1) I am new to your website, where should I start?
If you’re new here you should definitely check out Start Here, our Recipe Index, and our free Real Food Resources area. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch and be informed of new recipes, tips, and resources as they come available.
I’ve also written three best-selling cookbooks that are geared towards typical families trying to get healthy, delicious food on the table, fast. These are available anywhere books are sold and in many libraries.
2) Why don’t you consider sugar to be a “real food”…isn’t it natural?
Sugar comes from a plant so it is definitely a “natural” food. Some other “natural” foods that we like to avoid are high-fructose corn syrup (from corn) and white flour (from wheat). What all of these have in common is that, aside from being natural, they are so highly refined and processed that the good stuff is stripped away leaving mostly empty calories. Here’s a little more about our decision to avoid sugar and other refined sweeteners - Mini-Pledge Week 9: No Refined Sweeteners.
3) What does your family eat now that your strict “100 Days of Real Food” pledge is over?
When we are at home I estimate that we eat 95%+ real food. Since our pledge ended we’ve incorporated a once-a-week “special treat.” This could be anything from a homemade chocolate cake to a donut from Krispy Kreme, although I do try hard to steer my family away from artificial ingredients and food dyes no matter what. With that being said, we do believe moderation is key so we most certainly let our daughters participate in school celebrations, birthday parties, and other events that often involve junk food.
4) Have you noticed any health-related changes since your switch to real food?
Yes! We switched to real food because we thought it was the right thing to do. What we did not expect was for our youngest daughter’s constipation and asthma to completely disappear. We were equally surprised by how much my HDL level increased (a.k.a. the “good" cholesterol that should be a high number), which jumped up by 50%! I also feel like I have more energy (no more afternoon slumps), and my husband and I both lost a couple of pounds without even trying. For more details check out this link: Our personal changes in health.
5) What kind of milk does your family drink?
We’ve switched both our type of milk and source for our milk a couple of times over the last year. We currently drink the least processed type of milk available in North Carolina (where raw milk is illegal). We buy Homestead Creamery’s non-homogenized whole milk in half-gallon glass bottles from Earth Fare. Since switching to whole milk we’ve also been working to reduce our consumption.
6) What kind of cheese do you buy that is "real food" approved?
When it comes to cheese we go for blocks of cheese that are organic and preferably from grass-fed cows (if we can find it). The pre-shredded stuff contains an anti-caking agent (to prevent it from sticking together) which is a little too powdery for our taste. Also, most cheese is actually supposed to be white so even though the orange coloring is natural and probably a harmless additive I like to stick with white cheese just to make a point. :)
7) I see that your family enjoys foods like cream cheese and boxed whole-wheat pasta, but aren't those processed?
Actually even cooking is technically a form of "processing" or changing your food. So since we are not on a raw food diet I guess you could say we avoid all "highly processed" foods, which we define as having more than 5 (or any refined) ingredients. Check out our real food rules for the full list.
8) Is there anywhere that you can shop without having to read labels and scrutinize the ingredients?
Unfortunately, no. But the closest you can get is a growers only Farmer’s Market. At a growers only market, all of the produce and meat will be locally grown/raised. There are a surprising number of farmer’s markets out there that allow third-party vendors to sell you anything from Chilean blueberries to Florida oranges (which is, of course, okay if you actually live in Florida!). But even growers only markets have local “bakers” that use their fair share of white flour and sugar so you still have to ask questions. We also like to ask our local farmers if they use any chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on their offerings because we prefer to eat foods that are as organic as possible, even if they are not USDA certified organic.
9) Where else do you shop for food?
I’ve shared my food shopping routine as well as my grocery template here.
10) Are there any “real food” books you recommend?
Well, first of all, I must recommend my first book of course! It's part cookbook and part guidebook. The book that originally inspired us to switch to “real food” is In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Two other books I highly recommend are Food Rules also by Michael Pollan and Food Matters by Mark Bittman. I also highly recommend watching the documentary Food, Inc.
11) How do you deal with eating at someone else's house when they don't exactly follow a "real food" diet?
It can be tricky to try to eat a certain way without offending your host. For us, taking our "100 Days of Real Food" pledge was a great conversation starter as to what we were doing and why. I am not saying everyone around us fully understood or agreed, but at least they knew about it. :) During our pledge we did not have any flexibility at all so for the most part, we either brought our own food wherever we went (and people were thankful because it meant they didn't have to figure out what feed us) or we ate beforehand. Now that our pledge is over we have more flexibility so we pretty much just eat what is offered especially since it doesn't happen every day. We might still sometimes eat a little beforehand or bring a few key food items with us when we travel (like good whole-wheat bread, granola, and tortillas), but for the most part, we just go with the flow. But I will say that after watching us complete our real food pledge, it's no surprise to our friends and family if we suddenly decide to bring something special along to the next BBQ (like our own organic, grass-fed, nitrite-free, dye-free beef hot dogs)!
12) What kind of oils do you use for cooking and baking?
For baking, we mainly use butter and unrefined coconut oil. For stove-top cooking, we either use olive oil (cold-pressed if I can find it), organic butter (preferably from grass-fed cows), ghee (a.k.a. clarified butter because it does well at higher temps), or yes, we occasionally use lard (from pastured animals) as well. People tend to look shocked when I tell them we use lard and I admit it isn't exactly an appetizing word, but it is a traditional food that our ancestors survived on for centuries. Here's more info on using unrefined oils - Mini-Pledge Week 10: No Refined Oils.
13) I am completely on-board with cutting out processed food, but how can I get my reluctant spouse and picky kids to join me?
No fear...because you are not alone! Here are a few posts on this very topic:
- Picky Eaters: 12 ways to deal with a picky eater and Winning over your picky eater
- Reluctant Spouses: Convincing a reluctant spouse (to eat real food!)
14) Where do you and your family live?
People are sometimes pleasantly surprised to learn that we do not live in a "real food" mecca like New York or California. Yep, we are just a regular ol' suburban family living in Matthews, N.C., which is a suburb of Charlotte. You can find out more about our family on the “About Page.”
Jen says
I love reading about a real family making this kind of life work! I'm from Montana and a hunter so almost all our meat is the "original organic" hehe, but I also can a lot of our food including jams and marmalades. The no-sugar recipies just use chemicals insteat of white sugar so I won't use that method. Any ideas about what I can use to substitute the sugar?
100 Days of Real Food says
There are some jam recipes out there that use honey...I haven't tried any yet myself, but remember seeing this one: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2011/06/no-sugar-strawberry-freezer-jam.html
Good luck (and we love Montana by the way)!
Emma says
I have made jams with and without sugar and I prefer the latter due to the perfect amount of sweetness. Fruit is usually sweet enough already! I would try adding honey to fruits that aren't especially sweet, like blue/blackberries. Raspberries and cherries I have found are best sans sugar. Enjoy!
Kim Sealy says
What kind of water do you guys drink? We are drinking purified drinking water which was recommend by a water testing company in my city (Orlando, fl). I always hear conflicting debates regarding spring, distilled, purified or a good old fashioned brita. Any conditions?
100 Days of Real Food says
We just drink filtered tap water...to be honest I haven't spent any time researching it so I am not sure if that is really the best choice.
Kim Sealy says
I have to tell you I love your blog. A few months ago my family switched over to real food. My husband suffers from constant rashes (caused by candida) and my oldest daughter (age 4) suffers from multiple allergies. When her allergist told me she would have to stay on high doses of prescription claritin most likely indefinately I said I need to feed my family better. Unfortunately when we made the change I was shopping at whole foods spending about 200.00 week (family of 4). Since I found your blog, I'm learning to freeze items, I've found a great farmers market in my area (Orlando, Fl.) and excited to try all your recipes. My hubby agreed to make the change with food if I didn't take away his nightly cocktail. Do you have any suggestions for cocktails (beer, wine, spirits) that are not high in sugar or basically better for you then ordering a Mai Tai at the restaurant?
Bethany says
Kim- Try this article, I found some of the tips and tricks helpful:
http://www.greatist.com/health/60-healthier-drinks-for-boozing-030712/
Things like fresh squeezed lime juice, muddled berries, and fresh herbs (such as mint) really help.
Brandi says
Hi my friend and I are gearing up to start the 100 days of real food meal plans and we are wondering if you have a cookbook with all of your recipes in it or if you have a cookbook you recomend. Thanks.
100 Days of Real Food says
I don't have a cookbook, but I do recommend Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt who is coincidentally running a special on her book right now (for my readers): https://deliciouslyorganic.net/store/100-days-book-and-archive-combo.html
Brandi says
Thank you I look forward to checking it out.
Sophie says
Hi, I'm so glad I just stumbled across your blog! I have been trying to wean my family off processed foods for a while, and while I think we probably do better than most Americans, it wasn't until recently that I realized how many processed things we still had around the house. One in particular was Bisquick, which has always been a staple in our pantry. Do you have a real food alternative to this? Most of the recipes I have found online for making your own baking mixes call for shortening, which I'd like to avoid.
100 Days of Real Food says
I googled it once and it was basically flour and baking powder, but I don't have an exact recipe to share.
Ashley says
Tiffany, from The Gracious Pantry blog, has a clean eating Bisquick alternative. Hope that helps!
Raechelle says
Hi, just wanted to let you know I've stumbled onto your website, pinned, re-shared on facebook, and thought about what you've posted nearly daily as I try to learn to feed my family of 7 on an extremely tight budget. (We are trying to get out from under 98,000 in debt, while I am staying home for two years, with an income of about 58,000.) I FIRMLY believe in everything you post, and read/re-read, and read again your posts for encouragement. I balance these with the dollaraday ideas for feeding my family. I can't afford to do all that I want, but I make small changes that help. I just wanted to let you know that your posts are influencing our family and our choices. Thank you for all the time and energy you've devoted. I feel powerless to make a difference in terms of getting our FDA to regulate the food dyes, pink slime etc. Ideas? I do vote with my dollars, when possible. (but I'm pretty cheap! Lol!)
100 Days of Real Food says
Thanks so much for your message! And aside from finding/signing petitions that are out there and writing to the government I think working together to vote with our dollars is our best bet.
Tracy Tucker says
Hi there! I have tried many of your recipes and our family has enjoyed them. One question... do you post the nutrition info anywhere? I am trying to follow weight watchers and it would help immensely if I knew protein, carbs, fat, etc.
Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
Glad you are enjoying the site. We do not count calories, carbs, fat grams, etc. on purpose b/c we believe if we eat a variety of whole foods (in moderation with plenty of veggies) that the rest will just fall into place...and it does for us!
Jennifer says
WW has a great recipe builder app that I plan to use starting next week that figures the points for you! Getting my recipes and meal plans scheduled so I can start the week off right!
Angie says
Can you tell me the difference between regular yeast and active dry yeast? I sent my husband out for active dry yeast and he got economical on me and bout 2 pounds of regular yeast. I hate for that to go to waste, but most recipes call for active dry. Can you tell me the difference?
Angie says
Sorry, he "bought" 2 pounds...not bout
100 Days of Real Food says
I just found this website that looks like it has a good explanation about the difference: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/faqs/baking/yeast
Angie says
Hi, I was just wondering what you recommend for a college student. I am a vegetarian but I just found your website and I would like to eat better but I dont have that much money or a kitchen :/
Any comments would be helpful!
100 Days of Real Food says
You could get a crock pot (only requires an outlet) and make lots of refried beans...one of my favorite real food meals and cheap! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/
Stephanie says
Hi!
So as a working mom I have hopes to use a Sunday to make all types of foods and freeze them to save time.
How long will most things stay good in the freezer....Tortillias, bread, salsa, soups, meats etc?
Anything that does not do well being frozen?
Thanks!!
100 Days of Real Food says
You can freeze almost anything, and I would try to use up the items within a few months. Good luck!
Kelly P says
I've been making a big effort to eat healthier lately and I thought I was doing a pretty good job, until I read your blog. :-) What you're saying makes sense though, so I'm glad I found it. I'm picking up In Defense of Food from the library tonight and I'm excited to learn more. I've already started making the switch to real foods and I started by making my own chicken broth in the crockpot (with veggies, etc). It's ok, but I'm so used to salt/chemical-laden chicken stock and boullion that it's a bit underwhelming. I know my palate will change, but do you have any tips to make more flavorful homemade chicken broth in the meantime?
100 Days of Real Food says
Welcome to the blog! You could use less water for a more flavorful stock. Try starting with half the amount of water you would normally use and also add salt with the veggies as well. Eventually you can back off on the amount of salt you use as your palate changes. Good luck!
Lindsey says
Lisa-
I LOVe (and I'm hooked) on your blog!!
I'm slowly trying to make the transition to 100% real food...however, it's proving to be a tad difficult w/ my hubby. Luckily, I love whole wheat products...so that part was not hard for me to adjust to...but hubby can't stand it. He swears anything with whole wheat tastes "dry"...but we're working on that.
I've made a few of your dishes and thus far have enjoyed most of them (I personally enjoyed all-hubby didn't like the whole wheat mac and cheese).
We live 1 block from Earth Fare- so mocking what you buy and eat is really simple! We may be moving to the Charlotte area this summer...I'm crossing my fingers we end up near another Earth Fare.
Anyhow- I really just wanted to thank you for your blog and willingness to share your recipes!!!
100 Days of Real Food says
Thank you!! Hopefully you saw these posts that might help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/29/a_guest_post_-from_my_husband/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/03/real-food-tips-6-ways-to-ease-the-switch-to-whole-grain/
Addie Wieland says
Hi Lisa. I love your blog and have tried out many of your reciepes. My husband and I are slowing trying to move to %100 real food diet. A predictamint we have is we are both trying to lose weight and only eating under a certain calorie goal. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for a real food blog that is low calorie. I love your reciepes but some of them are too high calorie for us but some other blogs I have found use too many processed foods. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there - From what I've seen most real food blogs do not count calories...maybe check out The Gracious Pantry...might be a good place to start?
Stefanie says
Hello Lisa!
I am unfortunately an avid Starbucks goer. Out of all of their choices for milk ( nonfat, 2%, whole, soy) which one would would I feel the best about choosing for my daily coffee? I'd love your input!
100 Days of Real Food says
I would pick whole milk out of those choices and here's why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/
Cori says
Lisa,
Can you send me a link or more of a detailed explanation on the lunch boxes you use for your girls. I've been searching for the rectangular ones that the ziploc containers will fit in and I wasn't exactly sure which lunch boxes you specifically use. I'm doing it all online because we don't have any of those stores near us. Thanks so much. LOVE your website!
100 Days of Real Food says
It's the Ziplock divided container and here's a link! http://tinyurl.com/78bo862
:)
Kate says
Hello,
I came across your website on Pinterest and absolutely love it! I was raised eating chips and white bread and whatever, not knowing about all the bad additives. I have been slowly trying to convert and your site has been so helpful! Is Whole Foods on your list of acceptable grocery stores? I have also been learning about the harmful cleaning products. I was wondering what household cleaning products you use? Dishwashing detergent, laundry products, counter top cleaners etc.
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, Whole Foods is great and similar to Earth Fare (which is what we have here in N.C.)
Also, I hope to do a post about cleaning products soon so stay tuned!
Tara says
Shaklee has amazing cleaning products! They are safe, natural, and last a super long time!
Amy says
I have a question. What is the difference between 100% Whole Wheat flour and 100% White Whole Wheat flour? King Arthur makes both brands and I notice you use the White version. Gold Medal makes 100% Whole Wheat and it is quite a bit cheaper. Just making sure that as long as it says 100%, it really is, whether or not it says "white."
100 Days of Real Food says
It's just made from different varieties of wheat and the "white" version is a little lighter in taste and better for those transitioning from white flour...both are 100% whole-wheat though.
lauren says
Hi, we are getting ready to start the 10 day challenge. Is unsweetened almond milk allowed?
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, as long as it has 5 or less ingredients!
Meredith says
Hi!
I have always bought only organic when possible and try to feed my family only the healthiest food(organic chicken, deer meat, and no beef along with organic fruits and veggies). However, I was wondering how to do this with my son who is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and fish? I buy the Earth Balance butter because it doesn't contain dairy and then soy cheese.I know all of this stuff is processed but I don't know how to get around it.
Also, I have noticed whole wheat does not agree with my body..at all. I've been baking and cooking with organic brown rice flour. Is that highly refined or ok?
I want to get started on this and want to do it the right way! Thank you so much for the amazing wealth of information on your site!
100 Days of Real Food says
Wow, sounds like you have a lot of barriers to work around! Brown rice flour is okay and also consider ghee (butter w/o the milk fats) and coconut oil instead of Earth Balance. Good luck!
Sheila says
What do you do about stocking your pantry for emergency preparedness? Most foods that are recommended to keep on hand as they are shelf-stable and easy to eat if you are without power are extremely processed. Any good suggestions for alternatives?
100 Days of Real Food says
Now that is a thought! We actually prepared an emergency kit in our crawlspace before our switch to real food and you are right...it's all junk. I suppose I would eat it if I had no other choice! At least we could buy some organic junk for that type of situation now (or "can" our own goods for long-term storage)!
Jen says
We grew up in San Francisco Bay Area and the only way to feed four teenagers was to go to u-pick farms and can it all, but the glass jars are fragile in earthquake country. So we just put them back in the box with the cardboard dividers and stored them on lower shelves, they survived the '89 Loma Prieta (7.2)'quake just fine. You used to be able to get 1 gallon glass juice jugs but I haven't seen them in a while so currently we're making due with plastic but actively searching for an alternative.
AnnMarie says
I just found your site through pinterest this morning. If I have the ingredients I am going to make your cin-raisin bread today! I follow a few blogs and some have their recipes linked to ZIPLIST. I have that app on my phone and want to add your yummy looking, non-processed food to my menus there. Let me know if you get hooked up with them too. Thanks. Can't wait to start pledging.
Also, how did you decide to spend $125.00 for your family of 4? I have not read all of the blogs on this, and we need a budget in this house! We are a family of 5: me, hubby, 10yo daughter on swim team, 8yo son on baseball team, and 5 yo daughter dancer! All growing and starving most of the time! Thanks again. I am excite that I found this site.
100 Days of Real Food says
I've actually been in contact with ziplist and might do that in the future. Also, my readers voted on the $125 number...I was hoping for $150! :)
Martha says
Thank you for introducing me to Ak-Mak crackers. I had not heard of them before and they are delicious. Great alternative to Triscuits.
Mandie says
Hello...I may have just made a gaffe! I "pinned" your refried bean recipe. I gave you full credit, but as soon as I pinned it, I thought, "I wonder if I had to ask first?" if I did, I'm sorry...I'm new to this!!! if you want me to unpin it...let me know! but I love your stuff and want to share with the world!
Christy @ Sparkles&Spinach says
Love your blog! You would totally love the Holistic Health Counselor program through Institute for Integrative Nutrition! A lot of the Authors you mentioned were speakers for many of my lectures. I just graduated and I can't recommend it enough. It was truly an amazing experience! I can't wait to dig into your blog when I'm in front of a computer!!!
theresa says
I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND EFFORT SO MUCH! I am the mother of 6 kids under the age of 7 (no - No multiples!) So it is SOOOO great to be able to have sucha thorough reference! I DON'T have the TIME to figure all of this out! May I be SO BOLD as to ask for ONE MORE thing to be included?!?!? It would be really helpful to know how long things last ie: wheat tortillas - what is the "shelf life" of those if refrigerated/or stored in a container? I REALY need to plan ahead and make big batches of things when I have the time so to know how long something keeps would be helpful! Thanks Again for all your help! You are a wealth of knowledge!
Andie says
Theresa, I am also a mom of 6. My oldest is 7.:D
I moved from TX to IN and started making my own tortillas out of sheer desperation. ;) If you make them using real butter then you need to keep them in the fridge or they will be rancid in about 2 days. It has something to do with butter and whole wheat. They will last a couple weeks in the fridge. The best thing is that they are freezeable!
I put parchment paper between each one, including top and bottom. I do stacks of 24 and put them in a freezer bag.
The thing I have found is that using coconut oil makes the best tortillas. Those can sit out for a little over a week on the counter. They are also so quick that I rarely need to make enough to keep for longer than a week. Hope this helps, Andie
Jessica says
I love your recipes! Do you have a cookbook for sale or are there any cookbooks you recommend?
100 Days of Real Food says
I don't have a cookbook for sale...but Deliciously Organic has a great one! And also Ancient Grains: Modern Meals.
Good luck!
Lisa
Sommer says
I just made my own greek yogurt and looking for something to do with the whey, does anyone have any suggestions?
Emma says
I have used it in smoothies instead of adding the water/milk I normally would use. I have also been throwing in a few tablespoons of yogurt for a good consistency!
Dawn says
I use it in smoothies but also as a replacement for the water when making bread! It gives the bread a wonderful consistancy and texture.
karen says
hi, i read in one of your older posts about you doing a triatholan. I am wondering if therenare any foods/drinks you recommend for distance trainings such as marathons.
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, I did a sprint triathlon (two of them actually), but to be honest I haven't really done a lot of research in regard to food/drinks that are good for workouts and training. I do know protein powder is processed and should be avoided. I recommend things like nut butters in fruit/veggie smoothies as an alternative.
Jen Lynn says
Hi Karen.
I am a USAT Certified coach. I'd be happy to answer some questions on how to fuel for a marathon using "real" food!
You can email me: desert-endurace [at] hotmail [dot] com
Thanks.
Jen
Sharon says
How does this recipe look? I'm not sure what the rules are on milk.
3 mashed bananas (the more ripe the better!)
1 cup vanilla Almond milk (you could use skim but you may want to add a little sweetener)
2 eggs
1 tbsp Baking powder
3 cups (240g) Old Fashion or Rolled Oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
100 Days of Real Food says
I would use either whole milk or unsweetened almond milk.
Heather says
I love the "gogurt" like containers that you use in your children's lunch boxes. I've look all over online but haven't found anything like that. Where did you find them? By the way I LOVE YOUR BLOGS!
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there - Here's the link to the freezie pop holders! http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-431-4-Piece-Silicone-Maker/dp/B0036B9KHO?tag=knowledgepdco-20
Debbie Mertz says
HI... Just stumbled onto your site and now am excited to start the 10 day challenge... Three of my four children are dying to get started too (not sure if they get it...but I'm excited so they are too!)... will let you know how it goes mid Jan ... I thought I saw a post for an organic cookbook with beautiful photos and $10 off for those on the challenge but now I can't find it again... am I crazy or is there a post? thanks
100 Days of Real Food says
The $10 off coupon is over, but the cookbook is called Deliciously Organic. Good luck!
Melynda says
Hi Lisa,
I LOVE your blog! Got a quick question for you - My family has been a real food family since the summer. We're not really on any challenge, it's just something my husband and I decided was important to us, after stumbling upon your & Carrie's blogs (and doing other research, too). My question is how you get your family and friends, etc., to respect the limits you have on non-real food. Both my parents and my in-laws are very respectful and they TRY to do what we would have them to do with regard to feeding our kids when they're with them (they still have skewed view of what's really healthy, but I can overlook that, because they are trying - AND, our kids don't see them that often). But, we have other family who sort of "rebel" against our limits and give our kids candy and other junk just because they can. Really, it's a rare occasion (maybe once/week or less) that they even have the chance to do this, but it irks me, still, because it's an outright disrespect to our wishes.
ANYWAY, I noticed that you allow your girls to do birthday parties and other "junk food" occasions (that 5% of the time), and I'm wondering if you think I should just let it go, and view their time with these family members as that 5%. I'm afraid if I make TOO big of a deal about it (and I can't say anything privately to these folks for fear of rocking the boat - you know how families can be :)) then I'll push my kids to rebel against our limits, too.
I would love for your thoughts about how I should handle this situation (or how you have handled/would handle something like this). I've looked for a blog post and can't find one on this topic (if you've posted one, I do apologize!!). Thanks so much for being so instrumental in getting us started down this path!
100 Days of Real Food says
Hi there...and you are not alone!! This is a VERY touchy subject that a lot of people deal with. I found that when we originally did our 100-day pledge it was a great conversation starter in regards to "what we were doing." Our family members knew that we (including our children) were not eating any sugar for a short period of time, and that it was very important to us to follow these "rules"...even if they didn't agree/understand :) Just like someone might train for a marathon or set some other type of goal it was important to us to try to do it. Now that we are done with our official 100-day pledge we of course "can" and sometimes do eat those rule-breaking foods again, but a lot of people have also gotten used to the changes we made. Family & friends also got used to us occasionally bringing our own food along, and in some cases I just never stopped doing it. That's not to say that my parents don't give my kids things when I'm not lookin (nothing too offensive..not like skittles or anything like that it's mainly just items made with white flour) and there really isn't very much I can do about it. So I just do the best I can to feed them right at home, which oftentimes means I give them very few treats since they get so much elsewhere, and also take comfort in the fact that what people do give my kids is probably less so b/c of our real food pledge. I hope that helps!
Laura says
Do you have any suggestions for eating real food while on vacation? We started eating real food by taking the 10 day pledge on November 1. We LOVE it and are still going strong. We are headed to Hawaii next week and are nervous about eating out for 10 days. I would love to hear your thoughts!
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes I do! Check out this post for the details... https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/06/24/tips_for_trips/
Carrie says
I am SO excited that I came across your blog! After watching Food Inc. and several other documentaries, my husband and I are trying to eat more Real food and we do the majority of our grocery shopping at the farmers market from local farmers.
Over the past year, we got chickens so that we can have fresh eggs daily, and honeybees so that we can eventually provide ourselves with honey.
Not to mention, we also live in the Charlotte area. I'll be a daily reader! Thank you for putting all this great information together.
Renee H. says
Hi there! Forgive me if someone else has asked, I have looked bu not seen it anywhere, Have you read The China Study? I recently heard of this book and want throw it on my order list, the preview on amazon.com is interesting. http://www.thechinastudy.com/ The thing that raised my eyebrows was the proposed link between casein and cancer growth. Anyways, if you have read it, Im super curious about your thoughts and if you haven't, whatchya think? Thanks! (<3 your site and all the good you are doing here!)
Brittany says
I may have just skimmed over the question, but is soy milk okay? Also, do you by any chance have any bread recipes without yeast? I have an allergy to it.
100 Days of Real Food says
You still have to read the ingredients for soy milk...unsweetened is best. Also, the non-yeast bread recipes on the site are things like pumpkin bread and banana bread. I hope that helps!
JenMom says
Hey! I feel like I saws this on a post at some point, but can't seem to find it by searching. I have a Panera bread cookbook with a great recipe of "wheat" bread. Of course only 1 out of the 4 cups of flour is actually whole wheat flour. Do you know if I can just substitute whole wheat flour in the same proportions, or if I need to alter the amount? Thanks so much!!
Matt G. says
Another vote for Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Informative and inspirational. It inspired me to learn to cook so I can contribute something in the kitchen besides doing dishes.
Miriam says
I'm thrilled that I found the best Halloween treat to give out last night - CRAYONS. I put 2 in a baggie with a picture to color. The reactions were hilarious. The younger kids were skipping and excited, the older kids turned on their heels and left. I had a great time keeping my no sugar pledge and still participating in the holiday!!
Kelley says
I love your blog. I read it almost every day looking for new suggestions or recipes. I am trying to change my family over to not only real food but sustainable living habits. I am planning on planting my first garden in the spring. I am so looking forward to eating food we have grown ourselves.
I would like to know if you can give any suggestions on substituting sugar in recipes for maple syrup or honey. I have a major sweet tooth and am trying to figure out how to make some "whole food junk food". Any tips you can give would be appreciated.
Thank you.
100 Days of Real Food says
Check out this list for some ideas! https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/#dessert