a lot of “whole grain” products are made. The white flour or other refined grain alternative is simply high in calories and low in nutrition.
- Avoid store-bought products containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and those “that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients” according to Michael Pollan. Despite the mixed research on if HFCS is really worse for you than good ol’ white sugar, it just happens to be “a reliable marker for a food product that has been highly processed”.
- Don’t order off the kids’ menu. The next time your family is out to dinner try to avoid the kids menu. Those selections are most often things like pre-made chicken nuggets, fries, and pasta made with white flour, among other things. Instead try assembling some sort of side item plate (like baked potatoes and whatever else your kid will tolerate) and/or try sharing some of your meal.
- Visit your local farmers’ market the next time you need to restock your fridge. According to Michael Pollan not only will you find “food that is in season, which is usually when it is most nutritious”, but you will also find a selection of pesticide-free produce and properly fed meat products. It is also better for our environment to purchase locally grown products as opposed to the supermarket produce, which travels on average 1500 miles from the farm to your plate.
- Lastly, to once again quote Michael Pollan, he says to “eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” If you had to peel, chop and deep fry potatoes every time you wanted French fries then you might not eat them very often. Only eating “junk food” such as cakes, sweets, and fried foods as often as you are willing to make them yourself will automatically ensure the frequency is appropriate.
My only problem with the rules is the sugar thing. I have always used white sugar in my coffee in the morning. I don’t have an issue with switching to raw sugar but I can’t seem to really find a conclusive answer on what to do in regards to sugar (other than honey/maple syrup). Anyway, I don’t drink alcohol. Although it has a lot of sugar in it it’s okay, do I get to substitute regular/raw sugar for my coffee to keep my sanity?
agave nectar:-)
Do some research on agave nectar. One, agave nectar is processed very similarly to HFCS. It doesn’t come out of the agave plant “pure”. Secondly, agave nectar in the US is not the same as what they use in Mexico where it is more “pure”. It is turning out not to be the great sweetner we all hoped it to be. Better to stick to honey.
I came across this artical yesterday. It talks about agave nectar and why it isn’t healthy for you. Hope this helps a little.
http://thankyourbody.com/health-foods-to-avoid/
You can use sweet leaf stevia or evaporated cane juice as natural sweeteners. You have to be careful w/ honey as the stuff at most grocery stores is processed and not so much natural anymore…
I also used to put white sugar in my coffee every single morning, I loved how it made the coffee feel like a treat. I switched to the real foods life style on July 21st and haven’t had sugar or any other sugar substitute in my coffee since then. It was difficult for me, I found myself thinking, “this just isn’t the same”, for a while. But this morning while I was drinking my coffee I said with honesty that I don’t miss having sugar in my coffee anymore. I believe that maybe it is something one can adapt to liking.
A touch of maple syrup in coffee is really tasty. I also use whatever milk I have on hand to lighten it. I only use it on the weekends, and drink coffee w/half and half during the week, so it is a treat!
As Jartbauer stated, Honey is the best substitute…plus, it tastes yummy. I normally buy organic raw honey. Plus, I have found using honey is actually cheaper than agave nectar, because most farmer’s markets carry it in large quantities, for roughly around the same price you would buy bulk agave nectar. Obviously, everywhere is different, but that is just my experience where I’m from.
I recently spoke with a local beekeeper at my farmer’s market. The health benefits of honey are many, particularly in the pollen. The majority of honey in the store has been pasturized and filtered. Pasturizing consists of heating the honey to @ 160 degrees F. It gives it longer shelf life and it won’t crystalize as quickly. The filtering removes the pollen. Raw honey will be cloudy. Processed honey will be clear. Now for the surprise. If you use raw honey in hot coffee or tea, you are pasturizing it and removing the beneficial pollen and propolis. The beekeeper suggested taking a spoonful of raw honey followed by cold water to receive the benefits. I use raw honey in both coffee and tea. I also relish in my daily spoonful of yumminess.
Hi Amy. I always tell people to do what they’re comfortable with. Have you tried the syrup or honey? I thought the same thing though and actually found it wasn’t bad…others have reported the same. Jill
I did try honey (raw) and 100% maple syrup. At first I didn’t care for them in my coffee but I think it was just because I was so use to white sugar. I finished up my challenge last week but we have and are still only buying organic/non (or very minimally) processed foods. I’ve been alternating between raw honey and raw sugar and am very happy with it
Raw honey can get pretty expensive so that’s the biggest reason I alternate. However the longer I do this the better I’m getting at finding deals/coupons at grocery stores and best prices/neighborhoods for farmers markets so I’m hoping to, in time, eliminate any processed sugar too. Thanks a lot!!
I use one tsp of white sugar in my coffee once to twice a day. I can’t stand the aftertaste of the pink/yellow/blue/green stuff. Here’s why I decided to continue that minor indulgence.
Granulated sugar has 0g fat, 4g carbs and 0g protein which translates to 16 calories. It’s glycemic index is 2 to 3. So, it you’re not a complete diabetic I find it difficult to understand how 16 carb calories can have ANY effect on your body. A raw grape, by comparison has 0g fat, 5g carb, 0g protein with a similar glycemic index of 2. So, it’s ok to have a grape with your coffee but not a tsp of white sugar?
Ok, switch to natural sugar to make yourself feel better but quit obsessing about trivial matters, give your poor liver a break from the chemical sweeteners and indulge in a tsp of sugar in your coffee – or mash a grape up in it…
By the way, drink your coffee with real food – not just a cup by itself – so your body has fat, carbs and protein to work with at the same time.
I use sugar in the raw in my coffee probably not “real food” but better the other option u find out there.
I’ve never used artificial and I’m not diabetic so granulated white sugar isn’t a problem there. I started the 10 day challenge yesterday and besides all the extra dishes from cooking so much more it hasn’t been bad, except wondering about sugar.I know it seems silly to obsess on the little things but I guess I just want to “do it right” whatever that means. I tried a bit of honey in my coffee this morning but it just isn’t the same. I think I’ll just use the raw sugar and give myself a break
Thanks for the comments!
Chia seeds are a great subatitute for eggs! Google it for proper amounts. Best of luck!
For the record, Agave is almost as bad as High Fructose Corn Syrup, you should read up on it. I use the maple flavored stuff as an alternative to other syrup on my waffles, but only because it doesn’t raise my blood sugar like regular syrup does. I mostly use fruit spreads instead
Just found your page through a friend! We have been doing this since July 16, 2012 on our own. We went cold turkey! I got rid of everything white flour and white sugar! I have children soon to be 6, under the age of 12! We are loving it! I am happy we found this way of eating, now that the new baby is coming! I took the 10 day pledge even though we are doing it! LOOOOOVVVVEEE IT!!!!
So glad you found us and are enjoying the blog. Best of luck with your new arrival! Jill
I found Harvest Whole Wheat Bread at Trader Joe’s. Ingredients are: Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, water honey, cracked wheat, sea salt, fresh yeast, whey. Would this pass your bread test?
Hi Kathy. I’m not exactly certain what whey is and it has a few more than the 5 ingredients. I know they have another one too that I thought had 100% whole wheat flour in it. Jill
Whey is the by product of cheese making. Think Little Miss Muffet eating her curds and whey. Curds become the cheese and whey is the protein laden liquid left behind. They add the whey to kick up the protein content and condition the flour. Cracked wheat is 100% whole grain since what it is is the cracked kernal of wheat. It has all the bran and everything in it.
Thanks Barbara. I love that I learn from the readers of the blog all of the time. Thanks again for sharing that information. Jill
http://dealstomeals.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_09.html?m=1
I found this recipe for bread but I was going to substitute white sugar for honey and white flour for wheat. What about brown sugar or sugar in the raw?
Hi Christle. The canola oil and yeast are also ingredients that don’t all under “the rules”. If you’re looking for a recipe without a bread machine, check out this one…
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/everyday-whole-wheat-bread/“. Jill
Just starting this a little nervous, I love my triple triple coffee in the morning, but also like living lol.
Hi. Can I use chicken stock cubes if it doesn’t have sugar?
Hi Andrea. They probably wouldn’t be my first choice since I think they are made by “drying out” the stock ingredients. I would probably suggest just the chicken broth instead since I’m guessing you’re diluting the stock cubes anyways. Jill
I saw grits on the refined list. Where I live, I can get them to ground whole white kernels to make grits. That’s ok right? THanks!
Hi Andrea. My understanding of grits is that they are not made from the whole grain. But, if it is the case as it sounds like from your note that yours are made from the whole kernel, I guess that would be fine. Jill
Hi, I would like to start doing the real food diet but am having a hard time with bread. My husband and I are both young, he works and I’m a full time grad student. We don’t have any bakery’s around us and don’t have time to drive 45-60 min to get fresh bread. Are there any recipes you would recommend that we could make our own bread?
This is the least time consuming bread recipe I’ve found. Bread isn’t hard, it just takes up an afternoon. :p
http://jezebel.com/no-knead-bread/
Sarah, can you use whole wheat flour in this recipe?
The cookbook Healthy Bread in Just Five Minutes a Day has a couple of master recipes that can be used for breads, buns, and a variety of other bread items. (Google it – they also have a blog with recipes.) Some of their recipes contain unbleached white flour, but there is at least one that is totally whole wheat/whole grain. The idea behind this cookbook is that you can have fresh, homemade bread in just five hands-on minutes a day. You mix together the dough and then leave it to rise. You can then store it in the fridge for up to two weeks, and it makes enough for about four loaves of bread. My husband and I are both in grad school and work so we are pretty swamped for time, but I found that if I planned ahead, I could easily mix the dough and then leave it rising while reading for school, then when we wanted bread just let it rise/bake it while doing other stuff. It hasn’t been bad at all. I just have to remember to make it advance of when we want it! Good luck!
Hi Jillian. Check out this recipe here…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/17/recipe-honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-for-bread-machine/. Jill
Hi there! Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your site! Thank you for all the hard work and time you put into it. It’s going to really change people’s lives! So many people (including me) want to change their diets but have no idea where to start. There’s so much info out there and it all seems so expensive and time consuming that most just give up. You definitely make it easier!
I have a question about taking “snacks” to a soccer game. We are the host family for snacks for my daughter’s game this weekend. I need something to fee 10-12 5 yr olds for after the game. Any suggestions of what to take that will still be healthy but not too pricey or time consuming to make? Would you go for prepackaged food in this case?
Thanks again!
Kristy
When I was a kid playing on a soccer team, our after-game snacks included orange wedges, watermelon slices, or other cut fruit, and cups of ice-cold water. So sad that these days we’re expected to provide prepackaged granola bars and gatorade, or other processed food and drinks.
Hi Kristy. Sorry this response is not in time, but, orange slices make a fantastic after game snack. You can slice them and pack them up in individual bags. Always seems to be a hit! Jill
My husband and I live in Charlotte, also, and have been eating this way since 2003. We do not eat honey or any form of agave, cane sugar, etc. or any grains. We eat organic, low glycemic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grass fed meats, free range chickens, farm eggs, etc. We use coconut oil for fat metabolism, (no oils that become rancid). We feel 100% better and find it fairly easy. Charlotte is blessed with many farm markets, Earthfare, Whole Foods. We are truly BLESSED! I hope many of your readers will consider a life style change rather than 10 or 100 days!!
What if there are more than 5 ingredients, but all of the ingredients are real food? For example, there is a spaghetti sauce I have that contains the following (all organic): tomato puree, tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, salt, extra virgin olive oil, agave nectar, garlic, basil, onions, tomato flakes, parsley, and oregano. Now, that’s way more than five ingredients, but I can’t imagine this wouldn’t be allowed. Also, sometimes there are items that have six or seven ingredients, most of which are real foods as described above, but not all. Are these acceptable as well? In other words, if the additional ingredients listed are real foods, then are we allowed to exclude them from counting toward our five ingredient limit? [FYI: I posted this same comment/question on the FAQ page, since I wasn't sure where to post it...]
Hi Mallorie. I always tell people to use their judgement, but, in general, you are right, if the more than five are whole foods and things you can recognize/pronounce, then they are probably ok. I will say the one you listed though shows agave which we don’t use. Jill
I love your site! I began your 100 challenge on my birthday this month. I am enjoying it. I am a vegan, so I just adapt it a bit for my needs.
I would just like to say thank you. This is a lot of work, and it is extremely helpful.
So excited to have found this website. We eat really healthy but I kept getting stumped on lunches and stuff for the kids.
Dear Lisa,
I was absolutely inspired by your family’s challenge. Our family is doing the challenge together now. It has been wonderful doing it as a family. We made a couple of modifications like having a “free” day and cutting out meat. My husband wouldn’t commit unless he could have one day a week for cookies and ice cream. So far he hasn’t needed a free day for that because he loves homemade ice cream and real food cookies!
Anyway I want to do other challenges with my family and blog about them. I want to use your site as the model and inspiration for what I am planning. I do not however want to cross any lines that would offend or bother you in any way. I see this is a business for you and I don’t want to mess with that.
My plan is to do 4 ninety day challenges a year with mini challenges along the way. These would be about food, exercise, education and family relationships. The first one I want to do is Honoring, Loving and Obeying grandparents (who we live with). This wouldn’t have anything to do with eating real food but other challenges along the way would.
Please let me know if you can foresee any conflicts.
Thanks for blogging about your family and food. I absolutely appreciate what the information has done for me and my family.
Ella Ludwig
Whoops! I meant for this to be a private message!
Question: pasteurization is considered a “process” by some folks—what’s your opinion? Has your family ever tried raw milk/yogurt/etc., and if so, what’s your motivation?
Hi Rex. Yes, I’d agree, pasteurization is a process, but, raw milk is illegal in NC. We have not tried raw milk. Jill
Question regarding sugar – my husband has one violent food allergy: honey. As in, anaphlylactic shock/hospital allergic. We live in Madrid, Spain, and maple syrup is not readily available (when it is, it’s well beyond our food budget). I’ve been using dark brown sugar from the natural foods store, and don’t use much unless I’m baking (no, I won’t give up baking, don’t even say it). Any suggestions for substitutes?
Incidentally, we don’t buy processed food. We’re both huge fans of cooking from scratch, real food tastes better and is far cheaper in Spain than out of a bottle.
Hi Kathy. Have you tried muscovado sugar…it’s a little less processed than brown sugar. Do you know if you are able to order the maple syrup online perhaps? Not sure how pricey that would be. Obviously you need to stick with what is safe for your husband. Best of luck. Jill
Hi, I just found your blog. What a great resource that I can give to people when they say, “So what *can* your kids eat?” When I have time, I like to say, “We eat anything you can grow or produce yourself in your backyard in some climate somewhere in the world without a bunch of Roundup to grow it or chemicals to preserve it.” Then if they look at me like I have two heads, I say, “No food coloring, no msg, stick to stuff with ingredients you can pronounce, labels with 5 ingredients or less are best.” Now next time I’ll say, “Check out 100daysofrealfood.com. She’s got it all on there!” Thanks.
The reason sugar is listed as a “no go” is because even though it comes from sugar cane, calcium hydroxide is added to the cane juice while it boils to remove impurities and kill enzymes. They are then bleached by sulfur dioxide and filtered through charred bones.
Agave Nectar isn’t any better. They use the bulb of the agave plant and run it through a similar process that they do to corn to make HFCS.
Best bets for real food sweeteners are raw local honey, piloncillo, sucanat, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia (but not truvia brand) or if you must then use organic raw sugar.
Greek Yogurt?
I looove Trader Joe’s brand kettle corn. It only has four ingredients, but one of them is sugar. Is that allowed?
Hi Taylor. No, the kettle corn would not be allowed. But, beyond the challenge you could always view it as a special treat. Jill
Here is a shocking and informative article on the effects of white sugar….a bit lengthy but well worth the read. Love this blog! Thanks~