5 Simple Ways to Switch to Real Food Today
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Ok ok… I hear it all the time! I want to eat real food, but I don’t know where to even start! As a RD (registered dietitian), I’m constantly hearing this and have noticed that many people don’t even know what they are eating! Pleading guilty myself sometimes… How are we suppose to make healthier decisions if we don’t know what we are eating to begin with? My belief is that we should be eating food as close to the natural form as possible.
5 Simple Ways To Switch to Real Food Today
1. Write down what you eat for 1 week without making any changes. That way you can see exactly what your eating in a week period and then you can start making simple changes.
2. Stop drinking skim milk! Drink whole milk instead! Honestly, raw milk from a credible farmer under very sanitary conditions is the best option, but I know that is not possible for everyone, so organic whole milk is the next best thing. Full fat milk isn’t going to make you fat. Actually quite the opposite. Studies have shown that people that drink whole milk weigh less than those who drink skim. 1, 2
3. Eat butter and other healthy fats like coconut oil, fish, and olive oil (use cold) and stay away from margarine, trans fat, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, etc. How many of you would think you would hear that coming out of a dietitians mouth? People had a very flawed idea that low-fat diets are good for us (hey that’s what I learned in school too) 3. Well after reading Real Food by Nina Planck and then doing lots of research myself my opinion drastically changed. Now that doesn’t give you permission to go crazy and eat tons and tons of fat, but we all need fat to function properly and without enough healthy fats we start to see a lot of health problems. 4
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4. Start adding more fruits and/or vegetables at every meal. Look at your journal and see how you can sneak in more produce. Do you have eggs for breakfast – add in some chopped veggies. Top toast with fruit, add veggies to pasta or dishes, offer a side salad with dinner. Another great tip is to buy frozen fruits and vegetables. They are already chopped, easily accessible, and stay good longer than the fresh stuff.
5. Look at your busy schedule and try to find 1-2 hours one day to prepare some food for the week. Cook a big batch of rice, chop vegetables to easily throw into dishes, toss a whole chicken into a crock pot with some seasonings, etc. Real food doesn’t have to be difficult, but we have made it to be in our mind.
Check back next week when I share 5 more tips to switch to real food.
What are simple changes you’ve made to eat better?
I am always looking for ways to feed my family more real foods. We stopped buying margarine and 1% milk years ago and I try to add more vegetables to our diet so when I read this it made me aware that I am already do an ok job. I didn’t know about the coconut oil, so I will need to see how I can replace some of our vegetable oils with coconut oil. Thanks for the great reminders.
Love this and L-O-V-E your blog. Found you on the Tatertots and jello link up (I’m #568). I have a similar view on wanting to live a more natural life, but it isn’t always the most convenient. I’m blogging about ways to try and make healthier decisions more convenient over at http://BloomingInBedlam.com. My strengths lie more in natural beauty products, but I want to learn more about REAL FOOD! I also love your “Big Mess Maker” description in your bio- My husband is constantly shaking his head at my messes! Signing up to follow your blog now.