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How Eating Real Food Can Help Us Achieve Better Health

by Stephanie

How Eating Real Food Can Help Us Achieve Better Health

When I speak to people these days, nine times out of 10 the same issue inevitably comes up: how can I put healthier food on the table for my family?

This question is easy to answer, but tough to act upon.

These days we’re all rushed, coming to and from work, activities, and other commitments, and so many times the food we eat gets left to the last priority.

We end up tired, sick, and many times, grumpy or sad. It’s a bit of a cycle: If we don’t eat properly we get tired, sick, and sad, and as a result, we don’t have the energy to cook well or exercise.

To get out of this cycle, we need to nourish our bodies with real food that will give us enough energy to get through our hectic days, but also help us boost our immune systems to keep us (and our families) healthy. Eating real food can help us achieve this.

How Can Eating Real Food Help?

Eating a diet rich in real food, while eliminating ultra-processed foods, can help us build better health, give us energy, and keep us full longer.

How To Define Whole and Real Foods

So what the heck is ‘real food’ anyway?

As a society, we tend to over-complicate things, but I’m here to tell you that real food is simpler than you may think. Here’s a run-down:

  • Food as close to its natural state as possible.
  • Whole fruits and vegetables—as they were grown. Organic if possible.
  • Organic/grass-fed/wild/pasture-raised eggs and meats.
  • Wild/sustainably-caught fish
  • Natural sweeteners: real maple syrup (toss that Aunt Jemima stuff!), coconut sugar, raw honey.
  • Good fats: avocado, coconut milk, coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil.
  • Organic (raw) nuts, seeds, and air-popped popcorn.
  • Organic whole grains like brown rice and brown rice or quinoa pasta.
  • If food is packaged, it should be made with as few ingredients as possible and with ingredients you can pronounce!

What are Not Real Foods?

  • Many of the foods you’ll find in the middle section of the grocery store. There are a few exceptions of course, but 80-90% of the food in the aisles are full of highly-processed foods that will not help you no matter what the box claims.
  • Foods that say low-fat, or low anything are replacing fat with highly processed oils, sugars, and other gross fillers.
  • Light coloured oils like canola, and other ‘vegetables oils’. They increase inflammation in your body. Stick to the oils I mentioned above.
  • Pop/Soda! Drink water with lemon, berries, cucumber. If you like the fizzy stuff invest in a SodaStream.
  • Salad dressings, jarred sauces, etc.: Most salad dressings and sauces in the stores are made with canola or vegetable oils and are full of sugar and added fillers.
  • Bread and other bakery items that have five million ingredients. Bread doesn’t need all of those ingredients. I encourage you to steer clear of white bread because it will spike your blood sugar and it lacks nutrients. If you love bread, find a local baker that uses real and whole-grain ingredients.
  • Sprouted bread is a great option because sprouting releases the nutrients in the grain and makes it easier to digest if you can tolerate those grains. You will likely also find that by eating this bread, you’ll eat less of it because it’s so hearty.

A Word About the Nutrition Labels

I want you to rethink how you look at nutrition labels for the time being.

Forget about calories for a second and that box on the label that outlines the nutrition. The problem with counting calories is that there isn’t much focus on the nutritional value of a calorie.

For example: Say you’re counting calories and you decide you want to go for lunch at McDonald’s.

You see now that the menus have the calories associated with each item. The Big Mac may have 1000 calories and the chicken sandwich has 500. So you choose the chicken sandwich. But guess what? You’re still eating at McDonald’s and neither one of those options has any nutritional value that will benefit your body from a health standpoint.

So right now let’s focus less on caloric intake
and more on the quality of food you’re putting into your body. 


Look at the ingredient list on the label instead of how many calories you’re eating. Once you’ve figured out what food has good nutrition, you can count calories if that is important to you.

Don’t Deny Yourself Sweets—Consider Making Different Sweet Choices

When I crave sweets, I will eat a couple of dates (super sweet!), have a piece of fruit, or I’ll make cookies sweetened with coconut sugar, or I’ll have some dark chocolate.

By choosing these items, we’ll not only satisfy our sweet tooth, but we’ll be choosing options that won’t spike our blood sugar leaving us craving for more.

You’ll find that you won’t crash as you would after eating regular cookies and cakes.

Eventually, your body will stop craving processed sugars and you won’t feel the need to have them anymore. Or if you choose to have them, you won’t feel the need to have more than one piece.

Getting off the sweet train is not easy, but necessary for our long-term health. Refined, processed sugar is not our friend—we need to drop him pronto. Check out this great post about how to deal with sugar cravings for more info.

Get Moving

If you exercise on a regular basis—that’s great! If you don’t, I encourage you to get moving.

If you’re new to exercising start by going for a short walk every day.

Get off the computer chair and go for a walk around the block. To be truly successful with this way of eating we have to combine it with regular body movement.

Take the stairs. Download a 7-minute HIIT app on your phone (and use it!). Squat while you’re cooking dinner. You’ll see and feel results quicker if you keep moving—I promise you!

Those are some tips to get you started on the real food track. I’m not going to lie to you, this will take work if you’re not used to it. It can be easy to throw up your hands in the air and grab take out instead. 

But I know you can do this.

Stay out of the middle aisle in the store and reacquaint yourself with those fruits and veggies. Coming up, I’ll have a post about how easy it is to add greens to your meals so stay tuned for that.


P.S: Follow me on Instagram to get weekly tips and tricks!

P.P.S.:One last thing: If you haven’t done so already, sign up for my newsletter, get a week’s worth of dinners that are 30 minutes or less!

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: food choices, real food, whole food

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Follow me on Instagram • @lealoulemonade

From what I’ve heard so far, our property used t From what I’ve heard so far, our property used to be an apple orchard called Hope Farms in the 1800s. That’s all I really know (oh and that there’s a ghost we’ve yet to experience).

I was so excited to learn there were still 3 apple trees. But when we moved here no apples came.

The former owners must have trimmed them because truthfully they can be a bit of a pain when they fall and the animals and bugs get at them.

This year we started to see apples and then more apples and now all three trees are full of them. 

Many of them are wonky or blemished but they taste good! 

I picked this one today. It looks like I bought it from a store. 

‘Is that from *our* tree?’ The kids asked.

How cool and rewarding it is to pick food from your own yard. ❤️🍎🍏
Fun garden stuff! 🌱I picked some bush beans! M Fun garden stuff!

🌱I picked some bush beans! Most of them didn’t take. I think I have a furry little muncher eating the leaves…

🌱I harvested my garlic! I planted 16 cloves in November and now I have 16 bulbs! Pretty sweet return right there.

🌱My cauliflower is coming along! Almost there. 

🌱Not pictured are my mini watermelons! They’re so cute!

I’m learning lots and already thinking of what I’d do differently next summer.
Well, guess what? Our wellness retreat was cance Well, guess what? 

Our wellness retreat was canceled on June 24 because it was calling for thunderstorms all day - we had to make a call and guess what else? It barely rained! 

Such is life!

We managed to move most of the attendees to Sunday, July 16 and we'd love to open it up one more time to see if you would like to attend with them.

We'd love to see you!

As a reminder, here is the plan for the day:

❤️Welcome Circle
❤️Yoga + Group Reiki Class with Sonya Brar
❤️Cooking Class with me!
❤️Lunch together
❤️Meditation
❤️Closing Circle

I'm finalizing the yummy recipes we'll be cooking and eating. Fresh and local ingredients as much as possible. 

I'm also keeping the recipes simple because you're coming to recharge right? 

Join us on July 16! Link is in my bio @lealoucooks 
—-
@soar_wellness
Eat the rainbow(ish). 🌈 I find kids (and adult Eat the rainbow(ish). 🌈

I find kids (and adults) are more likely to eat veggies when we offer them like this. 

Sounds simple, but I find my kids eat more like this than when I put them in lunches or directly on their plates at dinner. 

Plus, it’s pretty on the table! 

I’m serving this with pulled chicken sandwiches for dinner tonight! 

Soccer night! ⚽️

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About Stephanie

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Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

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