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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

So many people say that groceries are expensive. ⁠
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Ok yes, right now they're a bit over the top. ⁠
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But many times the expense can come from not using up what you have in the cupboards and fridge.⁠
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My tip today is to use up the food you have *before* you make a brand new list for the week.⁠
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Go through your fridge - what do you need to eat up? ⁠
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The sub-tip to this is that you don't have to have a recipe for everything. Many foods might seem random, but they go well together on the plate.⁠
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Are there a bunch of random veggies you can roast together to eat with a protein or put into a salad or soup?⁠
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Do you have cans of beans or salmon in the cupboard you could eat up? ⁠
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Always check what you have and then make a list and head to the store to buy food to fill in the gaps.⁠
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If you really need help DM me to see how we can work together.
Meal prepping can be fun I promise! Especially whe Meal prepping can be fun I promise! Especially when you’re prepping fun and delicious food.

1. Oats don’t have to be boring! Use whole oats and top them with prepped seasonal fruits. Figs are AMAZING on oats, btw! 

2. Hearty greens like romaine lettuce and kale can be prepped into a salad that will last about 3 days in the fridge. Only add tomatoes if they’re whole so they don’t get mushy. Homemade salad dressing is your friend! Make a big batch and it will last at least 2 weeks in the fridge.

3. Yogurt parfaits are delish, can be made in advance, and taste amazing with regular greek yogurt or coconut yogurt. Raspberries at the bottom turn into scrumptious jam as it sits overnight and nuts and seeds add a necessary crunch! They’ll last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

4. If you’re feeling peckish prepping a hearty snack will help you get to the next meal without a crash. Pumpkin bites with sesame are delish and satisfying! They’ll last about 4 days in the fridge or you can freeze them for a month.

5. Lastly veggies and dip! Prepping veggies to snack on with a hearty dip will help to keep you satisfied all day. Prep once, and eat all week!

If you’re looking for meal plan and prep help I’m accepting new clients at One Heath Services. We’ll work together to set up a plan that’s just for you so every week can be a breeze when it comes to meals. DM me for more info.
***EDIT: These are RAMPS! Oops. But you can still ***EDIT: These are RAMPS! Oops. But you can still read about all the benefits of garlic and green garlic below. Also, you can use ramps in the recipe I gave you!***

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This week I got my first batch of green garlic in the veggie box!⁠
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Green garlic, or spring garlic, is a younger version of the garlic we know well and use in our cooking. It’s milder and can be used in many recipes. You can eat the white and green parts.⁠
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It has a white base like a green onion although it’s a bit bigger and its green stems are more flat than rounded. ⁠
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The younger version of this garlic has the same amazing health benefits as its older version making it an excellent addition to your recipes.⁠
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Not to mention it’s local and can basically be grown anywhere which is fantastic news for our environment.⁠
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Health Benefits of Garlic:⁠
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⚡️Helps to reduce cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure⁠
Garlic’s sulfur-containing compounds can be beneficial to the upper digestive tract.⁠
⚡️We need to eat garlic in our meals at least 2-3 times a week in order to see these health benefits.⁠
⚡️Use it raw and cooked. Raw garlic retains its health benefits more so than when it is cooked.⁠
⚡️Dried garlic doesn’t have the same effect as raw or cooked. Tastes good though!⁠
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⚡️A Quick Recipe: Quinoa (or rice or millet) with Green Garlic⚡️⁠
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Slice the ends off of the green garlic and thinly slice the entire vegetable including the green parts.⁠
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Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a pan and sauté the green garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add quinoa (about 1-2 cups) and stir. Add a bit of salt and pepper and voila! You have a flavourful side dish. ⁠
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#recipe #springrecipes #simplerecipes
My brother-in-law Steve spent a large portion of o My brother-in-law Steve spent a large portion of our Christmas dinner sharpening my knives. I was so grateful, but also hesitant that I would cut myself.⁠
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When I started cooking with my newly-sharpened knives, I was in awe.⁠
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Sharp knives make all the difference when it comes to enjoying cooking. It's also safer if you can believe it.⁠
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With a sharp knife, you're less likely to push down harder on the knife trying to get it through an onion, for example.⁠
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It just slices through with little pressure. ⁠
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Dull knives leave room for error and slicing fingers (listen, I've cut a few fingers over the years...).⁠
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If you're having trouble enjoying cooking at home, I encourage you to either get a new knife (it doesn't have to be expensive), or get someone to sharpen your knives for you (call a Steve in your area!).⁠
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Take care of them with a little holder and treat them kindly. Having a sharp knife will bring you one step closer to love cooking at home.⁠
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xo⁠
Steph⁠
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#kitchenskills #cookingtips #easycooking #enjoycooking #inthekitchen

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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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