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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.
What about oils and butters? Is real butter OK for cooking since it is a diary product? What about oils? I know that a lot of oils are highly processed but am not sure what to substitute for cooking?
HI Kelly. Check out this post on oils that should be helpful in answering your questions. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. Jill
My husband is an avid outdoorsman and hunts deer a lot. what about deer that is processed into sausage, hamburger etc in a local facility? is that considered to be healthy and recommended as a good source of meat?
Hi Amanda. I think it’s fine…it would definitely be local
. I would just make sure the facility that processes it does it in the most minimal way and with nothing added that you wouldn’t want in your food. Jill
your blog is inspiring! I am still at the beginning of my whole food adventure. thanks for all the great info!!
I am deeply considering taking this challenge but I have 3 questions. can we eat grits (not the instant kind)? Is Deli sliced turkey/chicken allowed? Is smoked turkey neck/wings allowed? I normally use smoked turkey to season dried beans.
Hi J Shields. Grits are actually not allowed. Deli meat would be fine as long as it is nitrate free (Applegate Organics makes one). Finally, the turkey wings would be fine, I would just try and find something local. Hope that helps…and hope you decide to take the challenge. Good luck. Jill
What are your thoughts on Xylitol?
Alise – According to Wikipedia, Xylitol is found naturally in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables. However, the production of what we use as a sweetener is much different according to this same source. It states that production starts from xylan, extracted from hardwoods or corncobs, which is hydrolyzed into xylose and then hydrogenated into xylitol. Based on this, it sounds to be highly processed. Hope that helps. Jill
Hi, I am getting ready to start on October 1st. Going shopping over the weekend. I know that we can have Lara bars, but I already have several boxes of the new Perfectly Simple Zone bars in my pantry. They have 8 ingredients, each one containing these three ingredients: Invert Evaporated Cane Juice, Soy Protein Isolate, Date Paste. Would these work as a substitute so that we dont waste them?
Hi Kristi. Technically, no. All of the ingredients you mentioned would not fall under “the rules”. Sorry. Jill
I am planning to start the 100 day challenge and trying to plan meals prior to shopping. I’m a little concerned about all of the whole wheat options for most of the bread or grain recipes. I am gluten intolerant so I can feed all of the wheat in the world to my family, but not to myself! Are there many gluten free options? I am also new to the GF world and have not liked most of what i have tried so far (but I admit most of it was not home made)
Hi Melissa. I actually substitute gluten free oats in a lot of the breakfast recipes (just mix it in the blender so it chops up find). I don’t know that this would work for the baked goods. You should check out http://www.elanaspantry.com for some gluten free options as well. Best of luck. Jill
Hi Melissa,
I have a lot of experience with gf eating and baking. You won’t find very good whole grain options for gluten free because they use starch as wheat replacements. Starch is the opposite of “whole”-no fiber and no nutrients. It is easier and much healthier to just not eat gf breads or gf bread products. You can eat brown rice, sweet potatoes, squash, and beans. There are many countries and cultures that don’t eat “breakfast” food, they eat “dinner food” and are much healthier for it. I try to eat vegetables with every meal, even breakfast and it makes all the difference in my energy levels for the day.
When discussing processed foods, breads are always brought up. If I were to make homemade bread, is that considered processed? Is there a site with recipes that you could recommend? I’ve been buying frozen vegetables instead of canned since there is a lot less processing done to those, at least I think so. And, I haven’t had a chance to start a garden and learn to can yet. It’s on my list.
Hi Julie. There are lots of recipes on the blog that you should check out, including one for bread (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/17/recipe-honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-for-bread-machine/). To answer your question on homemade bread being processed, you could say it is since cooking is technically a form of processing. In regards to the vegetables, I agree frozen is much better than canned, but, of course, fresh is best (although frozen is a great option). Finally, check out this post on gardening(http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/14/growing-food-lessons-learned/)…you may find it helpful. We hope you’ll check out the rest of the blog – I think you will find a lot of useful and informative information. Jill
You said that making your own bread could be considered processed because of the cooking? I’m confused…was that a joke? No, seriously? Because bread from the bakery is cooked and so is a good deal of other foods unless you go raw, so is bread okay or should it be avoided… or maybe just reduced? Also, I’m not a big fan of the “quick” family recipes which generally involve opening several cans of something cooked as a casserole, but I have seen a lot of recipes that would be fine if they didn’t include a can of condensed cream of fill in the blank… it seems like it’s in everything… is there a way to substitute that type of thing or should it just be avoided entirely? For instance there is a chicken enchillada recipe I wanted to make. I made my own whole wheat tortillas, and have free range local chicken and veggies from the farmers market (It’s taken me forever to get to this point
) then I get to the bottom and it says… a can of cream of chicken soup… DOH!
Make your own white sauce instead of using canned soup, you can probably find a recipe on-line that is made using acceptable ingredients.
Hi Eileen. Sorry if that was confusing. I think bread is fine if you either make it yourself or buy one with as few ingredients as possible (like Great Harvest’s honey whole wheat which only contains 5 ingredients). Changing food from its “natural” state can always be looked at as a form of processing so that’s why I made that comment, but, you have to decide what’s right for you. As for the soup, I would try omitting it or see if you can find a recipe to make a version yourself that you can use in it’s place. Jill
I read the book: No Grain Diet by Dr Joseph Mercola. I have been following for about a month. In the book, he states the science behind the diet. Essentially, i have not eaten grains, starchy vegetables or anything with sugar in it. I have been diagnosed with diabetes type 2, and my goal is to get off drugs and lose 125 pounds. if you are interested go to: http://www.nograindiet.com
So i guess i have been on the 100 day challenge already.
Have you guys ever used or researched the Wildtree products? I’m curious how they stack up in terms of non-processed food products. They tout grapeseed oil, but I believe it is not processed with chemicals. Interested in your take or if you’ve ever heard of them?
Hi Becky. Yes, others have written to us about Wildtree products in the past. Looking quickly at some of their products and the ingredients list, they wouldn’t fall within “our rules” in terms of some of the ingredients used as well as the number of ingredients. Thanks for checking in though. Jill
Is it better to buy non organic fruits and veggies at a farmers market or to buy organic fruits and veggies at the store ?
Hi Erica. I ask myself this same question often. I would say if you can talk to your farmers at your local market and get comfortable with how they grow their crops in terms of seeds, pesticides, etc., buying local is always preferable. Hope that helps. Jill
If you do a web search for home made cream of mushroom soup, there are several quick, whole food versions. If you make them with a little less liquid than called for, you can substitute it for the “can of-” in recipes
Is cane sugar allowed on this real food plan? If not, what options do you have to sweeten tea or coffee? Last question, what other options do you have to drink other than water and fruit juice? Just want to make sure we do this right
Hi Andrea. Honey and maple syrup are the sweeteners that were used during the strict 100 day pledge. As for drinks, water and milk are pretty much it. Coffee, tea and wine are also allowed. Jill
Please no meat, dairy, oils!
engine2diet.com
I am a 3rd generation whoe food eater, and a grandma. Ye, in 1935 my grandfather abruptly went frm swilling whiskey and eating roast beef toa raw fruit and vegetable and nut diet with occasional whole wheat bread, home made wine, and banana bread. he lived to be 96, and i am healthy and vigorous at 75.
I have just decided to stop using canned food, never had much canned beverages, don;t like that orange juice, so acidic, comes in plastic bottles. Fifteen years ago I realized that frozen peas with a touch of butter were a deliciou breakfast or addition to my usual fresh papaya with cottage cheese, or an avocado, tomato, onion, spike, and lemon juice on crunchy whole grain bread sandwich.
Anyway, keep up the blog–lots of people are getting to eat healthy these days, and I only am dismayed by the tripling of the cost of raw nuts as a result! That shorthand clue about “if it has more than 5 ingredients, don’t buy it” is so good. And true. My dad died at 87—it may bebeause he loved tricuits and what thins and didn’t know they were loaded with transfats back in the 1990′s……he was eating fresh home grown oranges and papayas and avocados, and almost no meat, no milk, few eggs.
How would a diabetic follow this challenge? Specifically, with sweetners?
Hi Cathy. I am not familiar enough with diabetes to comment or advise you on this. I would suggest you check with your doctor. Best of luck. Jill
I am planning to take the 10 day pledge and I’m in the process of convincing my dear husband. He is on board but he is an ex smoker and chews nicotine gum and also drink 2 beers per day. I’ve asked him to give up both of these for the 10 days and he seems adamant that he isn’t willing to do so. Will this be a deal breaker in completing the 10 day pledge?
Thanks!
Hi Tara. Yes, I would expect the gum would not fit the rules. Beer and wine are actually ok, in moderation. Have you checked out this post that might help you in convincing your husband? http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/07/convincing-a-reluctant-spouse-to-eat-real-food/. Best of luck. Jill
A bit disappointed, that you limit stuff that the kids like but you think they shouldn’t have, and then allow alcohol, to keep the adults sane (?) double standards it seems.
I absolutely picked up on a light hearted tone when I read that line about the alcohol. If you don’t want to keep the alcohol, fine, don’t. Our children are not wise enough to be trusted with everything they eat without any guidance from us. Let alone that they are not capable of earning the living that provides the food in front of them. It is our responsibility to make the best possible choices for them. So what if they miss fruit snacks, ritz crackers and twizzlers. They’ll get over it. And they’ll thank you for raising them to care about themselves. And if you happen to have an occasional glass of wine or a beer, just as I’m sure the kids will have a cupcake or lolli at a birthday now and again, I highly doubt your children will grown up and cry about the double standard you set. Come on.
Woodsy – We mainly limit factory-made, artificially/chemically-filled, highly refined sweets for the kids (while still allowing homemade goodies that follow our real food rules). And yes this is while we consume wine in moderation, which has been consumed by our ancestors for centuries and actually shows some health benefits in small quantities. I am sorry if the reason for this decision is not clear…but it makes sense to us!
Im curious..when you say milk & cheese are ok..you mean whole milk & cheese, since low-fat/non-fat is very processed, correct?
Correct. Check out this post on dairy…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/. Jill
I’m psyched to start the 10 day pledge–three questions…
1) can I drink seltzer water? how about flavored unsweetened?
2) If I don’t have coconut or avocado oil–what oil is best to bake with?
3) How about non -cow milk..like almond–is that ok
Hi Alison. Yes, seltzer water would be fine, just no other added ingredients. I would probably use butter for baking in the absence of coconut oil (organic, unsalted butter). Almond milk is fine as well, but, again, unsweetened and unflavored. Good luck. Jill
Hi,
A group of us are taking the 10 Day Pledge but I have a few questions first.
1) Are Kashi products okay to eat? They have more than 5 ingridents but they are natural ingridents?
2) Can we eat deli meat that has no preservatives and is low in sodium, like Boars Head?
Thanks!
Hi Amber. We’re glad to hear you’re taking the pledge. Kashi products are not completely free of GMO’s to my knowledge (I remember reading an article a while back about how they are trying to get there), so, I would avoid them. As for deli meat, I would find a brand that is free of nitrates (I know Applegate Farms is one). In that case, it’s fine to have it. Good luck. Jill
I’m wondering how I can tell/know when something is a GMO? I’ve been hearing a lot about GMOs and wonder how I can make wise choices. Any help/direction you can offer would be great!
RejoicedOver – I think your question sums up the problem with GMO’s…you don’t really know. Many companies now label stuff “non-GMO”, but, the best way to avoid them is to educate yourself on brands and who doesn’t use them (for example, I believe Trader Joe’s does not use them in any of their store brands, same for the Whole Foods brand I believe). Best of luck as you continue to navigate your way through this. Jill
I was wondering if you had any lists, or knew of any websites that have lists, of big brands found in regular grocery stores that fall within the real food category. I like to coupon but I am realizing most of the brands that offer coupons have a zillion artificial ingredients in them. Are there any companies that make honest food that aren’t necessarily “organic”?
Hi Greta. These two posts might be helpful: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/04/for-convenience-the-best-store-bought-snacks/ and http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/21/for-convenience-the-best-store-bought-snacks-ii/. Jill
My husband and I have been very interested in a “real foods” diet for quite some time now. I know we shouldn’t be eating lots of sugary foods…However, we would like to be able to have a treat (like cookies or pie) every once in awhile substituting the processed items in the recipe with non-processed alternatives. What would you suggest as an alternative to sugar or brown sugar in recipes such as cookies or pie? This has been on my mind a lot, and I’m really not sure what the best alternative would be. Any help you can give would be great!
Hi Sarah. I would typically suggest maple syrup or honey. But, it’s not necessarily a 1:1 substitution so you need to be prepared to play around with the recipe a bit. I might suggest you check out some of our recipes here where the work has already been done for you. Here is a link to our desserts (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/category/recipes/treats_desserts/), but, we hope you’ll take the time to check out all of our recipes. Thanks for reading. Jill