Hi, my name is Lisa, and I’m so glad you’re here because that means you have an interest in real food!
Whether you’re brand new to cutting out processed food or you’re a real food veteran, I hope you’ll find some value in the resources on this blog. In the beginning of 2010 I had never before read an ingredient label, never bought anything that was organic (at least not on purpose), nor had I ever stepped foot in a farmers’ market. I am certainly not proud of those things, but that was reality for the first 32 or so years of my life and the most disturbing part is that I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.
After reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan I got the wake up call of my life and felt like our eating habits needed a serious overhaul. Making such drastic changes was not easy at first (it has thankfully become our “new normal” since then), and at the time I struggled to find resources to help me understand exactly how I could apply Pollan’s principals to our everyday lives. So shortly thereafter my real food blog was born. What better way to convince others to cut out processed food with us than to give them everything they need to successfully make it happen!
Here are some of the resources you’ll find on the blog:
- Our list of rules (how we define “real food”) and why we think it’s important to cut out processed food
- Weekly updates during our original “100 Days of Real Food” pledge, which ended in September 2010
- Weekly updates during our second pledge “100 Days of Real Food on a Budget” ($125/week)
- Our list of “100 Days of Real Food Mini-Pledges” that guide you through 14 weekly steps for cutting out processed food
- A bunch of Real Food Tips, which covers everything from common food label misconceptions to dealing with picky kids
- Our “10 Days of Real Food” pledge, which was created for the blog readers…if we followed our rules for 100 days then anyone can do it for only 10 days!
- Free week-long family meal plans that include breakfast, lunch, snack & dinner as well as coordinating grocery lists with pricing
- Over a hundred “real food approved” kid-tested recipes and meal ideas
- All my favorite kitchen essentials including just about every single appliance and gadget we own
- Our list of recommended reading and cookbooks
- Our about us page, which shares a little more about our eating habits prior to starting the blog
If you’re brand spanking new you might also want to check out:
- Understanding Grains and 6 Ways to Ease the Switch to Whole Grain
- 21 “Real food” essentials for freezer, pantry, & fridge
- Supermarket “real food” cheat sheet and How to buy real food from a mainstream supermarket
- Our mini-pledge post that details why we don’t eat low-fat, lite, or fat-free foods
- Our personal changes in health since switching to real food (listed on our Budget Day 100 entry)
- List of commonly asked questions on the FAQ page
- And as mentioned above definitely take advantage of the free meal plans
I add new content to the blog weekly so be sure to subscribe via email (below) or follow us on facebook or twitter to be informed of new posts. I am very active on my facebook page so it’s a great place to post a question or join in on the discussion.
Wishing you the best of luck on your real food journey!
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[...] the rules set forth in the 100 Days of Real Food website my family and I have commenced on the 10-day [...]
Lisa, I love your site….I haven’t even begun to read it all yet. We eat fairly well, lots of organics, but not as much whole foods as we should…hope you can rub off on me. That being said, we also follow the Feindgold diet (if you don’t know, it is a diet that elimiates food dyes, artifical flavors and preservatives. We are instructed to follow the food book as near 100% as possible for optimal results…many of the foods on this “diet” are processed, but don’t have the above “junk”. I am guessing that by doing the whole foods thing, that would fall under no dyes, artifical flavors or preservatives quite nicely…so I am excited to give you and your challenge a try. I just hope I can get my kids on board. Thanks for a great blog…looking forward to reading more of it.
Great blog! I am so excited to read more about clean eating and your approach to it!
Lisa,
Great article about yall in the newest issue of Edible Charlotte. Congratulations! David @ Renfrow’s
I have been thinking about doing the 100 day pledge for a couple weeks now and after a bad health report, my boyfriend is on board to get this started and quickly to avoid medication. I have read through just about every article on this site but I have one question. Since it’s just the two of us, and we’re following the meal plan, do we just cut everything in half? I’m looking at the grocery list and I just want to make sure we don’t overbuy and end up throwing out food. Thanks so much Lisa!!
Hi Heather. Yes, you can either cut it in half or make the whole thing in most cases and freeze leftovers. Or, you can just plan to use your leftovers later the same week so you can have a night “off” from cooking. Best of luck. Jill
I’ve been contemplating starting the 100 Day Challenge. With a very picky husband and one picky daughter as well as one not so picky daughter, what would be the best way to go about a change such as this? For instance, my husband will not budge from white bread. Is there a similar alternative I can “trick” him with?
#desperateforchange
Hi Amanda. I think you have to be committed to doing it to make it work. I think I would focus instead on helping your husband to understand why the white bread is bad and hopefully he’ll make the decision then, after having the facts, to make some changes. Best of luck. Jill
Hey, I just want to say that this is an incredible resource you have put together! I do have a question about using coconut oil… I’m new at all of this, but I thought that coconut oil has a higher saturated fat content than a vegetable oil such as canola? Is there a reason that you choose coconut oil instead? Please let me know, I’m confused;)
Hi Mandy. Here is a post on oils you should find helpful…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. Jill
OK so this may seem very silly but i have never done this type of grocery shopping for me or my family, when i was looking on the website there was a section for stocking a kitchen but it didn’t have anything about a grocery list, can someone give me some ideas or maybe just a grocery list lol, I have no idea how we are going to do this but I am optimistic.
Hi Katrina. You may want to check out this post…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/09/02/real-food-tips-21-essentials-for-freezer-pantry-fridge/. You will find you will also just add new things to your pantry that you find yourself using over and over again in recipes and slowly your new whole foods pantry will evolve. Best of luck. Jill
[...] time consuming or difficult. If you’re just starting out on your Real Food journey, go to the Start Here page first. If jumping into all Real Foods, all the time for 100 days might be too much for you, [...]
I love your blog… have it come to my facebook! I just wanted to contact you because I am in a company that sells organic nutrition, organic skincare, clean water systems, clean air systems, magnetic products for pain, and sleep systems for the best night sleep you will ever get! I thought you might want to check it out and let people know about it on your website. If you do decide to do this please let me know so I can make sure you get a percentage from the sales for your blog! Please just take the time to check out my website because these are products that turn sick people into healthy people! Let me know what you think!
Thanks!
Hey, we are new to your website, and We have a question about your whole wheat toaster strudel/Pop Tart recipe.. Can you use it with a chocolate or nutella substitute? Thanks for all your great recipes and tips!!
Hi Mina. You can add in whatever you like, but, Nutella contains ingredients such as palm oil and artificial flavors which we would not consider real. Jill
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m going to have to set a time limit as to how long I can read your website each day because otherwise, I’ll never get any sleep! I’m so looking forward to making the change, just cooked up our first batch of granola for tomorrow s breakfast!
[...] we move on to a really cool blog called 100 days of real food. I think this is awesome, her slogan is “1 family, 2 kids, 0 processed foods” She also [...]
I made the zucchini bread tonight. Not very sweet. I added reasons and milk Choclate chips.
[...] I was introduced to 100 Days of Real Food, specifically the article, “7 Reasons I Hate Artificial Food Dyes.” (Thanks, Marie!) I [...]
Hey Lisa, do you happen to know anything about Tic disorders in correlation w/ foods? My son’s neurologist doesn’t think any particular “diet” will help w/ his twitches but I happen to believe a PROCESSED-free diet would do wonders (I’d originally asked dr. about gluten-free). We’ve been dealing w/ these for 10 years now and they only seem to be getting worse rather than better (having been told “he would grow out of it”). Do you have any information you could offer?
Hi Michelle. I am not familiar with Tic disorders, but, I would agree with you that cutting out processed food couldn’t hurt. Best of luck to you. Jill
Hi there! My husband and I have a 6 month old son, who is now watching our eating habits with great curiosity. I am overhauling our pantry and fridge for Whole Food, and have printed out your meal plans and recipes. I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed though, and wondered if you had any suggestions for quick, easy meals…you know, for those “I’m too tired to or can’t cook” nights. Thank you, and I’m excited to start this healthy journey!
Hi Camille. Check out this post you may find helpful…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/10/real-food-tips-4-super-quick-wholesome-dinners/. Good luck. Jill
I know you had a zillion applications. I am in las Vegas Nevada and we love to eat good and keep learning! I am passionate about helping others and giving my family a healthy life. Thanks Dana
Mjarjosa@gmail.com
I’ve spent all day reading your website and think I am ready to make some really big changes in our eating. I have a couple of questions for you. During your 100 budget challenge, you posted the dinners made and the indgredients you purchased. What about breakfast and lunch? Were those meals included in your $125/week? That challenge was 2 years ago are you still on the same $150 budget or is it higher with the increase in the cost of groceries. What do you do in the winter months when the farmers markets are closed? I’m a single mom with 5 teenagers, 4 of which are boys. I need some stick to their ribs kind of meals and snacks. They are athletes so many of our meals are on the go. Right now I’m spending about $200/week on groceries,and concerned switching is going to be more costly. Sweetners?? why just honey or maple syrup?
thanks!
Hi Kim. Welcome to the blog. I have tried to best answer your questions as follows:
1. Budget – yes, that included everything (food items that is, personal hygiene items were separate).
2. No, Lisa and her family are not still on the same budget. That was a personal decision for them, not one to do with the rise in grocery costs (although that could be a factor as you state but not one they’ve looked into).
3. Our Farmer’s markets here are open longer than you would think. I try and buy there as long as I can and then usually buy organic at either Earthfare or Whole Foods and try to buy as local as possible.
4. As for the meals, if you are new to “real food” you’ll be surprised at how much more satisfying it actually is. You may not need as much to fill your kids up.
5. Here is the information on sweeteners…http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/14/sweeteners-101/.
Best of luck to you and thanks for reading.
Jill
My daughters Pre K class went on a trip to local farmers market in town. During the trip they were offered a snack of chocolate chip cookies and some sort of red juice.
That is so sad to me! They were at a place that has bags and bags of fresh apples sitting around. They also had watermelon, and plenty of other fresh local choices.
How do you suggest I go about talking to the right people about addressing some smart changes in regards to snacks.
Hi Shannon. This is a very tough one and one many readers have reported stuggling with. Here are a few posts that might give you some ideas:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/22/an-elementary-school-snack-list-–-nut-free/
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/09/03/prepackaged-snacks-for-school/
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/10/04/the-healthy-child-and-earth-committee-at-our-school/
Good luck. Jill
Hi, I have a son who is almost 6 months old. I’m about to start him on solids & was hoping you could point me in the direction of a guide to introduce real foods for babies. I’m not using puréed (doing baby led weaning, so basically finger foods) but would like foods other than just fruit & veges. I want to steer clear of the baby cereals, looking for other breakfasty type ideas. Thanks, Del
Hi Del. I don’t have anywhere specific to guide you to. For breakfast ideas, I would think scrambled eggs would be fairly easy to eat and soft, or even the pancakes http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/21/recipe-whole-wheat-banana-pancakes-freeze-the-leftovers/. Good luck. Jill
I love this website!! I have been loving the post of facebooks and look for daily lunch ideas and meal ideas. Anyways, Here is my question, How do you save buying organic food? I can’t seem to ever find coupons. Being a single mom with a small income its hard to not want to cry after food shopping. I do buy all organic and and look for things such a no GMO’s and even though I make little money I want what I feed my daughter to not be harming her. But it is expensive and I need some coupons!!!
Hi Nicole. Are you familiar with the “dirty dozen”? These are those fruits and vegetables that are said to be highest in pesticides and those that you should eat organic. The others you may want to consider buying conventional. Here is a link to it…http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214. Hope that helps and best of luck. Jill
My husband and I recently switched to a preservative free lifestyle and I had a hard time finding resources. Your blog is great and although I am no where near your level of expertise,
[...] this is something you are considering, I highly recommend the website 100 Days of Real Food to help you get started. I have found the bulk of my information, resources, and recipes from this [...]