Guide to Real Food Eating

What does a “real food diet” really mean? Real food ingredients are, naturally, foods that come directly from nature, keeping their inherent nutrition intact from macronutrients (like fiber) to micronutrients (like vitamin C & antioxidants). Eating real foods is important to nourish our bodies, keeping us going for the long haul. Here is my compiled list of the most important principles. If you implement these, you will be eating pretty darn well. You will likely feel pretty darn good too!

1. Eat for steady blood sugar
   • Keeping steady blood sugar is crucial for steady energy levels, proper brain function, and disease prevention. Eating refined carbohydrates or sugar without accompanying fiber, protein, or fat will keep you on a blood sugar roller coaster.
     • Reduce refined sugar and refined carbs in the overall diet. Sugar and refined carbs are excellent energy sources before, during, and after training sessions but opt for less refined foods with more fiber otherwise throughout the day.
     • Make sure you have protein, (complex) carbohydrates, good sources of fat, and vegetables at most meals.
2. Stay away from those “bad fats“
   • What are these actually? The jist is many of the fats prolific in our foods are are highly processed and damaged, therefore inflammatory to the body. Further, we need to keep optimal ratios of the different types of fats which can be largely skewed when eating a Standard American Diet.
     • Reduce highly refined vegetable oils: margarine, partially/hydrogenated oils, vegetable oil, soy oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, ect. The intense processing of commercial oils includes extremely high temperatures and pressure, bleaching agents, and chemical emulsifiers. The polyunsaturated fats in these oils are very delicate and prone to damage, which are damaging when taken up by the body and our cell membranes.
     • Choose organically raised animal products over low quality conventional ones. The unnatural diets (and lack of exercise) influences the animals’ fats we then consume. Essentially, healthy animals produce healthy meat and products, and the opposite!
     • These good fats are needed and anti-inflammatory to the body: extra virgin olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, avocado oil, grass fed butter, ghee, nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut.
3. Eat the rainbow
   • This is a way of saying eat as many plants as possible! Think diversity. Plants do not only include vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but they are full of phytonutrients (super nutrients for the body). There are over 25,000 phytonutrients and they are what give plants their radiant colors, unique flavors, and distinct aromas PLUS the plethora of health benefits.
   • By eating a wide array of plant foods we are getting the nature’s beautiful balance of nutrients available. Go seasonal with your color choices. Often, the darker/richer a foods color the more nutrients it contains.
   • Artificially colored cereals, fruit snacks, candy, ect. are trying to tap our natural attraction towards colorful foods, but these processed foods are lacking in any superpowers.
   • Athletes especially need all the extra boosts from nutrient dense foods thanks to all their cell turnover. Everyone can benefit from these nutrients for proper/optimal functioning and disease prevention.
4. Reduce toxic exposure
   • Toxins inhibit proper functioning, deplete nutrient stores, and damage the body’s detoxification processes. Thereby inflammation increases with risk chronic disease development. Toxins accumulate in adipose fat, remaining a toxic source inside the body and can lead to poor effects.
     • Examples in food: pesticides from conventional produce; antibiotics/hormones in conventionally raised animals; chemicals/artificial food additives such as food dyes, bleaches, and preservatives from highly processed foods and meats; heavy metals in some seafood.
     • Opt to buy more organic all around. Reference the Dirty Dozen list which are the most heavily sprayed produce. Opt for short ingredient lists and definitely avoid ingredients with numbers and capitol letters (signs of lab made chemicals)!
5. Get comfy in the kitchen
   • These days, it can be a challenge to eat healthfully without making your own food at home. Restaurants commonly cook with unhealthy oils, add excess sugar/salt for memorable flavor, and use conventional animal products. Farm to table and organic restaurants are best options.
     • Pre-packaged foods are covenient but can be unideal to health. Be ready with fruits and nuts for snacks and shop at natural food stores for better packaged items.
     • Embrace cooking as a labor of love! It’s an exciting time to try new recipes/foods or comfy classics while slowing down, being present, and spending time with loved ones. With some time I promise you will find it to be fun, rewarding, and satisfying. Your tastes will change and you will notice the hyperpalatability of highly processed foods; hello high standards!
6. Don’t be overwhelmed! You have to take all these bites at once. Small changes can make huge impacts. Contact me for nutritional consulting if you would like help towards making healthful, long lasting changes!