Last week I shared with you some guidelines and suggestions to help cut out processed food from your diet. I’ve had many people ask me “how do you do it?” and “what are you eating?”
I thought I would share with you some things that I am surviving on. I will tell you that I am probably one of the pickiest eaters on the planet, but I am actually doing well. The biggest (and I mean biggest) challenge for me has been giving up Ketchup. All those who know me in real life are collectively gasping right now, I’m sure of it. Ketchup has been the staple on 90% of my meals since I was 3 years old. No joke. One day I will get brave enough to make my own, but today is not that day.
Below is a list of real and/or minimally processed foods that work for me. Remember, I am trying for 10 ingredients or less. I know there are other things I need to be looking at, especially oils, but I’m still in the learning process.
Cheese
I’ve always loved cheese! In my former, processed food eating days, I couldn’t get enough of Kraft cheese blocks, pre-shredded cheese, and American cheese slices.
The better alternative to this is really just raw cheese. I’m slowly working on switching out the Kraft cheese to more natural, raw cheeses. However, even in the Kraft (or similar/generic brands) selections, there are less than 10 ingredients. You will need to skip on the American cheese slices, though.
Eggs
Whether you like them scrambled, hard boiled, or over easy, eggs are a great meal or snack, and a great source of protein. I know that it would be better if I were eating “pastured” eggs, but I just haven’t had the courage to make this switch.
Great Harvest Bread Company- Honey Whole Wheat Bread
You think you’re doing a good thing by buying 100% whole wheat bread. And then you check out all the ingredients in what seemed like a healthy food. Yikes!! Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat bread has only five ingredients. It is also very filling. I don’t use two slices of bread anymore, just one. This helps offset some of the cost.
Triscuits (Regular)
I’m still learning the ins and outs of what shouldn’t be in the food we eat and oils is one of them. There is soybean oil in Triscuits, but I’m not sure where that particular oil falls on the list of “don’ts.” But friends, there are only 3 ingredients total in them so I’m eating them!
Trader Joe’s McIntosh Apple Juice
Ingredients- apple juice from McIntosh apples. That’s it! And it’s delicious!
Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pita Bread
I think there are 6 ingredients in this pita bread, but much less than the average. You can use pita bread for all kinds of different meals!
Fruits & Vegetables
Like I said before, I’m leaning towards mostly organic fruits and vegetables, but trying to consume more fruits and vegetables in general. It is better to purchase local produce and what’s in season. But fruit’s fruit. And veggies are veggies. Eat lots of them!
Chicken
I’m not a fan of seafood, but if you are, there are tons of options out there for you. I’ve tried to cut back on my red meat consumption, which pretty much leaves chicken as my only option. Though I hadn’t ever before this journey, I try to buy chicken that is antibiotic free.
My favorite place to buy chicken is Earth Fare. We were lucky enough to have one open in town recently. I buy their chicken breasts and their roasted chicken. It is a little more expensive, but worth it in my opinion.
Peanut Butter
Okay, I know that my old standby- Jif- is not good because of the hydrogenated oils, but I can’t bring myself to eat the really natural, one ingredient peanut butter. Yuck!
I’ve made a compromise (which probably still isn’t the best for me, but I’m trying) by eating Jif Natural (creamy). It is made with palm oil (again, still learning), no preservatives, and only five ingredients. Good enough for now!
Water
I have to admit, I am not a fan of water. I know it’s good for the body, but I can’t stand drinking it. I recently read that you should actually drink half your body weight in water a day- more if you are active. I’ve tried very hard to meet that goal since I’ve been on this journey. I’ve surprised myself by meeting (or getting close to) this goal most days.
Here’s a trick I learned: Drink a full glass (I’m talking 12-16 ounces) of water prior to eating anything. This has worked wonders for me! I get a huge part of my water intake “over with” and I don’t overeat. Plus, I’m definitely hydrated!
****
Of course, I’m eating other things, too, but this is a pretty good representation of what I eat on a regular basis. Nuts are often suggested when researching real food ideas, but I’m just not that crazy about them. When I’m really needing something different or something extra, I will eat a handful of almonds or walnuts.
The best thing is to set goals for yourself and stick to them. You have to do what works for you. I am on a mission to eat foods with 10 ingredients or less, and so far I’ve stuck to that at least 75% of the time. I’ll be honest and tell you that eating real food is sometimes harder and more time consuming, but the ideas above are all quick and easy staples that will help.
Have any other food suggestions? Like I said, I’ll take any help I can get!
Coming soon in the series: “meal ideas” and “real food with kids.”
Life happens when we eat real food.
I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesdays.
© 2012, lifehappenswhen. All rights reserved.
As far as oils are concerned, don’t forget that you do need fats in your diet. What I have heard is coconut and palm oil (as long as they are not hydrogenated) are pretty good, as is olive oil. Soy oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil usually aren’t good. Do you read kitchen stewardship (http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/)? Katie is a Catholic mom who is passionate about real food… and far more “into it” that I probably ever will be. She had a series several years ago called “A Fat Full Fall” that might be worth checking out for you.
Awesome! Thank you so much, Jeanne! This is very helpful! I will check kitchen stewardship out!
I would add ground turkey for a different white meat option, and for snacks popcorn and chips and salsa! Also, for something sweet, oatmeal with real maple syrup. Are you still using regular white and brown sugar for sweeteners? Someday I’m hoping to get away from those. Another website you might like is http://kellythekitchenkop.com/ – and she’s Catholic. : )
This is going to sound crazy, but does ground turkey taste different? I’ve never even tried it because I’m seriously picky. And so is my husband! I might have to give it a whirl, though.
I finally bought “real” maple syrup recently. I don’t know why I didn’t think to put it in my oatmeal. I think that shall be breakfast in the morning!
As for the popcorn and chips, what kind do you get?
And sugars, yeah, I’m not ready to go there just yet. Though my sugar consumption in general has plummeted since I started this journey. But if a recipe calls for sugar, I’m still using the regular sugars.
I was just about to say add turkey too! We eat tons of ground turkey. We eat it in tacos, soups and sometimes over baked potatoes with salsa, cheese and broccoli (kind of a weird combination I know). I actually like the way it tastes though! I would also say add some hummus if you like the way it tastes. Whenever I make it we eat tons of it, even my little one. If you have a food processor its pretty easy to make. I have a recipe on my blog, if you decide to take the homemade hummus plunge:)
I guess we’ll have to give ground turkey a try!
I will definitely check your recipe out soon. I’ll admit, hummus is not my most favorite thing to eat, but when I’m hungry, I’ll eat almost anything. It’d be nice to have something healthy and homemade to snack on!
“Real” real food people would say only buy organic/nonGMO popcorn and tortilla chips, but I just buy the store brands – the chip ingredients are just corn, oil, and salt. And I am talking about popcorn kernels for air popping, not the microwave kind!
My husband does not like ground turkey as much as ground beef, but if you aren’t eating much beef I think you wouldn’t mind it. It’s cheaper than ground beef right now too! I make meatloaves and burgers out of it, and it can easily be used in soups, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.
More snacks – Pirate’s Booty, Pop Chips (haven’t tried these yet), . Also Annie’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese – we buy the lower sodium one.
Oh how I love Pirate’s Booty! That sounds a little weird, I guess, but it is one of my favorite snacks! I actually hadn’t had it in awhile, but bought some at the grocery last week. I know it has less than 10 ingredients (or I wouldn’t have bought it)!
Ok, well it makes me feel better that you are still going with regular chips. This whole GMO thing is freaking me out!
I am not a huge popcorn fan, but I did by popcorn kernels. They’ve been sitting in my pantry unopened. Perhaps it’s time to give them a try!
My experience is that meat tastes like however you flavor it (ditto with tofu). Turkey tends to be drier too.
The family I nanny for eats so very well. The girls actually love fruits and veggies for snacks. Our favorite lately is banana cut in half with peanut butter and homemade granola on top. One of our new favorite healthy finds at home is veggie pasta. It literally taste just like regular spaghetti. We toss it with olive oil and garlic salt sometimes or just have it with tomato sauce. But you get a great deal of veggie intake minus the carbs. The brand is Hidden Veggie and they make tons of different types of pasta. Delish!!!!! We eat a lot of chicken and rice and steamed veggies. I didn’t realize how easy steamed veggies are to make, but knowing now how to cook them and make them taste delicious is soooo easy! It takes just about 5 minutes. Let me know if you need ideas for this! The last thing I’ll share with you for the kiddos and you and Mike, is homemade pizza. We make our own dough, use tomato sauce and shred our own cheese. Sometimes we put veggies we like on them. We do this a lot to get rid of veggies that need to be eaten before going bad. Or we just have cheese. Chad and I love it at home and the girls I nanny for love making their own! If you need the dough recipe, let me know! Super easy and pretty quick! Before moving to the city, I primarily ate fast food or processed food, but after learning how easy it is to cook with raw foods, I rarely eat out unless it’s a special occasion. Because of this and walking more I’ve been able to lose some weight and have a more healthy intake of raw foods. Glad you’re exploring new foods! I’ve been loving it! Hope you are well!
Thanks, Jill! We are doing very well!
It sounds like city life is working out well for you! How wonderful! You’ve given me lots of ideas for snacks and meals at home. Now, to get Mike on board!
Seriously! I’m ridiculously picky, but he’s even pickier. The kids are actually pretty good, healthy eaters, especially Lucas.
The biggest change for me has been eating out! Now that I’m on this mission, I eat out way less than ever! And I don’t really miss it (that much)!