Eat Real Food
We need to eat real food. No fast foods. No junk foods. No processed foods. Just honest, nutritious, real food.
It seems that everywhere I look there is an expert touting a certain food "model" (low-carb, low-fat, Mediterranean, Paleo, Keto, vegan, etc.) as the correct way to eat healthy - only to turn around and find another equally credentialed expert touting something different. While everyone agrees that diet is extremely important to health and well-being, they can't seem to agree on what actually is the best diet.
Oftentimes, these food systems have many rules that are annoying, confusing, and possibly even dangerous. And I believe that this is the reason so many people give up on trying to follow nutrition advice altogether and just close their eyes and eat whatever tastes good to them - often resulting in poor heath and disease.
"You don't have to be a scientist to know how to eat." ~ Michael Pollan
In my opinion, eating healthy doesn't need to be so complicated. I LOVE food and I believe it is meant to be enjoyed. And it shouldn't require intensive study, calorie counting, or complicated calculations to figure out what you should eat and shouldn't eat. The holistic nutrition food philosophy that I was taught and have found to be successful for myself and my clients is really pretty simple: just eat real food!
Real foods are grown, hunted, or foraged - whole foods in their most natural state. This means they are unrefined, not processed or only minimally processed, and unadulterated without additives or preservatives, the way nature made them. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and animal foods including beef, fish, poultry, pork, and eggs are all whole foods. Animal proteins are pasture-raised and wild, and produce is local, seasonal, and organic. These are the types of foods that our great grandparents would have recognized and eaten.
Selecting real food is simply about avoiding modern agricultural methods (pesticides and GMOs) and manufacturing processing (that removes fiber and includes sugars, bad fats, and numerous additives - many that cause the product to be addictive for their soaring profits!), and instead going back to the basics. It's about letting go of current diet and food fads and trusting the wisdom of nature instead.
Ideally, we should be purchasing single-ingredient foods. Although you should know how to read food labels, most real food doesn't come with a label so the real food kitchen will house very few packages and labels. Most items come straight from the source - and we should always know and trust that source.
"When you eat whole foods and avoid foods that are heavily processed, you are way ahead of the game and your health will soar." ~ Ty Bollinger, 22 Ways to Cancer Proof Your Life Today
SHOPPING FOR REAL FOOD
The general rule of thumb is to shop the outer perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the inner aisles. The outside is usually where the real food is stocked.
Produce - if you are choosing real food, the produce section will be where you spend most of your time.
Dairy - IF you choose to consume dairy products, then look for full fat, organic, and preferably raw.
Eggs - aim to purchase organic eggs from pastured chickens who roam in the grass and scratch in the dirt.
Meat/Fish - be sure to select only organic meats (hormone and antibiotic free) and wild-caught or sustainably farmed seafood.
Beans/Legumes - choose organic dried beans and legumes or keep a supply of canned beans on hand for busy times - be sure to look for cans that are BPA free.
Nuts & Seeds - purchase in small quantities from the bulk bins so you keep your supply fresh to avoid rancid oils.
Grains - IF you choose to consume grains in your diet, then look for unrefined, whole grains in the bulks bins as well.
Natural Sweeteners - Raw honey and pure maple syrup in moderation.
REAL FOOD AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
With the Covid-19 virus affecting all of our lives right now, it’s especially important to keep our immune system strong and functioning optimally. Eating a diet full of processed foods and sugar depletes our nutrients because it doesn’t have the vitamins and nutrients we need to metabolize our food. That’s why the nutritional density of our food is SO important. When you have low levels of zinc, vitamin D, B vitamins, iron, vitamin A, and omega-3 fats your immune system can’t function properly. So, the best way to boost your immune system is to eat real, whole foods and cut out or avoid sugar and processed foods.
And, just for the record, I do still give myself permission to consume an OCCASIONAL, excellent quality "treat" that isn't considered real food, but it's the exception - not the rule, and they definitely don't live in my house!