Feedback from our Real Food Pledges

Lots of readers have signed up to take our “10 Days of Real Food” pledge in the New Year, and this is what some of them say they have learned from the experience…

“Doing this has made me realize how horribly we were eating, with all of the ‘time crunches’ we place on ourselves. This has caused us to slow down, eat and prepare food together and has improved family dynamic as well as over all health.” - Port Orchard, WA

“I learned coffee creamer has no cream! That my children are willing to try new things, especially if presented in a fun way. I used to use way more processed foods than I realized. I also learned I love spaghetti squash!” – Auburndale, FL

“I learned a great deal about food additives - we were already what I considered ‘healthy,’ but upon closer examination of our food choices, I realized that there were a host of contaminants in our meals, and subsequently in our bodies. As we traded in our breakfast cereal for green smoothies, I saw changes. Moods lightened, bowels began behaving, and cravings even started changing. The crunch of an apple is as addictive as that of a potato chip.” - Old Hickory, TN

“After a few days of withdrawal and brain fog, I started feeling great. I now have less fatigue during the day and just feel good about what we're eating.” - Des Allemands, LA

“It has made me a much more thoughtful eater and shopper. I definitely have more energy and I'm not experiencing the hunger highs and lows I had before. I even had a few people tell me I look great.” – Swampscott, MA

“I have learned so much more on the problems preservative can have on my children. My son has ADD and we feel we see a change. I cut out food dye a while ago but with the change of food, he seems to be doing more talking and can concentrate more.” – Roseville, MI

“I have to admit the first day I was a little worried that I wouldn't do the challenge, that I would get 3 days in and give up. I have tried so many of these types of challenges and failed miserable at them. This time was different - I really wanted to succeed, and I did. I have noticed I have more energy and I seem to be happier. That could be because my body feels better, or the fact that I am happy I was able to accomplish this. Either way, yay me for doing this.” – Outside of the U.S.

“The biggest thing I learned was that organic and natural does not equate to bland and tasteless. With some ingenuity we had some tasty meals. Eliminating that stigma came easily. The key was planning out the meals as opposed to quickly grabbing something convenient.” – Tacoma, WA

“I had been trying to integrate real food recipes into our diet for several months and trying to learn the ‘rules’ to make better decisions.  Therefore it was not as overwhelming to do the ten days once we had been cooking this way for a few months.” - Pell City, AL

“I feel better, I have more energy, I'm even not craving sugar AS much as I used to, my skin looks great, I've lost 4 lbs, and I KNOW I am eating SO much better! The kids have been eating more fruit and vegetables because there is very little junk in the house.” - Overland Park, KS

“I learned that you really have to plan out your meals and snacks-- and that real food tastes really good!  I have slowly been cutting out processed food over several months and have lost several pounds. I was surprised that I didn't miss eating out. It's comforting knowing exactly what is in my food.” - Des Plaines, IL

"At first it was MISERABLE!! The sugar cravings and headaches from it was bad, but pushing through it I noticed I started to have more energy, actually wanting to get out of bed in the morning. My boys started acting calmer, and less out burst/tantrums! If I'd have known it would have such great effects I would have done this SO long ago!” – Tehachapi, CA

“Just reading labels has been an eye opening experience.  Something as simple as a chicken broth can have so many unnecessary ingredients and sugar!  This has definitely changed my lifestyle, and since Jan 2nd I have lost 9.8 pounds!” – Midlothian, VA

“I learned that eating healthy is not painful! The food was actually tasty and not difficult to follow. I feel really good! I even lost 7 lbs...which is huge for me! For the first time, this doesn't feel like a ‘diet’ but like a real ‘life-style change.’” – Westfield, IN

“The first 5 days were hard, lots of cravings and hunger, and intermittent headaches.  There was a fairly abrupt change at day ⅚, I suddenly had more energy, less hunger and cravings, and I felt better overall.” – Piscataway, NJ

“Where do I start????  We have learned so much about our bodies in just these few 10 days.  We learned that eating "Real Food" taste better, looks better, makes us feel better, helps you loose weight, helps my son focus better in school and have better behavior.  Just to name a few. And since we are eating better we felt like we need to move more. So have been doing some form of exercise almost every day since we started.  So it has a trickle down effect.” – Plainview, TX

What have you learned since ditching processed food?

The Key to Cutting out Processed Food Is Planning Ahead…

We’ve partnered with Prepear to bring you recipes from me (plus other "Prepear Pros”) pre-loaded into a FREE meal planning app for your smartphone! Give it a try…the automatic shopping list feature is very convenient. If you want "made-for you" meal plans, they are available as well via a one-time purchase or a Gold membership (free trial available).