We invite you to read along and hopefully join in by taking the 10-day pledge as our family of four begins our 100 Days of Real Food journey. Our hope is that if we – a family that does not live on a farm, has two young children, and a husband that travels frequently – can go 100 long days without eating a single ounce of processed food then you will consider taking our 10 Days of Real Food pledge. To make our boundaries clear we have set some ground rules. If we can do it for 100 days, then I am absolutely convinced that anyone can do it for only 10 days! And in case you need some more convincing, check out our list of 10 reasons to cut out processed food.
Even though we first began our personal mission to cut out processed foods a few months ago, I estimate that we only went about 85 or 90% of the way. This initial change was an extremely big transition for us, and I imagine that going the extra 10 to 15% of the way is not going to be easy either. The biggest challenge of all may very well be getting our 3 and 5-yr-old children (who will be faced with day camps, playdates and birthday parties this summer) to go all the way without having any slip-ups! Hopefully it will help that we plan to reward them with a fun day at Carowinds Amusement park when the 100-day pledge is over. But before we get started, I would like to reminisce for a moment about what each of us will miss the most…
- Me: Let’s see, how many things am I allowed to list? First and foremost – chocolate! I have a big sweet tooth and during our initial transition I cut back a lot on my chocolate consumption, but I do slightly fear going without it completely. I
also originally decided that anything in moderation is okay (and I still pretty much feel that way), therefore I kept my once-a-day highly processed white chocolate mocha, which I will miss too. In addition, I did switch to some much better, organic condiment alternatives, but due to the number of ingredients on the list we will all have to go 100 days without store-bought ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard! Agggghhhh! - My husband: Since he travels several times a month for work he says he will miss the convenience of easily eating out for meals while traveling.
- My 5-year-old: She said she will miss the once-a-day treat she was allowed to eat after dinner. Both girls will still be allowed to eat a “treat” after dinner if it doesn’t break any of our rules. So this just means that mommy must get creative even beyond fruit juice popsicles.
- My 3-year-old: I can’t say that my youngest fully understands what is about to happen, but when I asked her what she will miss she answered my multiple choice question by saying chocolate. She is a mommy’s girl after all.
I will add new posts almost daily (subscribe to receive an email) to discuss the challenges and hurdles we face during our journey. And this is officially day 1…so let the games begin!
I am excited about this! I will certainly do the 10 day real food pledge! Good luck and I am excited to see how it all goes.
-Hope
ok I eat pretty healthy too already but alas chocolate is a huge sacrifice but I will do it…but we are going on vacation next week and sorry it will have to start when i return…so I make the 10 pledge to start when I return….good luck and especially with the kids…this will be a huge challenge! maggie
L –
We just got back from the beach. I will definitely sign up for the 10 day pledge – I just need to check my calendar!!
Val
I’m all for healthy eating, but eliminating processed foods strikes me as just crazy. The most basic food processing technique is cooking. Cooking preserves food, eliminates bacteria and parasites, improves palatability and digestibility. Have you really given up this most basic of food processing techniques? Then there all the other traditional food processing methods; fermentation (bread & cheese), drying, salting, sugaring, smoking, pickling, and canning. All of these, while often reducing the nutritional content of food, have benefited mankind greatly, preventing starvation by allowing food to be stored and transported. We need to examine each of these though the lens of modern science to ensure that they do not introduce an unacceptable level of toxins or carcinogens, but to throw out all of these techniques is just silly.
We are actually mainly eliminating highly processed foods including refined grains and sweeteners. We are absolutely still cooking our food and highly encourage others to do the same. We are also still eating some store bought items that are canned and packaged as long as they have 5 or less ingredients. Here is a list of the specific rules for more information: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/
Thanks for the nice post…
Speaking as a fairly novice canner, ketchup isnt too hard to make from fresh vegies and spices. Homemade salsas are a good substitute, too. Mayo is also an easy, easy thing to make, especially with a food processor, and keeps in the fridge for quite a while. Mustard can also be fairly easily duplicated. I don’t see a really good reason to go without those. :) Good on you for the efforts. We are paring down our “junk” intake. hard with reluctant teens. -sara j
THANK YOU! My family is vegan, non-gmo, and we are spending way too much money on specialty foods which we really need to eliminate. I bought them for convenience and to help the kids feel like they were eating similarly to classmates. My 6-year old with Downs had a dramatic improvement in health and cognition when we stopped eating dairy and flesh. I love your menus. I graduated from Anne Wigmore Living Foods Institute in Rincon PR and learned a lot on the culinary art of dehydration, we already grew and juiced wheatgrass, which we love and spinach smoothies before school. Breakfast and Lunch at school are free, but I pack my kids lunch and snacks everyday and we’ve been doing this 2 years. My 8 year old daughter is occasionally tempted by cheese pizza, but I make a homemade pesto with just nuts and greens that she loves so we put it on an organic crust with a romaine lettuce salad on top and she’s happy. There are a slew of other great food documentaries out there on Netflix. Thank you again for giving us tips for getting off the pricey vegan options. Sharyl Mueller in Thomson GA
The link to the Rules in the blog text seems to be broken.
Try this one: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/
The links in this article don’t seem to work. I really want to learn more about the ground rules and how you accomplished this. I keep starting and then reverting back to processed food.
Susan
Try this link instead: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/
I am excited about getting started but would like to start with a detox. What do you recommend?
Hi Shelly. I don’t have a detox I would recommend. Depending on your current diet, the elimination of processed food will be a “detox” in itself. You could always start with the mini-pledges (https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/original-100-day-pledge/) if you are looking to ease into it and then just add on each week. Hope that helps. Jill
Today is the first day of the real foods challenge. I’m so excited to see how my body with adapt to this new way of eating, after all my body deserves it!
I found your page looking for a spelt bread or roll recipe. I have to say I am impressed and very happy to see so many people interested in eating less processed food. I personally have been placed on a diet due to becoming ill from eating too much processed food over my life; it’s a shame some of us wait until we are sick. Thank you for your page as it puts a more human touch on how hard it is to live in this society and actually care about our bodies and what we put in them. I have not been able to get my daughter and husband to commit to any extent; but maybe if they see me living better that might change. Thanks.
Hi Shannon. We are glad you are enjoying the blog and that it’s been helpful. We hope that the change in diet has allowed you to feel better. Best of luck to you. Jill
I have to start by saying that we are a family of “Southern Eaters” We love down home comfort food, but my husband and I decided that we needed to clean up our diet. So we just started the 10 day challenge. I am so excited. The meal plans and grocery list that you provided made it so easy. We started out today with the banana pancakes and everyone loved them. I love knowing that I have everything I need for the entire week. My family just looks at the planner and sees what we are having for the day. It has made “Eating Better” something that seems more attainable. I am praying that when we finish the first 10 days we will continue for the 100 day challenge. Thanks for making it so easy on us and proving so much support.
We are on day 15 of our 100 days! It has been both easier and harder than I thought. Easier because I don’t crave sweets like I have in the past when I have just gone “sugar-free”, harder because I spend a lot more time cooking! My husband absolutely loves how he feels and our children (ages 11,10,5,3) are being good sports. Though I must say the parties, both at school and with friends are the hardest part for them. Thank you SO MUCH for all the resources on this site! All of the research that has gone into this is making my life so much easier!
I am really new to this and am starting tomorrow morning. Do I follow the meal menues for the 7 days?
Or do you have a schedule for someone to start up with, the website has so much info I am a bit confused where to begin.
please advise. thanks so much
Hi Arlene. You can use the menus any way you choose. If you find one in particular that works best for you, start that way. Did you comb through the entire “Start Here†page: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/start-here/? Also, the FAQ pages are very handy. Best of luck! ~Amy
My husband travels frequently and uses that as an excuse for eating poorly. Do you have some tips that you can share? I’d really like my husband to be able to still eat healthy while traveling.
Hi Amy. This will help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/06/24/tips_for_trips/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/07/16/real-food-tips-top-10-travel-snacks/. ~Amy
this brownie idea sounds so good i would love to try it sometime
I was talking to my husband about this. He is very skeptical about this. He believes it is impossible to follow. He wondered how you handled bday parties and other dinners.
Hi Karen. Go here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/original-100-day-pledge/ and you can read how the Leake’s addressed those and other obstacles they were met with! It is not impossible. ;) ~Amy
My husband was also wondering about a scenario: what about if you start the pledge and your child melts down about wanting a cookie or another junk at a party? Or if an elderly lady offers your chid a cookie and wonders why your child just can’t have one cookie? Mine are ages 12,10 and 6. We don’t eat much junk,but still have it. We eat mostly organic. But I KNOW if they are offered junk they would soooo want it. My oldest knows what’s in a dunkin donuts but doesn’t care. She likes it anyway.
Another scenario: you are at a BBQ send something’s look unprocessed but you are not sure. Do you just not at and how do you explain it to people without sounding weird. My hubby does not want to take our kids out and gave them melt down or put udon the spot.
Hi Karen. Obviously the Leakes were very committed to seeing this thing through. You would have to address individual situations in terms of your own family. Take some time to go through the page I gave you above. You can pick and choose what posts you are most interested in. Those are all great questions and really REAL scenarios that might just come up. :) ~Amy
I’m going to try to do this starting at the beginning of the year. It makes me so happy to see that when Lisa started her girls were 3 & 5. I currently have 2 & 4 year old little boys who can be very stubborn and opinionated when it comes to food. I hope to get them to eat healthier. And the rest of the family!
On another note. I saw the email about the Olive Oil and how most of it in the grocery stores might not be real Olive Oil. I was wondering if you guys believe the Chosen Foods brands are? Thanks!
Hi there. I would contact them directly for questions: https://chosenfoods.com/pages/about-chosen-foods.
Hi I found your book in the library and I am hooked!! I have started a 100day real food challenge at work. We start on July 1st. I have been trying really hard the last week and have done really good. Last night was a crazy day and went to Arby’s…BAD CHOICE!!! I felt horrible and very burpy (the pretend food tasted alot better going down than haunting me for 3 hours after)
Hi Terri! So glad you stumbled upon the cookbook and found your way to the site :) Let us know if you need any tips, advice, or help. Good luck with the challenge. Sorry to hear about Arby’s :-( – Nicole