Real food basically means anything not highly processed (like artificial additives) and containing only five or fewer whole ingredients. It means mostly avoiding ingredients you would not cook with at home.
Here are the seven rules we followed during our original 100 Days of Real Food pledge:
- No refined grains (such as white flour or white rice); only 100 percent whole grain. Items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat...not just "wheat" by itself.
- No refined or artificial sweeteners (such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda); only honey and pure maple syrup in moderation.
- Nothing out of a package that contains more than five ingredients.
- No factory-farmed meat; only locally raised meat products.
- No deep-fried foods.
- No fast food.
- Beverages to include only water, milk, occasional all-natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee and tea, and (to help the adults keep their sanity) wine and beer in moderation!
I promise, there's still food left after eliminating everything mentioned in our 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)
- Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
- Also, check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes
Shalene says
How about rapadura and sucanat in place of the refined sugars? (I have no idea if they are 100% natural, I just know that they are not refined- and I found some recipes that call for it, so was curious.) Also, is Coconut flour allowed? Or rice flour? I don't know if rice flour is made from the whole grain or not. And since coconut is not a grain, I'm not sure how that would work either. :)
100 Days of Real Food says
Coconut flour and BROWN rice flour are okay. The rice has to be brown to be whole grain. As far as the sugar goes we pretty much just stick to honey and maple syrup.
Andrew says
What if you make your own white flour?
I grind my own grain, and if I grind hard spring wheat and then sift it, you're left with a close approximation of white flour. There's still some fiber left (you can't possibly sift it all out).
100 Days of Real Food says
It doesn't quite sound like you would be using the "whole grain" if you are sifting some out. I grind my own flour as well, and it works great in recipes with no sifting.
Maribel says
I am loving your idea and website, we are in the process of reading everything. HOwever I do have one question: How can I substitute tomato sauce? just use the fresh tomato? I have some recipes from my grandmother (she was Cuban) and they call for tomato sauce... How may I keep the taste and just add something fresh?
100 Days of Real Food says
I still use tomato sauce I just buy the least processed, organic, no salt-added kind possible. It is less than 5 ingredients.
Maribel says
I got an email that you want a copy of that family recipe. Could you please provide me with an e-mail address where to send it to? Thank you!
Jyoti says
With reference to your phrase above,(items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheatâ€) - it should say WHOLE GRAINS right? not whole wheat??
100 Days of Real Food says
Wheat is just one of the many grains...so either whole-grain (which could mean whole-wheat or brown rice or quinoa...all grains) or whole-grain. Either is okay!
Laura says
Nice blog, but you might want to get a little more information about grains. For instance by processing brown rice into white rice, the nutrients become more available. See http://butterfieldwellness.com/wholegrains.html for more information. That's why our ancestors bothered with the extra work for the last several thousand years or so. Also, many grains like wheat need to be sprouted to remove some of the antinutrients, AKA, substances that take away from the nutrition of the food. As a next step try going more organic, especially to avoid the genically modified corn, wheat, soy etc. and the highly chemicalized dirty dozen. You might also want to learn a little more about the benefits of raw dairy http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html. There's also volumes of information on the diets of the worlds most healthiest people at http://westonaprice.org/.
Jennifer says
I recently started trying this myself after seeing a video for "5 steps to a flatter tummy" I only watched the video long enought to hear about moving away from processed foods and I was inspired, I knew I had been on of the people that was thinking "whole grain, whole wheat" on a box made it okay to eat.
This is not an easy task I took apon myself, single mom of two boys, (easy with out the husband to complain!) and fast food is sooooo good and easy.
But I do love to cook, and after moving from CA to KS the options of Farmers Markets and fresh milk and fresh meat opened up for me and I was excited to try this new idea of unprocessed foods.
searching through site after site trying to come up with new reciepes I found this one which gives a clearer view of what to stay away from and to look for.
I love it, and its not as exspensive as I thought it would be.
I stay away from most boxes and canned stuff... and my biggest achievment is I am now making my own breads.
This summer I am hitting up the Markets and really going to throw my all into this, and maybe even start some canning to help out on the days I dont want to cook.
I still go out, but i find myself looking for the least processed items on the menu, and i stay away from the pasta n sause dishes.
I have to have my Chocolate, and I LOVE Ice Cream, just in moderations now.
For snacks the kids have a variaty of fruits and home made bannana breads or cookies. I feel so much better, but I am still looking for different things to do and try with everything.
100 Days of Real Food says
Good for you!! Every little bit counts.
Dina says
Hi! Thanks for the great info. Are Veggie Burgers considered processed food? Also, what kind of cheese is best to use? I'm vegetarian, but that doesn't necessarily mean healthy! In fact, sometimes in my case it is just the opposite.
100 Days of Real Food says
Are you talking about store-bought premade veggie burgers? What are the ingredients? Most cheese is fine although a block is better as opposed to grated cheese (because they add some powdery anti-caking agent). Also, we buy white cheese because that is the color it is supposed to be in most cases.
Lyndsay says
My husband and I love Post Natural Advantage(spoon size)Shredded Wheat cearal with Almond milk. I also add cocoa power and a banana to mine. Yum! Anyway, there is a recipe on the side of the box that I would like to share. I am thinking of makeing them for a get together this weekend. I don't eat a lot of sweets anymore but thought this would be a wholesome sweet treat that I could have one of and share the rest with friends.
On The Go Peanut Butter Bars
MAKES: 16 servings (1 bar per serving)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar(pure cane sugar)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter(organic, just peanuts and salt)
3 cups Post Shredded Wheat Original Spoon Size Cereal, coarsely crushed
3/4 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS
MIX sugar, honey and peanut butter in large microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until bubbly at edge; stir until well blended. STIR in cereal and raisins. Press firmly into 8-inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cool. CUT into bars. Store in airtight container. Makes 16 servings, 1 bar each.
TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
Use Your Stove:
Mix sugar, honey and peanut butter in large saucepan; cook on medium heat until smooth and bubbly, stirring occasionally. Continue as directed.
Take Along Tip:
After completely cooled, wrap bars individually in plastic wrap. Leave in bowl on kitchen counter for a great grab-and-go snack
Lyndsay says
So, I made these bars today and cut out a 1/4 cup of the sweet stuff by using 1/4 cup raw sugar, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup. They are good but way to sweet for my new palate. So sweet that I felt kind of sick after I ate only a taste of the mix. I'm going to try agave nectar only next time and see how they turn out. Any other suggestions?
Elizabeth says
I would avoid agave nectar. Although they say that it's natural, it actually is a highly processed product. The syrup it is refined from is a bitter substance that requires a chemical process to make it thick and sweet and essentially turns it into fructose which we should be avoiding like the plague. Go figure. It tastes good but I stopped using it when I learned this. Check out this site for a good article on this: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
I would try just cutting out the raw sugar lowering the amount of honey until you get the right level of sweetness. It's been my experience that real maple syrup is the least cloyingly sweet option. I love it on EVERYTHING but I reserve it for a dash in oatmeal or a special treat on ice cream.
Chavon says
When you say no refined sweeteners...just plain sugar can't be used for anything? Do you have cookie recipes, like Chocolate Chip Cookies that don't use sugar that you'd be willing to share?
100 Days of Real Food says
You are right - no plain white sugar although now that our pledge is over we use white sugar in moderation to make things like cookies/cakes (for birthdays and the occasional celebration). As long as you eat sweeteners in moderation (and you are not using an imitation like Splenda) it is okay when you are not doing the pledge, but I cannot stress enough that moderation is KEY! Like once a week or even less. I hope that helps!
Chavon says
I use sugar to sweeten my coffee. What would you suggest in place of that. Is there a sugar that is better in place of just plain white sugar? I'm really wanting to change our eating habits and while we don't use a lot of sugar in anything we do use it for our morning coffee. I only have 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning. They now have this brown looking granual looking sugar that is supposed to be Pure Cane sugar (whatever that means). Would that be better than just plain sugar. I don't use imitation sugars like Splenda, Sweet & Lo, etc. They taste horrible.
I'm nervous about making such drastic changes to the family. I mean I will no longer buy white rice and will actually start looking at contents for 5 ingredients in the food, but some things I don't think we can give up like sugar for coffee. We don't salt much and when we do we use sea salt.
100 Days of Real Food says
These two posts might help you in the coffee department...
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/03/18/mini-pledge-week-2-beverages/
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-coffee-creamer/
Ashlyn says
I am allergic to gluten. Is almond flour an acceptable alternative to 100% Whole Wheat flour? Any other suggestions?
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, almond flour or any other whole-grain like buckwheat, spelt, corn, etc. would work. Just make sure it is the WHOLE grain.
Kirsty says
really like the blog and what your trying to do! brilliant!
However Spelt is a species of wheat, so spelt and spelt flour are NOT gluten-free.
Lots of People who believe that spelt (scientifically known as Triticum spelta) is gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease are mistaken, for people who are trying to go 'wheat free' for other reasons often do well when eating spelt.
According to the Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, foods that contain spelt or kamut cannot carry "wheat-free" or "wheat-alternative" labels.
Liz says
I have been pouring over your website and challenge the last few days- completely fascinated and inspired to try such a challenge!!! My husband and I, with our four girls are trying to figure out where to begin. :) I was wondering if you came across things about being gluten / wheat free in trying to do this kind of challenge. I was diagnosed with Celiacs in January and have had to cut whole wheat or any gluten completely out. Many of the gluten free recipes call for "starches" along with rice flour (including brown rice) as substitutes. Because it is more challenging to find gluten free products I have found myself eating less processed foods ( but not completely out). I still question whether my condition is really related to a lifetime of processed foods. Even though gluten has been out of my diet for four months I am still considering stone grind wheats and grains not processed. Thanks for your amazing challenge and your inspiration! Any feedback would be so helpful as I challenge our family with a non-processed real food diet!
100 Days of Real Food says
So glad you found us! We don't have any gluten issues so it isn't a focus of mine, but check out this fellow blogger that does a ton of gluten-free recipes: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/
3D rendering says
It’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Shelia says
I want to make homemade corn tortillas. Do you have a clean recipe? The ones in the stores have so may ingredients. Thanks
100 Days of Real Food says
I have been experimenting with corn tortillas and they are SOOOO amazingly good when they are freshly made from scratch! I've been using Masa Harina, which according to the Whole Grains Councils is basically a 100% whole-grain corn flour. All you need is the flour, a little salt and some warm water. I promise to tighten up the recipe and post it with pictures/instructions soon!! In the meantime check out the freezer section for tortillas that are made with "whole corn"...I've seen them at both Earth Fare and Whole Foods.
Faith Castillo says
For folks looking for a local source of grass-fed beef and pork, and free-range chicken try Upper DC Cattle Company run by Michael and Christal Beeson. My husband and I have been buying from them for a couple of yrs now and have been very happy with their beef. (husband is the carnivore)
The just added fresh chicken this year. Eggs are available, too.
The website is contains a list of products and prices. http://www.dccattle.com.
They're super folks to do business with.
Shelia says
My family and I are on our way to making this a lifestyle and loving it. However, I find it hard to find alot of clean foods at my local store. We have 2 Ingles Markets and they do have some organic foods but most are processed. The closest Earthfare is 1 1/2hrs away and the closest Whole Foods Market is over 2hrs away. I have found a local farmer that I can get eggs from but I haven't found any milk. I have considered grinding my own flour but I'm not sure how expensive that would be. I usually have a garden but I can't plant everything we like. I just can't make myself buy things that are processed so we do get frustrated with shopping. Would you shop monthly at Earthfare or Whole Foods? Since we do buy fresh food we go to the store a couple times a week. Thanks
100 Days of Real Food says
Does Ingles have things like frozen organic fruit and vegetables? I buy mostly perishable stuff when I go to Earth Fare so I am trying to think of what you could stock up on. Maybe some decent bread and/or tortillas that you could freeze. Also, they will have more whole grain cracker options (I imagine Ingles only carries Triscuits) so you could stock up on those as well. You could also get some good seafood from Earth Fare that you could freeze as well. They give me a 2lb bag of frozen shrimp from the back and I love being able to pull some out of the freezer whenever we need it. You could also store grains, nuts, seeds, and dried beans in the freezer for a longer shelf life as well. So that might be the way to go.
Asetku.net says
great post.bookmarked in my browser.It is actually hard to find advised people on this subject matter, but you seem like you no doubt know exactly what you are writing on! Cheers
Jamie says
I recently came across a Nature's Path granola cereal (Ancient Grains) that listed "Unrefined cane sugar" as an ingredient. Does this fit into the rules? I usually make your granola recipe, which I love, but with baby number 2 right around the corner, I was trying to find a quick alternative. Should I just make it in bulk? How dies unrefined cane sugar fit into (or not into) the rules? Thanks!!!
100 Days of Real Food says
It is not necessarily the type of sugar that's as important as how much is being used. Anytime a factory is flavoring your food for you chances are they will put way too much sugar, salt, and oil. Which is why any type of cane sugar is against the 10 Days of Real Food rules...it is used quite often in factory foods. I hope that helps!
heather says
we're going to ease into this 'new' way of eating and thinking... but i totally lucked out and found a dairy(with a small store) that does not use the hormones. they make their own butter, ice cream, milk, cream, even their own eggs. not certified organic, but definitely do not use chemicals and hormones. they also have local apples! also so excited to find a local butcher who processes meat that is grown (grass fed) less than an hour away. YAY! not as hard as i thought it would be!
Baham Family says
How about oils? Nothing is noted in the "rules" for oils. I know we use Coconut and Olive but how about Canola, Avocado, Grapeseed Oils?
100 Days of Real Food says
I know...oils are my weakness! We have not been very specific about oils because we still need to educate ourselves about it (Pollan does not cover it in detail). When all else fails just make sure you buy organic oil to avoid GMO products. Olive, Coconut, Avocado, and Grapeseed oils are good choices.
Baham Family says
hope this sheds some light on oils...
compliments of http://www.wholeliving.com
Conventionally processed oil: Many prepared foods contain vegetable, corn, peanut, or soybean oil. Conventional extraction of these oils often involves the petrochemical hexane, which is also used as a cleaning agent and as a solvent. Instead, choose products made with cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, or naturally pressed oils.
Expeller-pressed
A good thing. A chemical-free mechanical process that extracts oil from nuts and seeds.
Cold-pressed
A very good thing. These are oils that are expeller-pressed in a heat-controlled environment to preserve their flavor, aroma, and nutrients.
Refined Oils
It all depends. These are oils that have been filtered until they are transparent, making them good for high-heat cooking. Look for naturally refined brands.
Unrefined Oils
A yes vote. These oils contain solids that make them cloudy but give them more flavor. They are not suitable for high-heat cooking.
Baham Family says
Sorry if you answered this already but could not find it anywhere...why is raw unrefined sugar not acceptable in the challenge. It is unprocessed similar to honey?
100 Days of Real Food says
Have you seen this post on sweeteners yet? https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/14/sweeteners-101/
Raw sugar is maybe slightly better than regular white sugar, but honey and maple syrup are truly the least processed of them all. Also we want people to avoid products that already contain sugar (b/c factories put way too much) ,and it is near impossible to find pre-made items that are sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
Baham Family says
My question was for raw unrefined sugar, not just raw sugar. Therefore it is "not refined", hence why it would be unacceptable for the challenge.
100 Days of Real Food says
Any sweetener you use will be high in calories and low in nutrients so the most important thing is to use it sparingly. Sugar (the granule stuff...whether it is raw/unrefined/refined) is unfortunately very much overdone in our society so we thought it would be a good exercise for people to stay away from it completely for the 10-day pledge. It is up to you though if you feel strongly about making an exception.
Kelly says
You mention natural sweeteners - have you researched Stevia, and what are your thoughts on that as a replacement for low calorie articial sweeteners?
100 Days of Real Food says
Check out this post on sweeteners (I think stevia was addressed in the comments): https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/14/sweeteners-101/
100 Days of Real Food says
This is a good article about sweeteners, but we managed to get through our 100-day pledge using only honey and/or maple syrup: http://www.organicspark.com/portfolio/technique-how-i-replace-white-sugar/
Baham Family says
Quick question on preservatives. If the 5 ingredients include a preservative i.e. citric acid - is this acceptable on the food challenge?
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes
Joe says
What about the ingredient Organic Germ Restored Wheat Flour? This is one of the 5 ingredients used at the local bakery in their whole wheat bread. The other 4 are Filtered Water, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Natural Sourdough Starter, Sea Salt.
Doe this bread not meet criteria since the first ingredient is not whole wheat flour? I did liket that the bakery did not use any sweetener at all in the bread.
100 Days of Real Food says
Joe - The germ is only one of the 3 parts of the wheat berry so that ingredient would not be the whole grain (plus it would say "whole" if it was). If that is the first ingredient I would keep looking for bread...it if were the last of 5 (meaning that is what they use the least of) then I would make an exception. Here is more info on bread and the wheat berry that might help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/03/26/what-should-be-in-your-sandwich-bread/
All in all what you found sounds better than grocery store bread though.
Baham Family says
Can anyone give me suggestions to adhere to this challenge being vegetarian and meat substitute products. I am not a huge fan of beans but could eat them for a meal or two but not for the whole time.
100 Days of Real Food says
We only eat meat on occasion or treat it as a side dish, and even though I was a full vegetarian during my 2nd pregnancy (aversion to meat) I wouldn't touch something like tofu with a 10-foot pole. Many of my recipes listed under "dinner" are already vegetarian or can easily be turned into a vegetarian dish. I am not a big fan of beans either so I understand!!
Recipe list: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
pickyvegan says
Why wouldn't you touch tofu with a 10-foot pole? Is it just an aversion to tofu? Tofu typically has only 3-4 ingredients (soybeans, water, and a coagulant, such as calcium (gypsum) or a magnesium salt). It's actually not that hard to even make it at home.
100 Days of Real Food says
It's just a personal preference...I think my aversion to tofu is a consistency thing. When I went vegetarian during my 2nd pregnancy (aversion to meat) my husband tried to feed me tofu and I was not a fan!
Kaitlin says
A friend of mine just introduced me to your blog. I have been trying to "eat green" since mid-January (no preservatives or chemicals/additives), as a permanent change in my eating habits. I am thrilled to have found your blog and really look forward to searching through your recipes and tips!
Thanks so much!
Kaitlin
100 Days of Real Food says
So glad to hear that and welcome to the blog!
Mary says
How do you sub. white sugar for a healthier alternative. Do you suggest the blue agave, honey etc. I have some recipes I want to convert to "real" food ingredients. However, white sugar is the one I can't figure out what to do with. Any insight? and how do I guess the amount to sub?
100 Days of Real Food says
We always use honey or maple syrup and I've found that if the recipe calls for a small amount of sugar (a few tablespoons) a straight substitution works just fine. Although honey is a little stronger than sugar so you could even use less. In recipes like pancakes or pizza dough where it calls for only 1 tbsp of sugar I just leave it out all together.
Mary says
Thanks!
Klondike says
At last, smooene comes up with the "right" answer!
Sue says
Hi,
well earlier today I wrote statin g I couldn't find a couple links but disregard I found them. Can w have table sugar? I live in Massachusetts its winter right now and I don't think we have farmere's markets right now and I don't know where I would get local meat either. Should I just use organic stuff? This is a great site and I'm excited to start this with my family
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there - Glad you found the link. White table sugar is off limits. In regards to the meat you could either call around to see if there are any local animal farms, go without meat for the 10 days, or make an exception to that one rule by eating some non-local organic options. Our hope is that people go 100% of the way for the 10-day pledge, but we realize that is not always realistic!
Christy says
localharvest.com is a great source to find local markets, meats, etc.
Mary says
Thanks for providing all of these resources. My daughter (who is 8) and I took the 10 day pledge starting 02/13/2011 (we just filled out the 10 day pledge form today). We LOVE this website and have loved trying out all of your recipes and lunch ideas. My daughter now skips hot lunch and makes her own lunches in the morning. We have enjoyed reading ingred. labels as a family. The kids are amazed at what is really in their food. All of the kids want to eat this way now (YAY)! This has been a life changing experience for us. I could never go back to the way we used to eat. Even my husband is loving this life change. Once he realized by eating "real" food meant meat, potatoes, eggs etc and not low-fat processed food he is loving the meals. He has not taken the 10 day pledge but is def. eating healthier.
I can't thank you enough!!!!!!
Mary says
I have no idea why the smiley face appeared instead of an 8 LOL
100 Days of Real Food says
I am so glad to hear that!! I love getting feedback like this :) That's what keeps me going with the blog!
Kelly says
What about dairy substitutes, like almond or rice milk? I'm allergic to milk & can't have it with cereal. Is almond milk ok?
100 Days of Real Food says
Some milk alternatives are okay, but you still need to read the ingredients to find the best one. In regards to rice you want to look for "brown" rice milk, and be careful because a lot of them contain added sweeteners. I spent some time looking at milk substitutes once, and I believe the soy alternatives were the best choice (having 5 ingredients or less and no sweeteners).
Marcelle says
You could try your hand at making your own almond milk, this is a favorite recipe I've tried: http://www.veganreader.com/2009/09/12/almond-milk-recipe-the-creamiest-of-them-all/
Jennifer says
I stay away from dairy because my daughter is allergic, so I generally prepare our foods without it. We use organic coconut milk and I've never had a problem substituting it in recipes. We love it! And, all of the ingredients are ones you can pronounce per Michael Pollan's rules, hehe :o) Also, per some of his published stuff, he recommends to be really careful with soy. It's one of the top genetically foods out there, plus he has quoted studies that show some of the scary effects soy can have our body (for some unknown reason the body reacts to it as though it's estrogen and can cause some whacked out hormonal stuff). Thanks to him, I did a little more looking around and decided to stay away from soy alternatives with my daughter. Good luck!
Clare says
This is really cool! I just found your site and Im very intrigued - husband and I have gotten a lot better about eating healthy and eating fewer processed foods but were definitely not at your level. I would love for us to try this - I cant wait to read more of your blog to see what changes I can make by following in your footsteps!
Casey D. says
Just heard about this site and love what you are doing/did. I do want to say about microwave popcorn, and I've been doing this since I first learned of it, that you can make popcorn in the microwave in a brown paper bag. Put 1/3 cup of popcorn in the brown lunch bag, fold down the top twice, and staple at either end of the fold. (WHat??? Staples in the microwave??? But, but, that's METAL!!! My microwave will explode!!!) I learned this from Alton Brown, and the way he explained it was that the staples are shorter than the actual microwaves in the microwave, so it's fine. (You wouldn't want to put the staples right next to each other.) I haven't blown up a microwave yet, not even so much as a spark. :) After it's popped, I flick in some water and then salt and shake the bag. The salt sticks to the water and it tastes great!
100 Days of Real Food says
Someone else mentioned a homemade microwave popcorn bag to me too...I will have to try it! Thanks!
Sherri says
We pop our popcorn in brown bags almost every night!! We just fold and no staple though. It is SO easy and so much better for you. We put a 1/4 cup of popcorn and 1 tsp of Olive oil or Coconut oil and just use the popcorn button on the microwave to cook it. You actually don't even have to add the oil if you want to cut that out as well. The popcorn cooks perfect. Add salt as desired :)
100 Days of Real Food says
We've started making it this way as well (with no oil or salt) and love it!
Bridget says
Of course that's better than the store bought crap - but the microwave itself is bad!! It's so easy to just make it on the stovetop, plus it tastes SOOOO much better that way! (and no throwing away a paper bag every single time you want popcorn!)
100 Days of Real Food says
What source did you get the information from about the microwave being "bad?" Can you share? Thanks!
Bridget says
You can google "microwave dangers" & see what comes up - in general, most 'alternative' or natural health sources say it's bad, & most conventional health sources say it's fine; so it's really a matter of choosing who you want to believe.
But IMHO, everything that comes out of the microwave just plain tastes like crap - I'm amazed anyone uses them :)
100 Days of Real Food says
Oh I thought you had heard it from a more reliable source not just the internet. Thanks for the info!
Bridget says
"The internet" is not a source to defined as reliable or not - the internet is full *of* sources, both reliable & un-reliable. As I said, it's a matter of who you believe. A good question to ask anytime you read the results of a safety study is "who funded this research?"
100 Days of Real Food says
Well, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet and especially when doing research for my blog I only trust a handful of extremely credible and reliable sources. So unless it came from somewhere like Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, CNN, etc. I would take the information with a grain of salt. I could find both positive and negative arguments for just about anything in our house if I were willing to spend time searching for it on the internet. And since I try to maintain a balance somewhere between what's good for my family and keeping my sanity I just cannot believe everything I read or we will end up living in a tent in the woods to avoid all the "dangers."
suzanne ballantyne says
here are my 2 cents worth. i am also suspicious of microwaves and i just dont like the way things taste or the texture; so its not just 'danger' its preference. additionally i believe microwaves have added to the false pace of our existence; they just don't fit into a slow food culture. there are lots of dangers for us to live with; choose your path wisely; be at peace with opyour own choices and should you feel defensive then perhaps you ought to reconsider your choices. in kindness to self and others, zan
Rebekah Gambrell says
I follow Weston Price eating guidelines as much as possible and believe that they research what they recommend. If you go on their online page or look at any of their do's and don'ts you will see that they say to stay away from Microwaves. They explain why and the studies behind it.
Lea says
I just found this blog and am enjoying it, but sometimes your replies are downright snarky.
"Oh I thought you had heard it from a more reliable source not just the internet. Thanks for the info!"..............talk about passive/aggressive. Should I not trust Michael Pollan just because he is on the internet?
I have read IN BOOKS not to use the microwave from Kevin Trudeau, Alicia Sliverstone's The Kind Diet, Kristin Doyle - The Therapeutic Chef, and The Gerson Institute. I would not trust CNN with anything. I don't trust any of these people 100%, because I don't know them. And even if I did, who is right 100% of the time? When I keep reading the same info from different people and start to digest their reasonings, if it makes sense to me, I act on it.
It's fine to have your opinion, but you don't need to be rude to others. With the rate of our health declining so much, there are definitely environmental factors contributing to this. Microwaves have not been around that long. Because microwaves are questionable, I am choosing to err on the safe side with my family and not use them.
100 Days of Real Food says
Lea -
I appreciate your comment, but I try to use reliable sources rather than just the "google" results when quoting facts. I could google just about any phrase and find articles to back it up, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a fact. And I apologize if my comment sounded "snarky" because it was certainly not my intention. The tone of emails/comments can unfortunately be misinterpreted since it is obviously just plain text, but please do understand I have quite a lot of emails to respond to so I often times just try to get to the point.
I hear what people are saying about not using their microwave, but I sometimes feel we need to go live in a tent in the woods to truly be "safe" from all the hazards in our home. If you were really looking you could find something wrong with just about anything in your house from the air conditioning system to the paint to the plastic to the bacteria growing on reusable grocery bags. In addition to trying to do what is best for my family I feel it is also important for us to maintain some sort of balance for our sanity. We don't use our microwave very often so this is not a big concern for us at the moment. Things may change down the road, but that is where we stand today.
Thanks for your feedback.
Lisa
April says
I have been known to say that not only is "snarky" one of my favorite words, but a one of my predominate character traits.
I have just recently come upon your site and I adore it. As the wife of one, mom of four and full time professional, I was overwhelmed by this whole topic. I felt guilted, belittled, and incompetent by most "educators." And honestly, buying Cap'n Crunch is just easier than the budget concerns or the full out revolt by the little people in my house. I mean, that's how we grew up and we turned out ok, right?
But now that I have found this site (and a few others), I am encouraged. Thanks so much for taking the time to put all this information out there for folks like me.
I appreciate it - and the snark :)
Kyle says
I love my easy whirl pop! And my son loves seeing the lid bust open when it's done popping!
Sarah Kathryn says
If cheese is ok...does that mean butter is ok too?
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, butter is okay although we prefer organic unsalted butter.
holly says
totally on board with the spirit of this and have actually been eating this way for a while now. any tips on hitting the budget numbers while also eating gluten free and soy free? our grocery budget is a little out of control so i'm looking for ways to reduce the cost w/o compromising on the quality of the items we eat. (i order our meat from a local farm monthly and am pretty conservative on my orders.)
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there! Sounds like you have an additional challenge by trying to eat real food AND gluten and soy free. I haven't dealt with any food allergies personally, but I would think that making/baking things yourself (as opposed to buying the "gluten free" version) would help save money. Also, we eat local meat as well, but we cut back on consumption all together to help save money (and we cut back on "desserts" too which helped with the budget as well). Good luck!
GourmetOnADiet says
Is the fish you eat local? Also, can you use agave or raw sugar, or only honey, fruit juice or maple syrup? Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
We try to eat local fish, but my highest priority is for it to be wild caught (as opposed to farm raised). If it is wild caught then that means they ate a traditional diet, which is best for any animal product that you are going to consume. These days they are feeding corn to cows (when they are meant to eat grass) and even corn to farm-raised fish (since it is so cheap) and we do not end up with healthy meats/seafood when that happens! In regards to the sweeteners...raw sugar is really only slightly better than regular sugar. I suppose raw agave would be okay, but the whole point of restricting sweeteners is so that you don't buy anything from the store that is pre-sweetened. Factories tend to put way too much sweetener, salt, and oil in their products so if you are adding these items (including all natural sweeteners) yourself then you know it will be in moderation. I hope that helps!
Nancy says
I love what you are doing. I do have 2 question I make our own homemade bread and I use White flour. I can't seem to get it to work with whole wheat flour. So would that be okay if it was an organic white bread flour? And my 2nd question is I make my own homemade marshmallow (a spoon full of sugar helps my 19 mo. meds go down) and in my recipe it calls for corn syrup would that also be okay?
Like I said I love what you are doing it might be a bit hard in northern mn not a ton of organic food hear to choose from :( but i get as much as I can.
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there - Flour can be confusing and even if it is organic...white flour is unfortunately not okay. Here are two posts on wheat and grains that might help clear things up...oh and one on organic too b/c I think that could help as well:
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/03/26/what-should-be-in-your-sandwich-bread/
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/29/understanding-grains-corn-wheat-multi-grain-etc/
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/19/buying-organic-or-not/
Also, corn syrup is definitely not an approved sweetener (it is highly processed)....but I certainly don't know the details of your son's medications. Would some juice help by chance? Here is a post on sweeteners.... https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/14/sweeteners-101/
Jenn says
I have read through a lot of your site and think what you guys are doing is great!!! After reading through several comments though, I still have one question, about butter. Isn't it pretty processed and full of bad fats? I know most "clean" diets have you use a variety of natural oils as opposed to butter. Did you research this at all in your quest? I have not, so I was curious what your take on it is, since I see you include butter in a lot of your recipes.
100 Days of Real Food says
Thank you for the comment! The forms of cooking fat that society/government tell us are okay have been changing quite a bit over the last few decades. From butter to shortening to margarine (which is just imitation butter) back to real butter. Natural oils (like olive oil and coconut oil) are definitely great to use, but butter is okay as well since it is made from a natural milk product. Sure it is "processed" to some degree, but not what we would consider to be highly processed. Cooking is technically even a form of "processing" food. One key part of the eating real food is to eat what humans have survived on for centuries and centuries instead of what manufacturers have "invented" over the last 50 - 100 years (like margarine!). Butter has definitely been around and is considered to be okay. I hope that helps!
SunshineBuilder says
VERY Interested in doing this! It seems right in line with how my dream diet would be. I bounce between vegetarian and pescatarian a lot. For some reason it seems if I'm not into eating/killing cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs etc, then why is the eating/killing of fish okay? I saw (and was kind of overjoyed *guilty *) to see that Fish did indeed make the list of things that are okay to eat. Can you explain exactly why? I understand that farm raised is a no-no, but why fish at all? It's flesh, it had die... any insight? It's a conflict I have gone back and forth on and I would love to adopt this as my way of eating but this fish things always trips me up. Thanks! P.S. I'm new here, I'm off to work and when I get back I'm starting from the beginning and reading this whole blog can't WAIT! :)
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there and welcome! We are fans of both meat and fish, but we mainly eat meat in moderation because that is what is best for your body (and most cost effective!). Have you ever heard of a flexitarians? Well, that is us.... https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/19/becoming-a-%E2%80%9Cflexitarian%E2%80%9D/
One of the key drivers of the way we eat is to embrace the way humans have eaten (and survived) for thousands and thousands of years. The highly processed and refined diet has only been around for the past 50 - 100 yrs (which is part of the reason for the recent rise in obesity, diabetes, etc.) so we tend to agree with just about anything people have eaten before that time period...which includes eating fish and meat!
Shelia says
Hello, What types of cheese is ok? We eat block cheese. I normally grate or shred it myself. Is it ok if it is the block kind? What should I be buying? Thanks Shelia
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there - Most cheeses are okay to eat. I also buy it in block form (and grate them myself if necessary). The pre-grated cheeses are mixed in with a cellulose powder to prevent caking so it is much better to do it yourself. The other thing I look for is coloring. Most cheeses are meant to be white (not orange) so I usually go for things like white cheddar myself. I hope that helps!
Shelia says
Still goin strong but I have more questions. I have a meat slicer so I try to buy roast and whole breast and slice them for sandwiches. What kind of meats would be good for sandwiches? We are tired of chicken and turkey and we don't eat beef very often. My husband hunts so we have venison, also. I like to have meat in the frig already sliced and ready to eat. We do eat veges too just need more ideas. Any sandwich ideas? Thanks
100 Days of Real Food says
We actually don't eat meat on our sandwiches (just a personal preference), but I think pork would be a great alternative to chicken and turkey. For our sandwiches we usually eat peanut butter and jelly, hummus and cheese, egg salad, grilled cheese and we also love making wraps with whole-wheat tortillas. I feel like you can wrap up just about anything into one of those including veggies with feta or goat cheese or any kind of dinner leftovers. Also check out some other lunch alternatives (other than sandwiches) on the meal ideas page: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
I hope that helps!
mom2cuties says
Thank you so much for responding! I've told a lot of my family members to check out your website and I've called some farms after looking at http://www.localharvest.com. Thank you for what you're doing!
100 Days of Real Food says
And thank you for helping to further spread the word! We can change things!!
mom2cuties says
Hi, I just started reading your website after seeing the article in the 2/11 Eating Well magazine. I am so inspired! Ironically, I have had a copy of Food Inc. in my house for almost a year and have not watched it yet. A few questions to clarify the rules: 1. Pasta is ok if it's "whole wheat", and brown rice is ok, right? 2. Is tofu ok or is this too processed? It has less than 5 ingredients. 3. Other than trying to get local chicken (which I have to investigate...we live in MI) is it necessary to buy organic? We currently use Amish chicken without hormones or antibiotics. Thank you!
100 Days of Real Food says
You need to watch Food, Inc.! It is a very easy way to learn a lot in a short amount of time. To answer your questions...
1. Any whole-wheat or whole grain pasta is okay (should only be 1 ingredient)
2. Brown rice is also okay...any colored rice (other than white) is whole grain
3. I honestly haven't research tofu much b/c I am not a big fan. My personal opinion is that I don't see the point of eating some imitation food when you could just eat the real thing! I think it is mainly made from soy beans though so it should technically be okay.
4. You don't HAVE to buy organic anything to take the pledge...we mostly buy organic just b/c we think it is the right thing to do. If you buy local you can always directly ask the farmer what they use to treat the animals (if anything) b/c a lot of times some farms are too small to go through the trouble of becoming certified organic even though they follow the same practices.
Also, this grain article I posted awhile back might help in regards to your pasta/rice questions...https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/29/understanding-grains-corn-wheat-multi-grain-etc/