I wasn’t always this healthy….
There was a time in my life where eating healthy, real food was not a habit. Like most college students, I survived on less-than-optimal cafeteria food, ramen, mac and cheese, and lots of sugar. I gained 20 pounds in my freshman year, whereas formerly I had always been pretty skinny. (Not that weight is the only or ultimate measure of health. I don’t believe it is.) While I ate healthier after moving back home after graduation, it wasn’t a huge focus for my life.
Declining health in my early-mid 20’s forced me to examine my food choices. In 2012, after going gluten-free in an attempt to clear up adult acne, I realized that my stomach bloating and gas had greatly decreased. My joints also didn’t ache as much. I did try to go “Paleo” right away (cutting out all grains), but found it was too big of a change all at once. It also was in the days where Paleo was still a newish concept and the guidelines were very restrictive. Nowadays it is treated more as a “template” to be individualized rather than a one-size-fits-all “diet.” I have come to embrace more of the “real food” label rather than identifying myself as “Paleo,” though I do follow a Paleo template.
Anyone can eat healthier!
Over the years, my journey has morphed and thankfully I feel mostly amazing these days. (Truly! I am healthier now as a 31-year-old than I was in my early 20’s.) Many of you may be wondering: how does one even get started on this healthy, real food journey? What does that even MEAN? Does it mean dieting for life? Does it mean giving up all my favorite foods? Can I even afford to eat real food?
The good news is that there is a positive outcome to all those questions. “Real foods” are foods which are as close to their natural state as possible. Real foods nourish our bodies rather than make them sick and inflamed. They provide us with macronutrients (protein, carb, or fat), vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, phytonutrients, and more. These things help our bodies function at optimal capacity. It is not about counting calories. (If you’ve been on that vicious cycle, you can breathe a sigh of relief!) Eating real food is not about restriction. It’s about consuming as many nutrients as possible and eating what works for you.
What does a real food plan look like?
Some examples of real food that I might eat in the course of my day are:
- Animal protein like grassfed beef, organic chicken, or pastured pork. I don’t eat super high-quality meat 100% of the time, but nonetheless animal protein is the best source of protein. I also sometimes have good fish like cod, halibut, or sardines. (Salmon and shellfish are excellent choices but unfortunately I’m allergic! I also can’t eat whole eggs, but I can eat egg yolks in moderation.)
- Non-starchy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and zucchini.
- Starchy vegetables like white potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- Fruit like berries, kiwi, semi-green banana, or pineapple.
- Gluten-free grains like basmati or jasmine rice, quinoa, or homemade granola with gluten-free oats.
- Healthy fats like organic virgin coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and grassfed butter. (Yes! Delicious, golden butter!)
- Select dairy products that I can tolerate, like plain yogurt or small amounts of real cheese.
- Beverages like full-fat coconut milk, almond milk, matcha green tea, herbal tea, or high-quality decaf coffee.
- Snacks like jerky, hummus with veggies or grain-free tortilla chips (Siete brand is awesome!), a fruit and veggie smoothie, roasted nuts and seeds, or cold cuts with a real food-based cracker like plantain chips or Mary’s Gone Crackers original style (featured on my plate above).
Yes, you can still have treats!
Do I always make perfect choices? Of course not, because I’m human. Sometimes I have pasta made from rice or corn flour. While those are naturally gluten-free, they still aren’t considered a “health food” because they are refined and processed. I also enjoy homemade treats and baked goods like gluten-free bread (sourdough is the best), coconut milk pudding, or even gluten-free brownies. Life should include some indulgences in moderation! But my main concern is making sure that for the most part, I am making healthy, nutrient-filled choices. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule, or the 90/10 rule? That’s what I’m talking about. It’s also important to get your body to a healthy baseline and resolve any inflammation or gut issues, before doing a lot of “food venturing.”
Crash course on how to shop for real food
Where does one find real food? At your local grocery store. You do not need to shop at a health food store. Your local farmer’s market is also an excellent place to find fresh, healthy food. (Though beware that not everything is healthy or economical! Try sticking to the meat and produce.) The healthiest food in a grocery store can mostly be found in the perimeter of the store. Think produce section, butcher/meat counter, dairy fridge, and some freezer areas like frozen vegetables.
Avoid prepackaged or “convenience” foods that have added sugars, artificial dyes and preservatives, and questionable ingredients that are unfamiliar. Just because something is hard to pronounce does NOT always mean it’s bad for you. But make sure to look up ingredients that you do not recognize. A healthy shopper is a conscious shopper. This post by Sarah Ballantyne, Ph.D. has some excellent tips for reading labels in the grocery store.
Ditch the dieting
As far as diets go, healthy eating is not dieting! In fact, dieting usually backfires because it is not sustainable. Diets don’t focus on making healthy eating a lifestyle. They are seen as something we are forced into or “have” to do, rather than something to be joyfully embraced and lived out for the rest of our lives. Oftentimes diets focus on calorie counting, as if every calorie is equal. They are not. There are healthy calories and there are bad calories. There is more to food than just calories (energy).
Finally, while eating healthy or real foods does mean giving up certain inflammatory substances like refined sugar and processed seed oils, it does not mean giving up pleasurable eating. Food is not punishment. The food we make and eat should be enjoyable and delicious! If you are eating bland, boring healthy food, then go right now to my Pinterest board to find some easy, healthy, delicious dinners! You will not feel deprived when eating truly nutritious foods because your body and mind will be balanced. There is also room in a healthy diet, like I said above, for treats.
More support with your journey to real food
I hope this gives you a good overview of what it means to eat healthy, real food. It truly is a joy to eat how I do! I want to spread the word of just how amazing this path is. At first, there will be difficulties, perhaps some major ones as you make the transition. Your taste buds and brain will crave the highly refined sugar and processed food for a bit. But after you get acclimated you will feel so nourished, energetic, and happy when you consume food as it was meant to be.
If you want more support in how to navigate this world of eating real food, sign up for the email list! You’ll receive a free guide called “12 Ways to Healthify Your Life Today” and be the first to hear about a special program I’m rolling out that will help you with this very topic of healthier eating and clean living.