"Real Food" [ree-uhl food] n. food that's character has been unaltered through man-made processes, that does not have ingredients in it that you can't find somewhere in nature, and that has not been treated with artificial chemicals during its production or preparation processes.
Contrary to popular believe, eating real food absolutely does not mean subsiding on lettuce, tofu and bulgur wheat! You really can have your cake and eat it too. A healthy, well-balanced, all-natural diet can and does consist of the good things in life - cheese, carbs, cream, meat, salt, and desserts are all considered real foods. Most of my favorite dishes actually contain a little of each of these!
If you're new (or even adverse) to eating real food, just think about whether the food you put in your body is a type of food that would have been eaten 100 years ago. If the answer is no, it's probably not something that your body was designed to process. I fully understand that it is nearly impossible to completely avoid "fake" foods in today's society (which is pretty darn sad). But, you do have control over the foods that you bring home from the grocery store, and you can somewhat control what is eaten by you and your family when you're away from home.
As a basic rule of thumb, if it comes from the freezer section at the grocery store (unless you're in a health foods store like Whole Foods), through a drive-thru window, or if the ingredient list on the package has more than 5-ish ingredients, it's probably not real food. I think if you saw the amount of processing these products go through between the farmer and your plate, you'd be appalled. If you haven't watched Food, Inc. I highly recommend it. There are actually dozens of food documentaries that follow the atrocious treatment of our foods and drive home the importance of sticking to real food!
When I'm in the grocery store, I do read the ingredients on every package of food that goes in my cart. This sounds exhausting and incredibly time-consuming, but you really only need to read the label once to decide if it's on the "yes" list for your and your family. If you have kids, take one trip to the store without them, and actually think about everything you're taking home to feed your family. Or, just read the labels in your pantry at home. If you've decided an item is not ok, leave it off the list next time or find a substitute.
I know that we all have so much going on in our lives that just 5 minutes spent on anything extra seems impossible. But, what is possibly more important than the foods that are going into you and your family's bodies? I also know that pre-prepared and processed foods are huge timesavers for busy lifestyles. But, again, taking the time to make sure that you are going through your days healthily and fully charged is entirely worth the extra effort. For the past year, I've been a full-time mom, part-time bakery owner, and full-time law student. I know what busy is. Even so, I have yet to feed Parker anything other than real food. We don't eat drive-thru, we don't eat pre-made frozen meals, and we don't eat artificial anything. But, we do eat fast, cheap, and GOOD!
I know that it's daunting to take charge of what you and your family eat, but I also know that it will pay off and you will be a healthier person/family for it! I promise to share as many shortcuts and secrets as I can along the way!
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