By blog team member, Kiran. To learn more about Kiran, check out our team page!
Before you read this, I’m asking you to do me a favor: Please don’t judge.
I started working with Lisa two years ago, but I actually have known her for years. I watched her start this blog, kept up with the original 100-Day pledge, and prior to working with her, took in little bits and pieces of her input. But to be honest, I thought that I was pretty healthy already, and I thought she may have been taking this a little further than I would (again, I’m being totally honest). Flash forward to 2012 when I started to work with her at 100 Days of Real Food.
Two Years Ago
As I mentioned, I thought my family was already eating healthy. I cooked many nights of the week, and by that I don’t mean I was just opening a bag of chicken nuggets. But like many, I was using some processed foods such as store bought white tortillas, and I certainly wasn’t shredding my own cheese. I even (gasp!) had a can or two of cream of mushroom soup in my pantry.
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After getting better acclimated to Lisa’s real food rules, I did decide to start making some changes. This didn’t happen overnight, however. Now, jump back to today, two years after not only being a solid follower but a member of the team.
Where We are Today
I have the most respect for Lisa and her family, and I try my darndest to eat and feed my family as best I can when it comes to following the rules. But we are not 100%. No, in all honesty, I’m going to say that we are probably 85-90%. But that’s just realistic for us. I almost said “unfortunately,” but really, it is what it is. I can’t make it to the farmer’s market each week, and honestly, feeding a family of six, we can’t afford to buy every single thing organic. Everyone’s situation is different and some changes were easier for us to make than others.
Our successes include the following:
- Switching over to whole wheat.
I ditched the white tortillas, the so-called wheat bread (with 15+ processed ingredients), and swapped out my flour to whole-wheat (or white whole-wheat) flour. I went on a huge bread baking kick and honestly didn’t do too badly with it. But time and dishes got the best of me; so these days, I do occasionally bake our whole-wheat bread, but otherwise I get it from Great Harvest. - Opting for organic.
I got smarter about where I was buying our food (i.e. ditching one grocery store in favor of another) and aim to buy organic whenever possible, keeping the dirty dozen chart in mind. I also always choose organic milk now, which I was not doing before. - Minimizing the meat.
Especially since I am feeding a family of six, I don’t buy all organic/local meats. Instead, I opt to not offer as much meat as we were eating two years ago (which was a lot). This will forever be a challenge for my husband, but eating less meat means that I can fill our plates up with more veggies and/or fruit. - Swapping out (and reducing) sugar.
This was actually much easier than I thought, and I’m happy to report that I haven’t had one complaint from my kids on this one. They tend to favor maple syrup over honey, and I also use dates sometimes in baking. - Purging the packaged goods.
Personally speaking, this was the most difficult for us. I was a huge Wheat Thin addict. I loved them and had them multiple times each day. I thought I was doing well by switching over to Special K crackers (remember your promise to not judge?). No lie—it took me 12-18 months to get them out of our pantry. But I’m happy to report that I’m a recovering addict. My kids were the same with Goldfish. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for them, I just stopped buying them. And I’m also happy to report that if they are served Goldfish at Girl Scouts (don’t get me started) or elsewhere, they actually say they don’t really like them. Tastebuds do change!
The Other 15%
I mentioned that we eat about 85% real food. So where does that extra 15% lie? Well, remember that I don’t buy everything organic. I don’t make my own tortillas all the time, but I do opt for the ones with the least ingredients. I also have a sweet tooth, and I don’t always (ok, almost never) choose the better dark chocolate. We go out to eat maybe once a week, and I’m the only one in my family who would have any desire whatsoever to find a restaurant that serves local food (I’d love a vegetarian one, at that). No, my family prefers a favorite pizza place that we’ve been frequenting for 10+ years. And no matter how hard I try to convert my kids over to 1-ingredient peanut or almond butter, they just won’t leave their beloved Jif (albeit the “natural” version – though I’m not sure how much better that makes me feel!).
I have to pick my battles, though. And for me, settling for 85% is just the best that I’m going to be able to do at this point in time. Looking back, I realize all the positive changes that Lisa has helped my family make. And I know that there are so many more that we can make in the future.
Positive Changes in Our Health
A lot of times I read a story about someone or some family making changes, and I wonder, did this really change them? Or after hearing their story, even though it sounds like a success story, I wonder, should I try it? And why?
So here is my proof; here are some positive changes that I and/or we have experienced:
- Change in tastebuds/cravings. I now crave raw, cut vegetables instead of my former beloved Wheat Thins.
- Satisfaction. A feeling of satisfaction after meals instead of hunger that used to ensue 20-30 minutes after a meal.
- Regularity. Not one of my kids has any issue with this, which I attribute to the natural fibers they consume on a daily basis.
- Regularity of a different form. I had irregular menstrual periods for years. They are now like clockwork.
- Decreased sickness.
- Increased energy.
So now that I’ve shared my realistic journey, please share some of your successes and potential goals for the future with me. How has Lisa helped you change? Are you 100%? 90%? 50%? No matter where you are on this journey, let this serve as a reminder that when it comes to cutting out highly processed foods, any small changes are encouraging and far better than none!
I was wondering if you have looked into the use of microwaves? I just came across this site http://2012indyinfo.com/2012/02/11/microwave-test-an-eye-opener-employee-news/
Do you all use microwave ovens?
Hi there. The Leakes use a microwave on occasion. They are familiar with the varied opinions and research on doing so.
Thanks so much for this, Kiran. I have always tried to eat in a relatively healthy way, and I try to pass those habits along to my family. My downfall is convenient snacks for the kids. I make whole wheat breads and muffins to freeze, and I try to always have some good veggie/fruit options for them, but they always go for the pantry snacks. Like an above poster, I guess I just need to stop buying them. (Kind of like I need to stop buying M&M’s for myself…if they exist in my home, I will eat them.) Big grocery day today…wish me luck!
I just came across this site in search of an eating plan for my whole family. I’m a married mother of two. I have a 4 month old son and a 2.5 year old daughter. I’ve realized just how terrible our diets are. My husband is one of those that doesn’t gain weight no matter how unhealthy his diet is which is dangerous because his inside health could be terrible, but his outside doesn’t show it. Me, I’m overweight due to my diet. My eating habits have gotten worse over the years mainly because I’m a stress eater. And when I’m stressed I’m reaching for Oreos instead of apples. My kids are both healthy, but I’m handing down my terrible eating habits. Time for major change! Luckily my husband is on board and is so supportive in this. My other concern is being a bench mom instead of an involved mom. I want to be able to run and keep up with my kids! Making memories means I have to be a part of the memories. ;)
Really like this idea. I love to buy local or only what is in season and we buy local meat only. My problem is the snack food. I have a 6 year old that is the worst eater EVER, I’m the total enabler to why he is like this. Guess what I’m scared is if I don’t have goldfish/ crackers snack.. How do I stop the addiction. Guess if it’s not there he will need to make better choices. Everyone tells me he won’t starve. Need to do this for me and my family.. One thing good thing WE NEVER eat fast food.. I love to cook
Give it a shot, Kim. Just don’t buy them. I promise you that he will try something else if he is hungry. Keep us posted!
Hey, I just wanted to add or give advice about 1 thing. Going Whole wheat is the worst decision. I suggest no wheat. Society is taught ‘Whole wheat is healthy’ But when you do the research it’s actually extremely processed. My advice is do more research.
Thank you so much for sharing your family’s experience. I aspire to feed my family “real food” but sometimes it’s too easy to slip into old habits. Reading about what you’ve done really inspires me.
Side note: we get “natural” JIF too, the husband won’t have it any other way. ;)
LOL Chelsea … I actually went and bought two different types of PB after posting this. I am bound and determined to break the family from “natural” JIF! Anyhow, my youngest two switched. My older two are not loving it. But my husband just won’t do it. GRRR!!
So many great ideas and inspiration here! With many strategies to stay on track, I find my husband and I have much better success. My husband really does his part in making sure we eat well, although left up to him, our diet would be pretty meat heavy, ha ha! We tend to divide and conquer, with him doing a big shop at the farmers market on Saturdays and me doing the run to the organic grocery store for the things not available at the market. Every time we prepare something for dinner that can be made in a large batch, ie; chili or spaghetti sauce or soups and stews, we will make enough to stow some away in the freezer. Then when schedules get hectic there is always something home made to eat. We don’t go out of our way to create these, they are just a byproduct of a meal we were already making. If I make lasagne I used to make a large pan, now I create two small pans from the same ingredients and freeze one. I will try some of the suggestions others have made here and see if we can’t bump up our success to a 95%! This is soooo much easier with no little ones in the house, kudos to parents up to the challenge of raising healthier kiddies!
I just make easy wheat thins at home, wheat flour butter and salt and add cheese to make cheesy ones as a goldfish substitute
Loved reading your journey, Kiran! Thank you so much for sharing it. It’s so amazing how taste preferences can change, right?
Btw, your family is adorable!
-Gillian
I love the honesty in this post! I’d say we’re at about 70% real food. I still buy white flour tortillas (until I find a whole wheat tortilla recipe my husband likes) and conventional meats (that’s what my budget allows for) and usually have a frozen pizza in the freezer for the (fairly rare) days when I’m just not up to cooking dinner for some reason.
On the plus side, though, we avoid most processed foods because I make our meals from scratch. I bake almost all of the bread we eat (100% whole wheat, soaked grains), make homemade ketchup and most other condiments and recently started making kefir and kombucha.
And honestly, I’m happy with where we are in our food choices. There are a few changes I’d make if I had a larger food budget, and I’m always on the look out for new and interesting healthy recipes, but I’m coming to the conclusion that a mostly healthy diet with a relaxed attitude is better for your overall health than constant stress about keeping your food choices 100% healthy.
Thanks so much for sharing Kiran! Love your honesty and tips! I have been working to cut out processed food and eat cleaner at my house too. It is a process…. I have a Tower Garden and encourage anyone else to try growing some of their own food- whether in a traditional garden, pots or a Tower Garden. Kids love it and it is amazing how good fresh produce tastes! 😊
I love this post! I’ve been mentally beating myself up for the last year because my family just can’t get to 100% real food. Some weeks are better than others though. This made me feel so much butter about the progress we’ve made. I’m no longer going to stress about us not eating real food 100% of the time. I’m going to be happy about the great progress we’ve made. Thank you for your honesty!
Elizabeth,
Do not beat yourself up. You have to be realistic about it and do as much as you really can.
With that being said, I will say that the one thing that always helps me is planning ahead.
This week is a particularly busy one for me, with work, mom-tasks, field trips, etc. (We all have them for one reason or another!) I was super happy to find a loaf of whole wheat banana bread that I had put in the freezer about 3-4 weeks ago. It came in handy today since I didn’t have time to bake anything this past weekend.
Sometimes making double recipes and freezing/using extras for lunches/etc. can help in a pickle – like busy weeks. But otherwise, do the best that you can do. As you mentioned, you should definitely celebrate your successes. Keep it up! :)
Thanks for the encouragement! I have started doing a lot of food prep on the weekend and it’s made a huge difference in how much more unprocessed we eat. I’ll have to start doubling recipes and freezing things as well.
I appreciate the honesty of Kiran. I have tried to change my diet. At first my husband was very reluctant and I found that I don’t do well changing a lot of things at once and had to back up and do small changes until I was used to them and then try some more. My husband is now more on board and encourages me to eat the way I want and he tries some of it, but not all.
I am wondering if you have any ideas I can use with my daughter. She was always my worst eater and recently admitted that she ate her veggies, just because she knew we wouldn’t let her leave the table until she did. Now she has grown up and has two little ones of her own and wants to try and eat healthier. She is a working mom and needs baby steps like I did. Do any of you have suggestions for recipes to try with her or resources? I’ve retired and moved closer to her and am finding when I take dishes over if I have chopped up the vegetables into small pieces I have a better chance of her leaving them in now, she used to pick them out. She is asking me to help her find easy to fix, easy to eat dishes. I am making them first for her to try and then if she likes them I break them down into what I hope are easy steps for her. I would appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Hi Kathy,
Hmmm … this may sound silly, but why don’t you try various ways of serving vegetables (raw/baked/steamed/roasted/sauteed). Perhaps she will find that she prepares one way over another, which would help direct you to some simple recipes. I always tout roasting since it brings out such great flavors and also makes them crunchy, yet not as “raw” as raw. Or maybe she will prefer steamed if they are softer. Just a few thoughts. If nothing else, it’s great that she is trying to find a way to like them. Don’t give up!
I’m glad you posted this, and I think you should take out the first part about not judging b/c it helps to let others off the hook. We as women think we have to do everything 100% and that’s simply impossible. It leads to burn out & unrealistic expectations. I love the idea of doing what you can for your family because it’s not a one size fits all world we are in. And my kids love their jif natural peanut butter too. While we are prob closer to 70% it’s a journey & I’m learning a lot. Thx for blogging & sHaring your story.
It seems that everyone can get to know what things are best for you to eat. however when it comes to fish among other things is finding easy and simple recipes. My wife and I bought cod because everywhere that we have eaten cod we loved it but when she made it herself it came out dry flaky rough and it tasted bad. She is a great cook. When it comes to eating healthy finding tasty recipes is a challenge for us.
I am allergic to soy, sunflower, and tree nuts. Eliminating sunflower and tree nuts, no problem. Soy on the other hand has been incredibly had. Part of the problem is my body craves what I am allergic to. And when I do give in, it doesn’t even taste good. I’m trying hard to find recipes and foods with 5 or fewer ingredients. The problem is, time. I work full time and I am completely exhausted when I get home. I am also a caregiver for my dad who is bedridden. I know that I just need to do it so I’m taking baby steps for now. I don’t eat red meat (and haven’t for 18 years and I was a complete vegetarian for 9 years) and can go for days without chicken or turkey for protein. I need other options for protein. I just want to find a solution to save time in food preparation so it will be easier to maintain. There are some other foods I have to stay away from because they are genetically modified with soy such as corn. I wish there was a good, central place on how to live with a soy allergy or somewhere I can gain an education about food allergies. Thanks for all your posts and recipes. I’ve tried several and like what I tried so far.
Hi Marni! I developed an anaphylactic soy allergy on June 8, 2009 (seriously, I was fine on June 7, then went into anaphylactic shock at brunch the next day, go figure). I spent a lot of time on the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network when I was first diagnosed. I eliminated ALL soy initially, then discovered I could tolerate soy lecithin and soybean oil, as long as it’s heat processed. I still try to avoid both, but it’s nice to know I can eat a cracker or a piece of chocolate and not end up in the ER. I was a vegetarian for years, married a carnivore and now eat everything except beef (which makes me violently ill). It prompted a switch to our diets since there were whole aisles of the grocery store where there was nothing I could eat; I tend to stick to the perimeter of grocery stores now. My go-to protein source is spicy lentils (Indian food rocks). I use split lentils so I don’t have to soak them, although I usually do. As an aside about stopping soy protein cold turkey – I didn’t eat a lot of processed food to begin with, but was apparently getting a decent amount of “hidden” soy protein. My endocrine system wigged for about six months and I had hot flashes, night sweats, etc for about six months. Hang in there!!
Hi Kiran~ I enjoyed reading your blog, my family is about 75% of the time. We started changing about 5 months ago. My struggle is with our school and the endless amount of snacks they give to my kids. I have emailed and met with the Principal, but I don’t see change in their future. We send lunch and snack from home, but my son was told to not eat his veggies and to take 100 pieces of candy (loaded with artificial colors) to “celebrate” their 100th day of school. They even had so much candy they did it the next day too. It is so upsetting to hear all the treats and candy given at school. Any tips you have are appreciated! Thanks to you and Lisa for always giving great information, this site is my favorite!
Whoa, your post caught my eye. I just retired from teaching and I had the opposite problem. I taught a nutrition unit in 3rd grade and I had parents on my tail because I requested healthy only snacks. I am really concerned that a school is telling your child to put their vegetables away. Our district had our curriculum posted online. Maybe you can check the district curriculum or the state issued one and see if there are any standards for health they are supposed to be meeting and politely tell them you are hoping they will encourage and support this curriculum. I know we didn’t have health as part of science it was part of P.E., but they didn’t have time for it so it got shifted to classroom. Let me know how it goes and good luck.
By the way, regarding the meat…we are a family of 4 adults (well three and a bottomless pit teenage boy), so I feel your pain. What really helped me go organic and completely grass-fed was finding a farmer from whom we buy half a cow from now. It’s an initial investment (and a freezer too if you don’t have one) AND it means I have to learn how to cook different cuts of meat (which has actually been fun) but we all love it and it works out being the same price as buying supermarket meat.
Hmmmm. What is 100%? I think 100% is achieving the optimum balance between home-made food, lots of fruits and vegetables, organics, our budget, humane treatment of the animals we eat, socializing with other over food (whether that means as a guest or eating out where it makes other happy), treats that make you smile, treats that make your kids smile, going to a coffee shop that makes your mom smile, energy, needing to sleep in, conserving time and health. Yep….and who can balance all that perfectly without something suffering? Therefore the percentage of how “perfectly” I am eating in someone else’s eyes is probably always fluctuating….but as long as I’m happy with the above balancing act and I continue to progress in eating functional foods than I feel I am doing 100%. I just don’t think it’s about being perfect but rather getting to that point when it just comes naturally to want to put good things in our body, whether we make them from scratch or they come out of a package, and for the rest you just gotta roll with the punches.
I’ve followed Lisa’s blog for quite awhile now but this is my first posting. Like you, I don’t do 100% real food. I am divorced without kids and cooking for one can be challenging. After first reading up on Lisa and her 100 day real food pledge I went to my local library and got Michael Pollan’s book. I was quite surprised by some of what I read and enjoyed the book. Both the book and Lisa have prompted me to pay closer attention to the food I eat. I’ve never been much of a meat eater but when I do, I try to pick local and organic. I’ve cut out the majority of processed foods and have been switching to whole grains as well. Baby steps. I live near Cleveland, OH and am able to frequent our public market (the Westside Market). It’s a wonderful 101 year old market that has all sorts of produce (organic and non organic), meats, dairy, pastries, coffees and numerous other goodies. It’s wonderful to be able to speak with the owners of each stand and find out just where their products come from and if they are processed at all. While I feel a 100% real food diet is a great goal, I do not think I’ll be able to completely achieve it…but I definitely feel that any improvement I can make to my diet (regardless of how small) will make me a healthier and happier person.
Well I am so glad that you posted! I am actually from Cleveland also, but I moved to Charlotte in 2000. Would you believe that last summer was the first time I visited the West Side Market? And now I hate that I am not there to shop there – it is fantastic!!
Small changes DO add up. Stick with it! :)
I work full-time, so I’d love to hear from other working moms on how they find the time to pursue the REAL FOOD lifestyle. I think I do a pretty good job, but I’d say I’m maybe at 50% because while I try to cook wholesome, healthy meals every evening, getting home with my toddler in tow at 5:30/6pm doesn’t leave much time. I try to bake homemade “chips” with real, organic potatoes from time to time. I steam vegetables, buy organic meats, grass-fed, antibiotic free beef, etc. But there are those days that a bag of tortellini in a pot of boiling water has to suffice.
I’ve tried to do meal prep on the weekends, but life with toddler is non-stop, and honestly mama needs some downtime occasionally. And as a working mom, that isn’t always possible. Help please!
Try to come up with some default quick and easy menu items. For us, this used to be pasta or tacos. We don’t do pasta near as often, and if we do we use whole wheat. Tacos are now usually replaced with taco salads–much more of the “green” part, and organic blue corn tortilla chips are easier to find than non-GMO taco shells. Frozen fish fillets (salmon or tilapia, for example) can be cooked in less than 10 minutes in the microwave in a covered glass dish. Broccoli only takes 4 minutes in the microwave. We nearly always have canned salmon or beans for even quicker taco salads. Fried cabbage is also a favorite (and replaces pasta). So try to find some almost-as-easy-as-hot-dogs-but-much-healthier quick meals and keep them on hand. You’ll probably surprise yourself with what you can whip up in short order once you get the hang of it.
I’ve also heard that it helps to plan ahead. Even if you don’t prepare food on the weekend, if you make a plan then you aren’t confronted with the “what are we going to have for dinner tonight” 10 minutes before dinner time. We’re still working on that one though. Good luck!
two words. slow cooker. i work full time although I don’t have kids which makes a huge difference. Are you a single mom or can your spouse help out with either food prep or toddler control? Or can you pay a neighborhood kid to play with him for a ocuple hours a week? I do a lot of prep work on the weekends and then use my slow cooker A LOT. Often I can prep the meal the night before (in your case maybe after baby’s in bed?) put everything in a big bowl, then in the morning all I have to do is dump it into the slow cooker and turn it on. Mine has a built in timer so once it’s done cooking it switches to ‘warm’, then all I have to do when I get home is maybe make a salad or something.
Sharon & casey – thank you for the suggestions. We do have a slow cooker, and I just don’t use it enough. I’m lucky in that I usually work from home two days a week, which is when I often deploy the slow cooker. Though I am in need of new recipes – I have a chicken go-to and a beef stew go-to, but could use some variety. I love the suggestion of prepping items the night before and just dropping in the cooker in the morning. I’ll give that a try!
My husband typically gets home from work about 1.5 hours after I do, and while he is great about helping with the cooking at least once a week, his go to is often a dried pasta mix and beef, so while I appreciate the help, that’s often the more processed food meal of the week…lol, he tries.
The nice thing is that hubby is on board with the organics, fresh fruit and vegetables, so we do usually have those items in the house. It is just a matter of having the time to prepare in the evenings. Many nights I serve my son a healthy meals of steamed vegetables or a veggie packed quesadilla (his fave with pimiento cheese), lots of fresh fruit and whole wheat toast, but my husband and I end up eating a french bread pizza closer to 8pm after our son is settled in bed for the night. So, I’m happy to say my son rarely has processed food…but hubby and I have our days when we resort to a frozen lasagna or otherwise. It’ll probably get easier as our son gets older. :)
Lisa has several good slow cooker recipes on this site. I subscribe to All Recipes Slow Cooker blog. I have several slow cooker cookbooks however I only use a couple recipes from each so I would save your pennies and search online first. I’ve heard that ‘crock on’ which is an ebook available on Amazon is a really good resource although I haven’t tried it. You can pretty much make anything that you would bake in an oven in a slow cooker. A really easy recipe is to take corned beef, drop it in the slow cooker and pour a bottle of Guinness over it (or whatever dark beer you like) and cook on low for 8 hours. The alcohol evaportaes just leaving behind the taste so even the toddler can eat it. If you go to the grocery store and look at the ‘slow cooker sauces’ section, a lot of those can be easily replicated at home and then it’s usually just dump the meat in, mix w/ sauce and you’re done.
Crock pot recipes are always a go-to for us, as others have mentioned.
Another option is to plan on making a couple of big meals a week, like a casserole or lasagna, double the recipe and then freeze half. You’ll stock up your freezer over time, and then dinner can be as easy as putting it in the fridge to thaw before you leave in the morning, and warming it up when you get home.
I try to make dinners that require more work earlier in the week because by Thursday I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking. We always keep left overs from meals made earlier in the week, and then Thursdays and Fridays are what I call “smorgasbord nights” – heat up whatever you can find in the fridge and supplement with a salad.
Dana – I am in the same boat with two infants and have found that prepping ahead does not necessarily mean cooking. We prepare all the veges for fajitas (mixed peppers onions mushrooms tomatoes) a
And have them in one container ready to put in a pan .. They last a long time in the fridge… You can also do the same with a stirfry (kind of the same veges too!)
Does anybody have a good replacement for Goldfish? I manageed ti cure my wheat thin addiction with Crunchmaster crackers but I haven’t found something to replace the wheat thins. I’ve heard that Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies are ok but I don’t like the cheddar flavoring, only the original.
We buy Annie’s Organic Cheddar bunnies – my two year old loves them. He actually refuses the Goldfish now (guess I can toss the half bag that is left), requesting “bunnies” instead.
I started making my own…it really isn’t hard! 4 ingredients. The hardest part? Finding a fishy cookie cutter. I settled on cookie cutters from Pampered Chef. The apples and hearts are a big favorite with my daughters. I found the recipe on Pinterest and make a double batch. Working with the dough took some practice but has been well worth it!! Best of luck!!
Do you have any tips for getting the homemade crackers to crunch rather than crumble when you bite into them? I have tried multiple times and can never quite get a “crunch” texture, rather only a “crumbly” texture.
http://cookingalamel.com/2012/04/homemade-cheez-its.html
I’m 45, overweight like most of America and married with no kids – this is all still a complete struggle for me but a journey I feel worth taking. We’re probably at 30% (realistically) but I am very conscious now as I buy things to replace what we have used up. It has been completely enlightening reading this blog! I don’t know that we will ever get to 100% but I’m concerned enough about what we are doing to our food supply that we are changing what we can and within our means. Thank you to all of you who contribute to this!
Thanks for sharing your REAL story about switching to REAL food. I also have 4 kids and it is expensive to feed a family of 6. My solution has been to create what I call “m’organic eating” — mostly organic, 100% real. I’m sharing ideas for m’organic eating on my blog, http://www.junkfreejourney.com and have commented before about what a huge inspiration Lisa has been in changing the way we eat. We would not have started this if it wasn’t for her! Thanks for a great blog!
Kiran,
Thank you for sharing your journey! I feel so much better about my families journey after reading your post! We did the 100 days, but 100% all of the time seems impossible! I’d say we are now about 70%. We’ve REALLY cut back on the pre-made foods we buy and we quit buying low fat and non fat items. We do organic as much as possible and while it’s still processed we buy cheese crackers at our local co-op instead of goldfish. 100% is hard to do all of the time! I hope I’m teaching my kids healthy eating habits that will help them throughout their lives and that’s the best I can hope for.
Sounds like you are off to a great start, Felicia. Keep it up!!
Hi! I really like this blog, and I thought I might share with some of you my school lunch contest. You can find it on my blog at http://www.lunchbunches.wordpress.com. You have a great blog, and please enter! :)
Even baby steps are steps forward! I think many people are intimidated to make changes because they think they need to begin with a total overhaul which is overwhelming. Just make a few manageable changes and make others when you are ready. It takes time to transition your lifestyle and eating habits.
I love this post! I say AMEN Kiran! My family is probably around 75-80%. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 month old so much of the time I feel like we’re in survival mode. I cook a lot and am able to feed my family many whole foods but sometimes it is just not realistic for us. And I am in the South and my husband and I love our sweet tea. Doesn’t taste right with anything but sugar unfortunately. Not to mention it’d be too expensive to use honey. Thank you for the great honest post. Very encouraging. And I also thank Lisa for having some recipes posted that do call for sugar on special occasions. :)
I’m struggling mostly with the cost of everything. I buy frozen veggies, some organic, others not. I buy no-hormone-added meats. About 50% of the kids snacks are boxed, but the non-GMO or organic versions. My kids love cereals and lunch meats and yogurts. So we buy those in the non-GMO or no-hormone-added or organic versions too. I simply cannot get my kids to love veggies. They eat some, but not a lot. They do LOVE fruit! My husband and I are not great cooks, but I’m learning. Mostly, in order for us to eat real food more often, I need more time and more money. I struggle all the time thinking what I’m doing isn’t enough….:-/
Sarah – don’t struggle with it. What you are doing is a GREAT change. I know I’m sounding like a broken record – but it doesn’t happen over night. Baby steps will get you there, or as far as you want to go with it. Keep doing what you’re doing and do not beat yourself up.
I’d say I’m 80%; my husband less. I’ve gotten rid of most process food in our house, but chips and crackers are still a problem. My husband also has to have meat with every meal but he is enjoying eating more veggies. Summer is the easiest since I joined a CSA and feel “obligated” to eat it all.
My struggle is I’m overweight so I’m trying to eat healthy all the time and am running out of ideas. I know Lisa believes in whole fats, but I just can’t get myself to do it. So I’m always trying to find a healthy substitute which, in turn might be more processed (2% milk for example.)
I know you said not to judge but I’m going to anyway. Ready? You, Kiran, are doing a FANTASTIC job! A family with young children eating 85% non-processed food in the USA?! That is amazing – my hat’s off to you, truly.
:)
It’s a lot of work to be on top of an all real food diet for 6 people (I have 4 young boys ages 8 to 1 years). It takes time and intentional effort to raise healthy eaters. However, I find it well worth the effort. I know the benefits of it and I’m thankful for blogs like 100 Days that help me along the way. We’re about at 85% and stalled. Once the kids are older and have a better understanding about the benefits of real food, maybe we will be closer to 100%?
I agree with what you’ve said. I don’t even strive for 100% honestly. I think there is room for “realism” in the world, and I want my children to understand that although we make healthy choices MOST of the time, we don’t have to be dogmatic or absolutely fanatical about what we eat all the time. I think there is room for some occasional cupcakes or a pizza every once in a while, as long as it isn’t something that we do every single day. I even give my child *GASP* M&Ms when he poops on the potty (he is potty training!)
Lauren – all bets are off (in my book) when it comes to potty training! Good luck!
My child is potty training too, and chocolate has been the only thing that gets him to poop on the potty, so I completely relate to your comment! :) He loves to choose the color, and whether it has a peanut or not. Lauren, have you seen the Unreal brand of candies? They have M&M style candies that have natural vegetable based dyes instead of the artificial stuff. I get mine at Target.
Wow. Thanks for the honesty! I’m such a Type A personality that if I can’t do it all, then I feel like a failure.
That being said, I have switched my kids (about 90% of the time) to completely natural lunches. We still have the sugar in the house that I use for baking, but I’m trying to learn to incorporate honey/dates/maple syrup into my desserts. I haven’t been successful yet…but I just started. Our town just got a farmers market started up and so I’m excited to have access to some local area veggies/produce. I even found out there is an all-natural butchers shop opening up! I’m pretty psyched about that b/c my husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy.
Thanks for sharing and thanks to the other posters for sharing their successes. It is a real help to me.
Stacy – I can so relate with you. I also was feeling like such a failure since I was striving to be 100% and it just was not working. Then I realized that I could relax; it’s not worth it to beat yourself up over the little things. You have to do what works for you. Keep it up – but don’t put pressure on yourself. Even the changes that you’ve made thus far are worth it.
Great encouragement here! Our family is probably at 75-80%, which was shocking after I sat and thought about it…we only recently starting reforming our diet, so the changes came a lot quicker than I expected. I eat a vegan diet, so I’m a little more extreme than a lot of folks posting here, but that’s okay. :) Most of my kids (there are 5 of them!) eat the same diet I do, smoothies are a big fave around here! My hubby is definitely the meat fiend here, but he’s learned also that some of our veggie meals are just as yummy! I try to buy a lot from local health food co-ops and through friends who grow gardens better than I can currently. We’re working on growing our veggies here so we cut out the cost and the middle man! Feeding a family of 7 (with my parents sometimes thrown in to make it 9!) is definitely not cheap, but we do what we can. I have found too that sometimes (especially on the overwhelming days) the kids just don’t eat as much as they used to. I’ve taught them to drink water between meals to help with hydration and the false hunger pangs that come with them, and we usually end our meals with nuts of some sort to help keep us full too! I’ve learned so much from Barbara O’neill, who really set me on the journey of awareness of what we eat being SO important! Between her videos online and this blog, I’m getting my family towards greater health more than I ever thought when I first had children 12 years ago!
Kiran, Have you tried Fuel Pizza with your family in Charlotte? It is my husband’s restaurant and everything is homemade with real food, including whole wheat or gluten-free dough options as well as tons of vegetable toppings. We also run a huge school gardening program with the Mecklenberg school system.
We HAVE tried Fuel and love it – but we are in the South Clt area and there is not one near us … hint hint? :)
I’ve been on a personal journey to cut out processed foods and I too have four kids so I totally get how it’s difficult to buy all organic! My kids go through a lot of fruits! I can also emphasize with your husband’s challenge. Mine felt that dinner wasn’t dinner unless chicken was part of the menu!
We have cut down our meat consumption by half over the last year and he now actually admits that he enjoys some of the vegetarian meals in our rota. Given a choice though, he would still pick meat over veggies any day!
I love Great Harvest bread…however, after looking at the ingredient list for some of my favorite breads, my local bakery uses high fructose corn syrup. Not cool in my book. I’ve asked about it, and was told that the vegans don’t like it when they use honey. I would much rather they just use regular sugar in place of the honey instead of HFCS. Just goes to show that even when a place says wholesome and all natural, you still have to double check.
I’m no longer positive the place you’re getting your info, but great topic.
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I think we are probably about 85%. I doubt we ever get to more than that, but I am pleased with where we are. I’m a full-time working mom, so I pick and choose what I make from scratch also feeling pressed for time I use two grocery stores, but don’t go to local bakeries for bread etc. Free-time with my family is more important than anything, but generally every Saturday morning I wake up and do a little baking and freeze things for my toddlers menu during the week. I do homemade smoothies and make big batches of certain things to freeze and pull for my lunches during the day. We cook most nights using mostly made-from-scratch ingredients.
I don’t worry when we are in the homes of others and I definitely enjoy eating out (although we are blessed to live in a town with lots of independent restaurants that use locally sourced foods). I keep it to the things that I can control (my home) and relax and roll with the punches when we are out. I figure if we are doing that well most of the time the “look the other way” moments aren’t that bad. :)
Sounds like you have a great system – and very impressive for working full time, too! Kudos!