What is "real food"?
real [ree-uhl, reel] adj 1. true and actual; not artificial
food [food] n 1. something that nourishes, sustains, or supplies
Real food is the food nature gives us. It's food that our great-great grandparents grew in their yards and cooked with in their kitchens. It is unprocessed or minimally processed before we consume it.
Why we started
2 1/2 years ago I started Speedy (my son) on a Gluten-Free diet to try to control and eliminate some of his behaviors due to autism. After about 4 months most of his aggressive and self-destructive behaviors were gone. We did a gluten challenge after about a year to be sure it wasn't just a coincidence, and it wasn't. In that moment I truly realized the power of nutrition and it lead us on the "real food" journey we're on today.
I figured if gluten could have such an effect on Speedy's behavior, other foods and additives were probably doing the same thing behavior wise and health wise. Not only for him, but for the rest of the family as well.
Being a health promotion student , I learned the ins and outs of reading nutrition labels. How to calculate carbohydrates, fats, calories, etc. How to read ingredient lists (first ingredient is the main ingredient, etc) I didn't learn about the extra "junk" being put into our foods and how it effects our health and behaviors.
How we do it
We use the 80/20 rule; 80% of what we eat is "real food" and 20% is, what we consider, an indulgence. We aren't perfect and we still want to indulge in things like candy (read: skittles and starburst- oh my!), dinners out, and other snacks and treats we used to enjoy regularly. I'm sure there are days here and there when our 80/20 rule is thrown out the window. It happens; we're human
What's ahead
In the next couple of months, you'll learn how to make healthier choices for yourself and your family. I'll break it down so it won't be complicated. Because let's face it- health and nutrition is complicated. It isn't straight forward like in the days of our great-great-great grandparents. But, I promise you it will be easy to follow and it might even spark a little change for you and your family!
OH this is just perfect for me. I've been thinking that I had to clean up my family's food, and really trying to focus on real food. I love the 80/20 split... it makes it more manageable.
ReplyDeleteHow hard was it going gluten-free? And what about getting the HFCS out? Where do you do most of your grocery shopping? We've been thinking about going GF, or at least cutting way back, but I'm intimidated by it! I love this 80/20 rule...very doable!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! Starting the gluten-free diet was tough, but it gets easier as time goes on. There were so many items that contained gluten that I was unaware of, so it took a little time to learn. Also, it's much easier in the summer when there are lots of fresh fruits and veggies available!
ReplyDeleteEliminating HFCS was pretty easy for us- you can usually find an alternative that doesn't contain it. I live in a small town (13,000), so I do my grocery shopping at our local Cashwise - it's just a regular grocery store, but contains a really great natural food section.
I know this can be intimidating and overwhelming, but just do one thing at a time. Right now we're working on eliminating artificial color/flavor and it's a big challenge- its in everything!
Now that I've started a novel, I think I might do a couple blog posts to go more in-depth about some of your questions. Thanks for asking them, and I hope this helped a little. :) If you have specific questions, you can always email us at cleanleanmamma@gmail.com
-Jess
I am so glad I found your blog on Pinterest! I have been wanting to make these changes, but lacked the guidance or gameplan to help me make the changes. Looking forward to reading this series!
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