Real Food for Real People: The Real Food Movement

The Real Food Movement is a lifestyle change that focuses on eating healthy, wholesome food that the earth provides. It’s food that has been grown and raised, not manufactured and processed.

Hi Friends! Please excuse my very long absence. I decided to take a step back from the site to gain some perspective and to practice a bit of self care (something all of us deserve but often neglect to do).

While on my short sabbatical from the site, I…

• read several books. So many books, so little time. Reviews coming soon!
• caught up on some rest and relaxation. What the hell is that?
• celebrated my birthday. I can’t believe I’m officially in my mid thirties–yikes!
• watched far too much Netflix. #sorrynotsorry
• bought a boat and got my boat license. I think the “mid-life crisis” stage of my life arrived a bit early.

Most importantly, I made a lifestyle change that has me feeling AMAZING! I usually hate the all-caps form of screaming, but this is definitely worthy of the dreaded act–pinky swear!

I ditched processed food–all of it!–and started eating real, wholesome food. What in the hell is real food?

Real food is grown or sustainably and humanely raised, not manufactured in some plant. It comes from the earth and isn’t tainted with antibiotics, growth hormones, or infused with artificial flavorings or chemically enhanced to make it smell and taste better than it actually is. Real food is pure and unaltered.

I hate to tell you this, but your beloved Oreo cookies are extremely over processed and chock full of chemicals. That cookie is as real as the pair of Louboutin pumps in my cousin’s closet. Listen, I hear your outrage, and I’m with you! I would be lying if I didn’t admit to some major Oreo love. I could eat an entire sleeve in one sitting and not hesitate to go back for another round.

Processed food is addictive! I wish this was fake news, but it’s not. Studies have shown that processed food has similar addictive qualities to chemical narcotics in that they trigger the pleasure centers of our brain, causing us to crave more. This cycle occurs when our diet is loaded with highly-processed foods that contain high amounts of refined sugar and carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils and trans fats, artificial flavorings and synthetic chemicals, high-fructose corn syrup, and the list goes on.

A label should not read like a chemical textbook. If you can’t pronounce it, it’s most likely not good for you and has no business being in your body.

Processed foods lead to obesity, illness, diabetes, digestive upset, food allergies and intolerance, infertility, high cholesterol and blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, and, in some cases, cancer. What we put in our body has a direct affect on our overall health. We are what we eat <—I can’t stress this phrase enough.

I did the only reasonable thing I could think of…I ditched every last stitch of processed food in my pantry and re-stocked with fruits, vegetables, pasture-raised beef and pork, organic, grass-fed dairy products, actual free-range poultry from local farms, high-quality fats, such as cold-pressed olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil, good-quality chocolate without the unnecessary additives.

Guess what? I feel great! I no longer experience desperate bouts of unhealthy food cravings. These days my cravings consist of cantaloupe–oh my, have I been piling in the lope lately!–toasted pecans, and dark chocolate sea salt almonds.

Even the hubby is eating better. Last night I fed him naturally sweetened paleo brownies and he gobbled them up. No more Little Debbie snacks for him! He was sad at first, but after giving him the deets on the ingredient list and promising to make him homemade snacks, he happily surrendered the box.

After dragging the trash can around my kitchen and ditching anything and everything processed, there’s no looking back. I feel good mentally and physically. My stress levels are beginning to diminish. And I’ve noticed an increase in mental clarity and energy. For me, this is a lifestyle change, not just some diet that I commit to for a few weeks and kick to the curb for the next food trend.

If you’d like to join me, I’m more than happy to have you. I’ll welcome you with opened arms and a bowl of cantaloupe since I currently have an abundance stock-piled in the fridge. Seriously, the more the merrier! I want this to be a community where we can connect and share our thoughts.

If you’d like to follow along and join the Real Food Movement journey, you can do so here and on Instagram using the hashtag #realfoodmvmnt. I’m not lying when I tell you that I wan’t to see what you’re eating on the daily. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to answer any and all questions!

Here’s your first Real Food Movement challenge: Ditch the processed food! Get rid of it..all of it!

I’ll be back with more challenges, information, and new recipes. In the meantime, re-stock your fridge and pantry with healthy, wholesome food and give these real-food recipes a try:

• Lemon Pepper Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
• Grilled Chicken & Sweet Kale Salad Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Strawberries & Cream Overnight Oatmeal
• Gluten-Free Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette 

As you can see from the above list of recipes, there will be zero deprivation when it comes to this lifestyle change. It’s all about making better food choices.

See you on the flip-side, foodies!