Real Food Defined – How to Lose Weight Eating Real Food

In Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food  he points out that as a people we are no longer eating food, we are instead eating “food-like substances.” Our food is so far removed from the way it was in nature that it is nearly unrecognizable. The consequences to our health and our waistlines are becoming more and more frightening!

So if you want to make the switch to eating real food, where do you start? What exactly is “real food?” And how do you lose weight eating real food?

 I personally love the definition that my husband gives. He says that the fewer steps from what it was in nature to when it goes in your mouth, the more real it is. If you walk out to your organically grown garden, pick a tomato and immediately pop it in your mouth, you are eating food at it’s absolute prime of nutrition, and taste! However, if you pick up a fast food hamburger and fries, the list of steps that your so-called food goes through before ending up in that greasy sack sitting on the passenger seat of your car is long, way too long to list.

So here is my quick list of how to lose weight eating real food:

1. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, lots and lots and lots of fruits and veggies! Preferably organic, as often as you can. That means at least one kind of fruit or veggie at each meal, maybe even more. Eat them for snacks, in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse. Fresh and raw is better, too.

2. Always go for the whole grain option. You have to really watch labels and be careful on this one. The front of the box can say “multi-grain,” but if you look at the label you will find that it is more bleached, enriched white flour than anything else. Always read the ingredient label to make sure it is made of mostly whole grains.

3. Make your food from scratch at home. I know, I know, I’ve used all those excuses that are running through your head, too. I know that you don’t have time, that you aren’t a good cook, that you just don’t know how. I’m sitting right there in that same boat with you on all those counts and I can tell you that it’s possible if you are really committed! I used to be a completely terrible cook, but I kept doing it anyway and I have improved a lot. Like anything else it takes a little practice, but wow is it worth it, both for health and for taste! With a little internet searching, it shouldn’t be hard to find a recipe for a homemade, cleaned up version of pretty much any processed food you currently eat.

4. Plan, plan, plan. When you don’t have a plan, you end up ordering a greasy pizza or hitting a drive through. Instead, if you know that when you get home you have all the ingredients for a fast, delicious, healthy meal waiting in your fridge, or better yet, dinner already cooking in the slow cooker on your countertop, it will be easy to make the healthier (and yummier!) choice.

5. Avoid the gimmicky words. For example, if the package you are looking at says, “fortified,” “enriched,” “light,” or anything along those lines, do not buy it. Each of these words mean that the food has been changed, stripped down of what it was in it’s natural state, and then something artificial put back in place of the natural stuff. Your body doesn’t know what to do with all the artificial stuff, and it can’t process all those vitamins your cereal was “fortified” with anyway. Read those ingredient labels, stick with the real thing and don’t be fooled!  Speaking of reading ingredient labels, make sure you can recognize everything on the list. Science experiments belong in a lab, not in your food! Is the ingredient something you would pull out of your cupboard and cook with it home? If not, put it back on the shelf.

6. Food should be enjoyed! If you think that losing weight means eating bland, gross “diet” food, you are thinking about food the wrong way! Real food is higher quality food. Higher quality food means better tasting food. I want you to really focus on eating at your next meal. Turn off all electronic devices, and yes, that includes the TV and your phone (I have a hard time with this one!). Sit down at a real table, not the couch, with your fanciest dishes and really focus on enjoying each and every bite. Take your time. What do you like about the dish? What would you change next time? You should feel a little ridiculous with how much you are really enjoying your food!

7.  Ease into it. Trying to change your entire diet right away will be overwhelming and it won’t work. Changing one thing at a time is a lot easier, and little changes will make a big impact in the long run!

8. Wrapping it up. The secret to lasting weight loss and a healthy body is really this simple! Because you are filling up on nutrition, the automatic side effect is weight loss. Cravings reduce because your brain stops sending out starvation signals to try to get more nutrition. Real food also is more filling, so it takes less food to feel satisfied, and you feel full for longer. Sounds pretty great, right?

I have decided that I have so much to say about each of these things that later on I’m going to take each one of these things and expand them, so watch for that! In the meantime, I challenge you to take on one or two of these things, give them a try. Then let me know how it goes!

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