Real Food Tips: 10 Items I Never Purchased Before Cutting Processed Food

255 Comments / By / February 21, 2020 / Food Shopping, Real Food Tips

I used to think we were fairly adventurous eaters and cooks. And even though I didn’t actually learn to cook until after college, once I did I quickly dabbled in everything from homemade egg rolls to pasta from scratch to my grandmother’s crepes. Nothing could have prepared me though for all the “new foods” that I had to learn about – and now can’t live without – once we made the switch to “real food.” I am constantly amazed at all the items on my regular shopping list that I had never purchased before we decided to cut out processed food…

  1. Whole-wheat flour
    Other real food newbies likely “flirted” with whole-wheat flour on occasion, but no no…not me. I promise you that I had never before purchased or cooked with whole-wheat flour (because I hated anything made with it!) until the start of all this 2 years ago.
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  2. Oats
    We used to eat boxed granola cereal, but it never occurred to me that you could actually make it yourself (and that it would be soooo much better)! The main ingredient in homemade granola is oats and the first time I made it I found myself saying… “Are plain ‘oats’ just oatmeal?” I’ve never been an oatmeal fan myself (and I’m still not, although I’ve since learned that my kids love it) therefore I never bought oats for any reason, but now I buy pounds of it every week and get worried if our supply is low!
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  3. Honey
    Somebody must have bought at least one bottle of honey before our switch to real food because I remember a tiny bear shaped container of it in our pantry that was all crusted over and crystallized from lack of use (LOL). Now I buy this stuff in big jars and use it in everything from the granola we love so much to our sandwich bread. I’ll be the first to admit that “sugar is sugar” (even if it contains trace nutrients like honey) so we still aim to use it in moderation, but it’s quite a change from my white sugar days. And trust me I used to use A LOT of sugar…brown, white, and powdered. :)
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  4. Kale / Collards
    I could not have picked Kale or Collards out of a line-up to save my life. And even a year into our real food journey I still couldn’t say that I had truly adopted these as part of our regular menu. But, today I finally feel like I am figuring out how to not only incorporate, but also enjoy these nutrient-rich leafy greens (and occasionally even get my kids to eat them, too)!
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  5. “Raw” nuts and seeds
    To me nuts were greasy, salty and packaged in a blue “Planters” container. I admit I didn’t even know what it meant for them to be “raw” so I can completely relate when readers ask me where in the world to find such a product. (Answer: The bulk bins at health food stores!)
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  6. Pinto Beans
    I wouldn’t have been caught dead buying – much less eating – pinto beans and now my homemade slow cooker refried bean recipe (made from dried pinto beans) is one of my most favorite lunches! This might just be the strangest transition of them all…because it’s so ingrained in my brain that I don’t “like” beans.
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  7. Whole Milk
    Okay, I shouldn’t say that I NEVER bought whole milk because my kids actually drank it for a short period of time when they were babies, but it is most certainly a beverage I didn’t drink myself (probably since I was a baby). I was a skim milk girl all the way, and I admit that I was a little “scared” to make the switch, but I am so glad I did! Now I know what “real” milk tastes like, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. (Note to the raw milk advocates…it’s illegal here in N.C., although I am not sure I’d drink it anyway.)
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  8. Coconut Oil and Ghee (a.k.a. Clarified Butter)
    These are both unrefined “cooking fats” that I didn’t even purchase until long after completing our 100-day pledge, and to be honest I had no idea what to do with either one! I am finding that ghee is nice to have around because you can use it like butter, but it has a much higher smoke point so it doesn’t burn as easily. Also, there’s apparently not much you CANNOT do with coconut oil…just check out the reader comments in my post about it!
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  9. Lara Bars
    I still call these “granola bars” out of habit even though I know there’s no granola in there, but that’s because they replaced my very regular consumption of “Quaker Chewy Granola Bars” (in the old days of course). My favorite Quaker bars were the peanut butter chocolate chip, but sometimes I would go for the variety pack to switch it up. J Now I instead have a stash of Lara Bars (the cashew cookie only has 2 ingredients!!) as the “just in case” snacks in my purse.
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  10. Kiwi
    This might be a little random, but the point here is that it is never too late to try and “like” new foods. I am not sure why, but I never ate kiwi before last year (that I can recall) and one day my 4-year-old asked if we could buy one. I certainly wanted to embrace her little adventurous food streak (and set a good example about trying new stuff) so I said “yes.” And I am so glad I did because now that I’ve figured out that soft = ripe…I absolutely love kiwis! Who knew?!?
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Please share any new-found “real food” that you now love in the comments below!

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255 thoughts on “Real Food Tips: 10 Items I Never Purchased Before Cutting Processed Food”

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  2. Tracy Teague

    Raw milk is not illegal in NC. It must be labeled for pet consumption. I buy certified organic raw (pet) milk weekly from a farm in NC. The key to buying raw milk is to make friends with your farmer. Visit the farm and do your homework. You have access to amazing raw milk at the regional farmer’s market in your area. If you’re buying milk in the grocery store, you’re consuming a processed food.

    Reply
  4. Kristy

    Laughed when I read the Kiwi story. I had same experience one year when I decided to make Southern Living recipe (roasted root vegetables) for Thanksgiving dinner. Recipe called for rutabaga. I bought it and tried it for the first time in my life at the ripe old age of 50. Now I know I like rutabaga. :-) You’re right…it’s never too late to find and try something new.

    Reply
  5. Chloe

    It’s crazy to me to realize that it has now been almost 5 years since I started following your blog and eating real food. So much has changed since then! My family still thinks I’m crazy and that I am depriving my daughter (who is now two and eats like a champ!) I eat so many foods I used t9 be intimidated by and it is awesome!

    Reply
  6. Mia

    I read one of your posts about the milk delivery service had local, grass fed milk cows. I called them up, but they don’t deliver to Huntersville. BUMMER! I see the illustration in this post is the Homestead Creamery brand. I picked some up recently as an trial alternative, but I haven’t done research on the brand yet. Do you use HC brand whole milk? I noticed their buttermilk was labeled grass fed, but I didn’t see that in the whole milk, so it had me wondering about it. So far I love it.
    Also, thank you so much for the granola recipe and idea. Cereal has always been my comfort food. If I came home stressed from work, my husband would get the cereal out and ready for me knowing I would want that over any dinner food. So, when I read your cookbook/ blog about how processed cereal was, I was so scared to give it up to start on the unprocessed journey. I am beyond thankful to find that the granola has satisfied my cereal addiction and I haven’t had a box of cereal in my home for over 6 months! Step by step, we’re cutting more out. Thank you!!

    Reply
    1. Crystal

      I gotta admit that when I read “not sure if try it anyhow” in regards to the raw milk, I had to double check the website. I never knew that crunchy,real food eating people were still ignorant about the benefits of raw milk. I mean that in the nicest way possible of course! Sorry!
      It’s just that pasteurized milk is known to be garbage to us real food peeps lol!
      Anyhow, Love the recipes of the website here (gluten free ones at least) thanks! Great ideas on this page!

      And Good to see another raw milk advocate on here! Go Tracey!!

      Reply
  8. Lisa

    Beets and Radishes. I have been getting produce baskets from a local farm every week and they give you whatever is growing right now. It has forced me to try beets (baked/roasted, served with other veggies) and radishes (in my salads), both of which I barely ate before but now love.
    Also chard is great mixed in with scrambled eggs!

    Reply
  11. Amy W.

    I’ve been making a majority of our dinners from scratch including sauces and flavor mixes that you would normally get from a packet. I’d like to rid our house of sugar in our tea and occasional desserts but not sure how. I tried raw stevia but I don’t think it agreed with me. What are my options?

    Reply
    2. Terry

      If you are drinking black tea hot or iced, honey is great. Just put it in the hot iced tea brew to blend. I was a sugar fiend in tea, and now after slowly reducing and replacing, I drink iced tea straight and only use honey at home…

      Reply
  13. April

    I love that you added that you had not tried kiwi before last year. Around a year ago I had decided I was going to make a strawberry kiwi smoothie but I had never tried kiwi before so I decided to eat a bite to see if I liked it so I knew whether to put it in my smoothie or not. Well, I ended up in the emergency room because I had an allergic reaction to it. The point of my post is that anytime I would tell someone about my allergy they would be shocked that I was 40 years old and had never eaten kiwi before.

    Reply
    1. Sharon

      The funny thing about allergies is that you can get them at any time of your life, to any thing. I was never allergic to beestings or wasp stings, for the 40+ years of my life, and one day, I was stung and had a severe allergic reaction. Now I carry benadryl with me wherever I go in the summer months, and avoid wasps!!

      Reply
  14. Megan

    Love this! These are all things I started buying in the last two years when I started being more aware of processed foods too. I also use raw honey. Just got it for the first time. Love it! Great for smoothies, oatmeal etc. Also something i read in your blog about pop-corn yes my home made white corn popped on the stove taste way better and healthier then bagged microwave. Love it! Kale is new thing for me within the last year or two also but now I love it. Especially homemade Kale chips. Avocado is another good fat I like.

    Reply
  15. Wanda

    In our quest to eat better, I have been so happy to see all the organic foods at our local Aldi, and Walmart. And the Kettle brand chips are great! Not to be confused with kettle cooked chips. There is a brand called Kettle, and they are Non-GMO verified, and oh so crunchy, and not near as greasy as the ‘regular’ chips. Anyway — I know you had mentioned you probably wouldn’t drink raw milk even if it WAS legal in your state … I can tell you that raw milk is the best ever! You just have to know your dairy farmer and how he/she takes care of their cows. Since the milk isn’t pasteurized yet, it doesn’t destroy all the extra goodies that does a body good. The only downside to raw milk is you have to shake it before you pour a glass, because the fat will separate from the milk, and you have to mix it back up again =) So believe me, if I could get my hands on raw milk again, oh yeah! <3

    Reply
  16. Lori

    Real Food Tips: 10 Items I Stopped Purchasing Since Cutting Processed Food

    1. Vegetable/Canola Oil
    2. Canned Anything
    3. Boxed Cereals
    4. Hot dogs
    5. Pre-packaged sliced meats-turkey, beef, chicken, ham.
    6. Frozen meals
    7. Frozen Pizza
    8. Packaged cookies
    9. Microwave Popcorn
    10. Fat Free anything

    Reply
  17. Jane Hope

    Seaweed. Fresh ginger and garlic. Leeks. Fennel. We ate plenty of beans, growing up (folks from southern Missouri), especially pintos, my favorite.

    Reply
  19. Karen - St. Louis

    I love the fact that you are so honest about what you ate before 100 days of real food. I too, ate what I thought was best for me, according to government standards and gained so much weight and felt so awful for 20 years or so! Now I do everything the total opposite of standards and research everything I am interested in eating, cleaning with, and sleeping on! (Organic sheets rule!) Thank you, Lisa.

    Reply
  21. Ruth Lynn

    Funny about the oats! They are kind of a “go to” when I need to make something sweet to fulfill a craving. So versatile too – from flour to energy bites! I am realizing how much of a “go to” they are – now that we are trying to cut grains from our diet to see if that helps with some health issues.

    Reply
  22. Kristi

    I buy all of these, except the first one. I buy the wheat berries and grind my own. They are not strange things to buy. Is that why people call me a health food fanatic?

    Reply
  23. Marina

    Hi!! I love your bog, read it all the time for inspiration. Just laughed aloud at the last point, I’m Canadian and married to a New Zealander, and the first time I said, I love eating kiwis, in Nz, I was laughed out if the room!! Over there it’s callled kiwi fruit as just kiwi can refer to the cut little birds and also to people native to New Zealand :)

    Reply
  24. Jenny

    I hated all nuts and had never tried kale or leeks. I think the biggest change for me was that
    Growing up I had a hard time eating chicken off a bone.
    Eventually it got easier and now I make whole chickens for my
    Family. I just have to tell myself that I am doing it for our health and saving money.
    I even make bone broth. Love your website and I tell friends and family about it.

    Reply