If a life without processed food seems foreign to you, you may wonder what you should actually eat. Very simply, choose to eat real food. (Your taste buds will be the first to thank you for the change!)
Image courtesy of Apolonia/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Real food is food in its most natural state. Think of actual meat, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. If you could grow something in your garden, it’s real food. If you could raise something to later eat, it’s real food.
Real food doesn’t typically come in plastic pouches or boxes. You can’t just add water and microwave some powdery concoction to produce real food. Real food is made from God – or with a very few ingredients made from God. For example, butter’s considered real food even though it’s manmade. Margarine or buttery “spreads” are not.
If in doubt, check the ingredients label. If there are, at the max, only a few ingredients, it’s most likely real food.
Take peanut butter as another example. If you look at the ingredients of a container of real peanut butter – or if you choose to make your own – the sole ingredient is peanuts. Yet a container of “100% Natural” jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter contains roasted peanuts, sugar, honey, fractionated palm oil, molasses and salt.
Or, think about parmesan cheese. A block of fresh parmesan cheese is, well, parmesan cheese made of milk, salt and some enzymes. But a container of “Grated Italian Style Topping” includes parmesan cheese, romano cheese, rice flour, vegetable shortening (made of partially hydrogenated soybean oil – a transfat made with genetically modified soybeans), corn flour, salt, powdered cellulose (wood pulp).
Opting for organic
If you’re ready to go a step farther in your real food adventures, opt for organic food as often as possible. Sometimes the cost and tight budgets make this tricky, but buy it while you can. You’ll be surprised to find some great deals on organic food – it might even be cheaper than non-organic food! (Those uncommon sales are when I thank God and stock up.)
While it’s true that organic regulations aren’t as strict as they once were, choosing organic food is the only way you can ensure you’re not consuming genetically modified organisms or food treated with pesticides.
Talk back
What has your real food journey been like?
This post is copyrighted. As the intellectual property of Hilary Kimes Bernstein and Accidentally Green, llc, please feel free to share on social media or link, but do not repost more than a teaser of this article.
Latest posts by Hilary Kimes Bernstein (see all)
- The Day I Realized Healthy Choices Don’t Guarantee Health - July 21, 2015
- Avoid Synthetic Bug Sprays with All-Natural Repellents - July 16, 2015
- The Day I Learned I Could Cook Real Food - July 13, 2015
Leave a Reply