Real food basically means anything not highly processed (like artificial additives) and containing only five or fewer whole ingredients. It means mostly avoiding ingredients you would not cook with at home.
Here are the seven rules we followed during our original 100 Days of Real Food pledge:
- No refined grains (such as white flour or white rice); only 100 percent whole grain. Items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat...not just "wheat" by itself.
- No refined or artificial sweeteners (such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda); only honey and pure maple syrup in moderation.
- Nothing out of a package that contains more than five ingredients.
- No factory-farmed meat; only locally raised meat products.
- No deep-fried foods.
- No fast food.
- Beverages to include only water, milk, occasional all-natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee and tea, and (to help the adults keep their sanity) wine and beer in moderation!
I promise, there's still food left after eliminating everything mentioned in our rules!
What you CAN eat:
- Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
- Lots of fruits and vegetables (we recommend that you shop for these at your local farmers' market)
- Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
- 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains (find a local bakery for approved sandwich bread and check the Understanding Grains post for more info)
- Seafood (wild-caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)
- Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
- Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
- Also, check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes
stephanie says
Ive just recently decided to eat healthier and cut out refined sugar so im liking this website. I cannot do artificial sweetners because they give me headaches. what about stevia clear? i read that it is derived from a plant that is naturaly sweet.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Stephanie. Stevia is an herb that in its natural form is likely fine to use. Unfortunately, most of the stevia found in stores is highly processed. Here, Deliciously Organic shares a link to a source that sells the herb in its natural form:http://deliciouslyorganic.net/my-pantry/. ~Amy
Sasha says
I love falafel (which is good for you) but it is fried. Is this still alright to eat?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sasha. Sure. Just pan fry it with a little unrefined oil. Here is more information on our use of fats/oils: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. ~Amy
Jackie Dehart says
My husband and I are on the 100 day pledge, we are returning from our family vacation where we caught catfish. Can we fry them on the pledge? I saw that it said no deep fried foods, but then also saw where it said you can have home made junk food (deep fried potato chips). So wasn't sure about frying our fish.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jackie. You could pan fry in a healthy oil as an alternative. ~Amy
Kathy says
I have IBS and am trying the no processed diet. I came across a recipe for spec squash. It calls for butter sour cream and cheese what can I do to make this processed free?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kathy. Those are all items Lisa would use in a recipe. I would just look for full fat organic versions of each. Here more information on minimally processed dairy:https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/18/cheese-and-other-dairy-products-are-they-processed/. ~Amy
Adriane says
Thank you for your blog! Very inspiring! This might seem like a stupid question, but what are your thoughts on gum? Beer?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Adriane. No stupid questions here. :) Beer and wine are fine in moderation during the pledge, however, it is nearly impossible to find a chewing gum that is not full of artificial flavors and colors. ~Amy
Charanya Sriram says
Hi Lisa, I just LOVE your website! Thanks for all the useful and wonderful ideas, articles and tips. It is so so so useful and informative! I really appreciate what you do..thank you once again!
We are planning to take on the 10 days real food pledge and I have a question. Would a chipotle veggie bowl (no tortilla) be considered real? I would think so...but wanted to check with you. Also,does it matter what oil we use for cooking? Are any of the oils processed? Would appreciate if you could please let me know...
Thanks!
Charanya
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Charanya. Anytime you eat at a restaurant, especially those that offer quick food, you are at the mercy of the ingredients they use. Going the veggie route at Chipotle is likely a better choice than that those with meat especially if you forgo the cheese as well. This Food Babe post might be of interest to you: http://foodbabe.com/2013/03/24/a-food-babe-investigates-win-chipotle-posts-ingredients/. And yes, oils matter. Here is more information:https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. Hope that helps. ~Amy
shari says
what do you all think about coconut sugar ??
or is there anything elese besides the maple syurp and honey?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Shari. During the pledge only honey and maple syrup fall within the rules. However after the pledge, coconut sugar can be a good choice when used in moderation. ~Amy
Jessica says
Can Almond milk be considered instead of cow's milk? I refuse to feed my family milk meant for a 400 pound calf which contains blood and pus among other disgusting ingredients.
Muriel Strand says
just eat the almonds rather than buying a product that has a lot of water and takes a lot of energy to make and transport.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. We have an almond milk recipe that is really simple: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/31/food-allergies-dairy/. It is very difficult to find a store bought almond milk without a long ingredient list. ~Amy
Lorraine says
Of course I come across this the day after I went grocery shopping. I generally do pretty good but will definitely be refining my shopping pattern.
lili says
Hi. I'm very interested in doing the 100 challenge. But my problem is my 5 yr old son. He has pancakes or French toast for breakfast everyday(really everyday). So my question is how can I make those with out breaking the rules of the challenge ? I am using organic buttermilk pancake mix and organic 2% milk at the moment. Thanx
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lili. Here are a couple recipes that are real hits with my kids. I often make the waffles in pancake form. :) https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/23/recipe-whole-wheat-waffles/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/21/recipe-whole-wheat-banana-pancakes-freeze-the-leftovers/. ~Amy
Becky says
I have been making my 14 month old "pancakes" just using 1 mashed banana, 2 slightly beaten eggs and a pinch of cinnamon and baking powder. I cook them in a skillet in a little bit of coconut oil. They are so sweet and delicious, faster than regular pancake mix, more protein and no refined sugar. Little guy gobbles them up! We love them.
Jessica says
Hi,
I'm curious if you went cold turkey with your whole family? I have 5 year old twins and I already spoke with them about the 100 day challenge. We are a plant based family, myself vegan and the kids/hubby is vegetarian. They have dairy, fish, eggs. So they are kinda used to me ranting about ingredients. I love your blog. It made me realize that I have let our nutrition slide. My pantry is full of "healthy" snacks i.e... bunny crackers:) and the like. I have no excuse. I have plenty of time in my day to make everything from scratch. As I already do for our main meals. Thank you so much for motivating me to be proactive in our families nutrition. I hope I will inspire my friends to do so as well.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. Yep, the original 100 Day Challenge included Lisa, Jason, and their daughters. It was a full family affair. :) Best of luck! ~Amy
Erin says
I have found maple sugar available at Costco. From what I can tell, it seems that it's just dehydrated maple sugar, with nothing added or taken away (other than the liquid). Would this be a suitable sweetener option?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. Outside of the pledge, maple sugar will be fine in moderation. ~Amy
Kevin says
Organic milk: $6.00/gal.. Non-organic milk: $3.00/gal. Spend the extra money?
Julie says
Yes, absolutely worth the money! But, beware- once you start drinking organic milk you will NOT be able to go back to non-organic. The non-organic milk tastes almost metallic to me now. Yes, it is sometimes hard to shell out the extra money for it, especially if you and your family go through a lot of milk, but how often do you spend $3.00 without even thinking about it at other places? Fast food, movie rental, soda, etc... At least here, with the milk, you are not wasting this money, you are getting a much higher quality product!!
Kathy says
I really like this site. And the suggestions. I problems I have is that my 6yo daughter is deathly allergic to any nuts and eggs (real food). It is very difficult to find travel snacks she will eat that are not highly processed, even though I try to pick the best ones. It seems that all the hype these days is gluten free (which most of the time the item includes eggs) and coconut oils and water.
Any suggestions or help to me would be greatly appreciated.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kathy. These posts might help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/22/an-elementary-school-snack-list-%E2%80%93-nut-free/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/07/31/85-snacks-for-kids-and-adults/. Also, have you tried substituting eggs with flax or chia in recipes? ~Amy
Kathy says
Yes, I use flax and chia eggs all the time in recipes. I guess it's more about all the nuts, and even the 5 ingredient or less items are not segregated on the processing line from nuts/eggs. I am still dealing with trying to get her to try new foods (that she can eat) Everytime I show her or give her one thing new, it's like I am asking her to eat a bug!
Like I said, I love the website, it challenges me, and I try to do the best I can. But I feel like I am always fighting 2 battles: decreasing processed food and being the allergy police.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi again, Kathy. I know it is a huge challenge and commend the constant effort. Resources and awareness are increasing all the time and I hope it makes your journey a bit easier. I'm sure you use this as I also am finding it helpful with my own children's mystery food sensitivities: http://www.foodallergy.org/tools-and-resources/getting-started. ~Amy
Mindy Lou J. Tester says
I enjoyed reading what you have written about food. I am from Wyoming and getting local groceries is difficult. My children,husband and self are spoiled,we like real food. We cook meals from scratch. We do buy can soup but use it sparingly. I also do cook with bleached wheat but strive to serve as many other whole grains possible. I have a wheat allergy and found that I can tolerate a small amount of bleached wheat, probably for the same reason that makes whole wheat healthy. I have a house of five people (three teenage daughters that are distant runners) and I feed our household on a hundred dollars a week. I clip coupons, price match and make breads etc. to get the biggest bang for the dollar. We like your family love our milk. I buy it from our local fruit and meat market. It is a local organic brand of milk, $2.50 a gallon. This market sales mostly local organic produce, meat, honey, jams, pickles...the best part is it cheaper than Walmart and is so much better. Most mom and pop groceries carry local items.
Cheryl says
Amy U., I didn't have the exact effect you had, but after I had been using Splenda for a while, I began having what I can only liken to IBS. Everything I ate (especially anything I didn't prepare myself) had me running for a bathroom and staying there a while. I was also having severe migraine headaches. It was a nightmare. After cutting out Splenda, those problems began to resolve. Splenda is poison! I avoided the IBS problem for good once I rooted out all the MSG in things I was eating that I didn't know about! For the past month or so, I've been eating almost ZERO processed food and haven't had any gastrointestinal issues whatsoever.
Valerie says
I'm in early process of deciding on mini steps to real food. I am slightly anxious about because of my children. Do you bake all your cookies nd treats or are there some you actually buy?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Valerie. Lisa cooks/creates almost everything. She occasionally buys 100% whole wheat pretzels, 100% whole wheat crackers and such but avoids packaged items as much as possible. It is very difficult to find pre-made snacks that are not highly processed and meet "rule" guidelines. Look through the recipe index for lots of ideas: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/recipe-index/. Also, Lisa utilizes her freezer a lot by making large batches and pulling items from it as needed. ~Amy
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
This list will also be helpful:https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/21/for-convenience-the-best-store-bought-snacks-ii/. ~Amy
michelle says
are the NAKED juice drinks considered "real food"?
Mandy says
I was JUST about to type the same question!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michele. We really try to not focus on particular products. I will say that anything that lists "natural flavors" should be more deeply investigated. I can also say it is almost always better to just make your own smoothie. All of those ingredients are easy to come by outside of those "natural flavors". :) ~Amy
Michelle says
Amy thanks for the response. Got it. I just got my very first juicer and I am super excited to try new veggie/fruit combo's. I'm really impressed with this website I'm currently doing the 10 day juice cleanse (fat, sick and nearly dead) so I can reboot my system and I have been getting alot of my motivation from this site and hopefully when I'm done I can take the 100 day pledge so me and my family can begin to eat "REAL FOOD"
Lauren Heaton says
If a box of whole wheat noodles list "Durum whole wheat flour" as the ingredients, does it follow the rules Lisa gives for pasta?
Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lauren. Good choice. :) Whole durum wheat is the whole grain form of semolina. ~Amy
Katie says
I was wondering what your thoughts are on rice crackers. They have less than 5 ingredients on the packaging but I would imagine they are made with white rice. Any thoughts? Thanks, I adore this site and loved the recommendation to read In Defense of Food, which I recently did.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Katie. There are definitely 100% whole grain rice crackers that are on the low ingredient side. The whole grain part is essential when choosing. Finding those without refined oil is more challenging. ~Amy
Courtney stanley says
I was just wondering what you use in replace of sugar for a recipe that calls for it?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Courtney. Lisa has developed recipes which are sweetened with honey or maple syrup in most cases. ~Amy
Steve says
I've used raw sugar in place of refined sugar.
Muriel Strand says
it's not clear to me that honey or maple syrup are all that much more nutritious than white sugar. i usually add molasses, whole wheat, eggs, and lots of nuts and dried fruit.
but sugar does play a physical role in a typical baking powder bread, so i know what this questioner is talking about. try gradually reducing the amount of sugar in a recipe to see what happens. recipes evolve.
Lara says
Hi I was wondering if you had any menus geared towards families with small children? I have 1 year old twins and I am struggling to figure out what to feed them!! I am feeling overwhelmed with the pressure to make sure they eat all the food groups and to do it in a way that is cost effective and is not processed that is also quick!
Help! I am sure I am not alone, but I feel very stressed over this!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lara. Have you accessed our menus on Facebook and subscribed to the blog? With that, you have access to all our meal plans. For more information go here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/our-free-meal-plans/. We have not created menus specific to toddlers but you can certainly tailor the plans to your needs. I know when my guys were little, they ate much the same as my husband and I did at meals times. I softened their veggies a little more, added some fruit and yogurt to most meals, and cut things per toddler standards but other than that, we tried to diversify their palate as much as possible. :) Did you see this recent post? It will help guide you: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/07/08/top-10-feeding-mistakes-parents-make/. Best of luck. ~Amy
Christa says
i read somewhere on the site that you use unsalted butter. Any particular reason? I tend to prefer the salted variety. I'm fortunate to be able to get hand-rolled butter from an Amish source through a local cheese supplier. It's SO tasty.
Katie says
I was just wondering why cane juice is not allowed as a sweetener?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Katie. Local honey and 100% maple syrup are the approved sweeteners during the pledge and outside of the pledge it is best to avoid refined sugars as much as possible. "Cane juice" is terminology that allows food companies to avoid the word "sugar" high on their ingredient list. Here is more information on refined sugars and a good piece on cane juice: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/06/mini-pledge-week-9-no-refined-sweeteners/ and http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/18/163098211/evaporated-cane-juice-sugar-in-disguise. Hope it helps. ~Amy
JazzLV says
This is some great info you have shared here, and much appreciated. Whole grains are highly suspect, and according to many in the medical community a supergrain that makes you crave carbs. The whole wheat breads cause a greater blood sugar spike than a glazed donut. I am going to try the local bakeries if we have any, but mostly just limit my intake.
Sandi says
I've been quite fond of cocunut sugar as a substitute for my coffee sweetener and baked goods. I was also concerned about some of the claims that is is not sustainable, but was very happy to learn that those are not true:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/coconut-sugar-a-healthy-and-sustainable-sweetener/
jackie says
my family natural applesauce on pancakes or french toast, usually with cut up strawberries or bananas but really any fruit works with it.
Theresa says
I have celiac disease,I eat wheat and gluten free and I want to do the 10 day challenge,as a start, what flours can I use?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Teresa. For special diets, you will need to make adjustments according to your own needs. In order to follow the rules as closely as possible, look for whole grain gluten free flours and blends. This post might help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/28/food-allergies/. Best of luck. ~Amy
Mary Cosedine says
This blog is a "breath of fresh air" As a family going back to my great Grandmother we have lived on real foods. I guess it is a bit sad that they are labeled real foods - this is food. The processed and refined foods are the unreal foods.
I mean a lot of what we eat is habit. So if you have sugar in your tea or coffee you can break that habit. I had sugar in both for ages until I realized how much sugar we actually consume - so I stopped. Didn't like tea or coffee without sugar,initially, but now don't like them with sugar!
I guess one of the big factors with real food is education, especially for our children, where real food is not trendy etc.
Great blog Thanks again
Teena says
Is sourdough bread alright? I was trying to find bread in our area that did not have sugar and the only one we can find is sourdough. It only has 3 ingredients. Organic wheat flour, water, and sea salt.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Teena. The most important ingredient in your bread choice will be 100% whole wheat/grain. If it reads 100% and has just those other few ingredients, then it is a good choice. ~Amy
Michelle says
Want to start the 100 day challenge, so just wondering, is canola oil processed? Is that why it's added to so many bad things to eat?
Michelle says
Hi, I couldn't find the reply to my 'canola oil' question. The sequence of posts/reply does not seem to be in any ascending nor descending in order, they're mixed. Has the question been answered and I just didn't find it?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michelle. We rarely can answer questions in real time. It can take us a few days to get through all our reader's posts. So you didn't miss anything. :) This post should answer your question regarding canola oil: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. Best of luck. ~Amy
Michelle says
I'm wondering if Agave is approved on this? (and before anyone starts agave-bashing me, I don't care about the GI impact, I just want something natural)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Michelle. We do not use agave. This article might help explain: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/. We stick to honey or maple syrup only during the pledge. ~Amy
Jessicah says
We can't always afford organic meats.
Sprout's sells hormone/antibiotic free meats. I always thought that bad or diseased meat was a result of the animal eating an unnatural diet (ie: grains, etc for cows). So, if the only difference between Sprout's HFAF meats and organic is the feed, are their meats any better than conventional?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
HI Jessicah. Buying meat that is raised without hormones and antibiotics is a big cut above conventional meats that contain them. Is that what you were asking? Organic feed would also be feed that is non GMO. ~Amy
Allison says
I'm curious to know your thoughts on Turbinado Raw Sugar as opposed to honey or Stevia?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Allison. While turbinado is less refined than granulated sugar it is still processed. Raw honey on the other hand, other than extracting it from the comb, is not. Also, we don't encourage the use of stevia because most stevia is highly processed and some common brands are combined with other forms of artificial sweetener. If you buy stevia in its whole leaf form or grow it yourself, that is a different story. ~Amy
Laura says
While my diet is generally already in tune, I've never understood the Cannot Eat Rule 3. For example, the fresh salsa that I buy has the exact same ingredient list as my recipe, which has well over 5 awesome ingredients. Ditto for hummus. Why is that problematic?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Laura. It was important to draw the line somewhere as far as ingredient lists go in order to help people know what to look for. It is also a Michael Pollan rule of thumb. I think it is fair to say that if the additional ingredients are whole food ingredients, you are good to go! :) ~Amy
Wendy Bottrell says
In our house we only eat whole foods. Pastured meats, poultry and wild fish. Organic veggies and fruits mostly yet sometimes we use the clean 15. Local unpasturized honey if we must add sweetness to a food or drink. As I am gluten sensitive our home has no wheat, grains or gluten. We enjoy home made gluten free breads, cakes with 5 organic ingredients or less. Taste yummy and really doesn't take very long to make. I just wrote a blog post about this very topic today. Awesome work. Thanks,
Jen says
I have been trying to eat a real food diet for a short while now, but I am curious what your view on organic palm sugar is?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jen. Coconut palm sugar is a lower glycemic, less refined, and more nutritious, form of sugar. It is what I use regularly to replace sugar if not using honey or maple syrup. There are, however, some legitimate concerns over its sustainability. ~Amy
Erin says
Just wondering what brand of maple syrup you use. My kids are having a hard time with any of the "real" ones I buy saying it is too watery or just doesn't taste good.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. We usually buy 100% organic maple syrup from Trader Joe's or Earth Fare. It took my kids a little bit of time to adjust from the artificial stuff. ~Amy
Deidre says
Just wondering if tinned tuna, salmon, legumes, and tomatoes are OK... I know the fresh stuff is better, but it is usually a lot more expensive (the legumes being the exception)...
Lisa Hess says
I have been using stevia for 13 years, I usually get mine from puritan's pride. It is just pure ground stevia plant. The powder is very concentrated the amount runs like 1/32 of a teaspoon to 8oz, I use half a teaspoon and 2 tablespoons of unprocessed local honey for my gallon of home made Tea. Stevia powder is out there you just have to be sure what is in it. It's been out for a long time you just need old school made. I carry it in a camping salt and pepper shaker so when we do eat out I use my own