Do you know where your food comes from? The majority of people get their food from a grocery store of some kind. This modern reliance on grocery stores provides convenience, but it also makes it more difficult for a large portion of the population to obtain healthy, fresh foods.
This is due to the increased emphasis on pre-packaged convenience foods, but researchers have stated unequivocally that these foods are not good for you when consumed on a daily basis. In the following pages, you will discover a healthy alternative in the real foods lifestyle for weight loss.
What Is Real Food?
When you hear the term “Real Foods Diet,” you probably think of some new fad diet that every artsy type promotes, but what it really means is that you eat fresh whole foods in their natural state.
Delicious organic vegetables, freshly collected milk, fresh eggs, home baked breads, and freshly cut meats are examples of this. This includes avoiding many of the boxed science experiments sold as food in stores today. When you mention a diet like this, a certain percentage of people will likely roll their eyes.
The tragedy here is that, when you think about it, it’s easy to see that, until about 30 years ago, everyone ate food of this type. In fact, this is what humans have been eating for millennia until recently, so why is there now resistance to natural eating?
Gaining A Better Understanding Of The Real Food Lifestyle For Weight Loss
Most people will notice that clean eating and real food diets are very similar at first glance. When clean eating was first developed in the 1960s, the people behind it were primarily motivated by the idea that they could improve their health by eliminating processed foods from their diets.
Following the elimination of processed foods, the fat content of dairy products was the next target. This meant that people would stick to their diets, but the low fat milk still had to contain chemicals that help the milk retain a familiar and pleasing texture, so there were a few gaps. After decades of research, scientists have concluded that processed foods are extremely harmful to people when consumed on a daily basis.
Scientists now understand that in order for the human body to process certain foods, there must be a natural and balanced presence of fats in your diet. The main distinction between real food diets and clean eating is that clean eating did not include the natural and plant fat equation. Eating the right amounts of healthy fats can aid digestion and nutrient absorption, so it appears that real food-based diets are the winners of the day.
Some Difficulties With The Real Food Lifestyle For Weight Loss
A large part of the problem that people face today is that they have been told that fresh fruits and vegetables are too expensive for them to eat, which is true in some places. Fresh fruits and vegetables are almost always less expensive than canned goods, unless the store sells damaged cans, which can contain dangerous bacteria such as Clostridium Botulinum.
Some areas lack grocery stores with a decent produce section, and unfortunately, the produce section of the grocery store is usually the only place in most stores these days to get real food. If this is the case, it may be difficult to find foods that fit without access to some gardening space.
People who live in tall buildings now have more flexibility thanks to hydroponic systems, but not everyone can afford or have the space to install these systems. Fortunately, some inspired individuals have made it possible to have access to these foods by establishing inner-city gardening projects that provide fresh vegetation to people in surrounding areas.
Aside from that, you may have noticed that marketing companies have targeted many demographics of people in order to sell them unhealthy fast food at prices low enough to encourage day-to-day thinking. This is when people spend money they believe is insignificant rather than buying groceries that will last for several days after each trip.
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Your First Steps Toward A Real Foods Lifestyle
Before you begin, it’s important to note that just because the title says “lifestyle,” it doesn’t mean that trying to eat real food means giving up everything you enjoy. The reason for this is that one of the primary causes of failure is the stiffness and rigidity of most dietary changes.
Allowing yourself a snack cake or two is preferable to dwelling on the extra 200 calories you consumed or beating yourself up for the cheeseburger you had late one night this week. Stress is counterproductive and can actually prevent you from losing weight or becoming healthier in any way, so take a moment to breathe. You’ll look and feel better if you eat real foods most of the time.
It’s entirely up to you how much progress you want to make and how quickly, but if you want the best results, taking it slowly is preferable to jumping in with both feet on the first day. The following will look at how you can gradually improve your eating habits while on the real food lifestyle for weight loss.
1. Research And Learn About Real Foods
One of the most important aspects of achieving success with dietary changes is learning as much as possible about your food choices. Nowadays, you can learn almost anything about different ways to eat by visiting the library or purchasing books online.
You can get a detailed information source in electronic form for a few dollars and become an expert on Real Foods in your spare time. You might even find some useful hints on YouTube or another video site where people can post vlogs. There may even be documentaries dedicated to the subject!
2. Update Old Recipes REAL FOODS STYLE
Even though it may appear daunting to change your eating habits, you may be forgetting that you don’t have to make drastic changes. Because you can use what you’ve learned from your real foods research to transform those old recipes into healthy masterpieces.
To accomplish this, simply replace the unhealthy elements with freshly prepared, healthier versions of the foods you normally prepare. You can use virgin olive oil instead of those corn-based oils when cooking. Of course, this would not be used to deep fry anything. If you like crispy fried potatoes, you can try baking them instead of frying them.
With less than a tablespoon of olive oil, you can prepare an entire batch of fries for the family. If you like canned soups, you can make a low sodium version at home with fresh bone or vegetable broth that you’ll enjoy so much that you’ll never go back. A little creativity can go a long way.
3. Do Not Compare Yourself To Others
It’s common to look at other people and wonder why they’re having such good luck with the real food lifestyle for weight loss. In reality, you have no idea about the circumstances surrounding their lives. This is a common trap that many people fall into. Every day, remind yourself not to compare yourself to others.
This is important because you don’t want to beat yourself up for eating that beautiful slice of cake. The things you say to yourself should always be positive, so it’s important to acknowledge that you, like everyone else, are on your own path and that you’ll get where you need to go in terms of health as long as you stay the course.
4. Discover The Main Ingredients To Avoid
Many of today’s processed foods contain various types of chemicals that are intended to help preserve foods, but many of these products that are added to your food have been linked to hormone imbalances and other side effects. You can either learn about these chemicals or simply avoid anything that sounds strange. Unfortunately, many of these additives change names every few years, making it more difficult to determine their exact purpose.
Monosodiumglutimate (aka MSG), aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, or anything derived from soybeans are some of the chemicals to avoid. While some of these, such as corn syrup, aren’t the worst on this short list, they can still have a negative impact on your digestive system, making it more difficult for your body to absorb nutrients. As a general rule, you should try to avoid foods that come in boxes and have more than 5 ingredients.
5. Make It Simple For Yourself To Go Shopping
What is your typical shopping approach? Some people may be accustomed to wandering around until something catches their eye, but staying slightly organized is essential for success in a major lifestyle change. The simplest way to accomplish this is to divide your food groups and then fulfill each category as you walk through the store. This ensures that you have everything you need to prepare the healthy and tasty meals you’ve been planning.
You can easily begin with grains and dry foods such as beans and rice, then progress to sweeteners such as stevia and plant fats such as olive oil for cooking. After that, go to the produce section to get your fresh fruits and vegetables, and then round it out with proteins like meats, eggs, and dairy. This will keep your food cool and safe during your shopping trip.
6. Create Your Own Probiotics At Home
If you’re still excited about starting your new lifestyle, the last thing you’ll need to do is incorporate a homemade probiotic into your daily or weekly diet. Probiotics are beneficial to your gut health because they contain live strains of the bacteria that your stomach requires to process certain foods. Including these foods and drinks in your diet can even help reduce problems you’ve had in the past.
Another amazing effect is that these tiny organisms can help protect you from a variety of germs that can make you sick, so incorporate them whenever possible. You can easily begin with a simple kefir or kombucha recipe. Overall, it is entirely up to you. Which probiotic would you create first if you had unlimited resources?
Some Fundamental Guidelines to Follow
Now that you’ve seen the important points about how attitude can affect your journey towards real foods eating, it’s time to look at some general rules that can help to simplify things even further. When you keep everything to a short list of things that are easy to remember, you are more likely to succeed.
Foods You Should Consume
Foods that are unaltered and unfiltered as they appear in nature. Many foods that are processed in this manner lose a significant portion of the nutrients that you are attempting to obtain by eating them in the first place. Always look for the most naturally grown foods that are as fresh as possible.
Make sure to wash it if there has been any contamination through. Local farmers markets are the best place to find foods like these that are more likely to be safe. Food sold at those events is more likely to have been inspected by a few pairs of eyes and washed if it has already been removed from its natural sheathing.
Consume Only Wild-Caught Seafood
If you choose to eat seafood, try to get seafood that was grown naturally, or at the very least that was not raised on a farm in a pond. These sea creatures are susceptible to disease and can be influenced by their unnatural environment. This may be difficult if you live entirely inland, but because the demand for seafood is so high, finding the right source is usually the most pressing issue. Once you’ve found a good company, you’re likely to enjoy years of delicious seafood.
Bake Your Own Bread or Visit a Bakery
Did you know that there are a variety of bread makers available for relatively low prices? A bread maker is an excellent way to ensure that the bread you eat meets the real foods standard that you are attempting.
All you have to do is feed the ingredients into the machine at the appropriate times, and you’ll have some delicious homemade bread in an hour or two. You can even use them to make all of those delicious holiday breads.
If you don’t want to make your own bread, look for a local bakery that makes bread that meets real food standards. These breads will only be made with whole grains and will avoid the use of chemically based preservatives found in store bought bread loaves.
Consume Meat Raised Locally
If you want to continue eating meat, try to find a local source. Most major meat sources feed hormones to their livestock, and many of the practices that are done on a daily basis have been deemed unsatisfactory by multiple consumer studies.
With the recent regulatory changes, problems with handling and the quality of conditions in meat-producing facilities are very likely to persist. Meat, as always, should be consumed in moderation, with many experts recommending that the average person consume no more than 4 oz per day.
Drink Naturally Sweetened Beverages
Drinking should be limited to naturally occurring beverages or beverages sweetened with naturally occurring sweeteners such as juice or honey. Tea is always a good choice, and it has numerous health benefits and the real food lifestyle for weight loss.
Consume Dried Fruits and Nuts
Dried fruit can be an excellent source of nutrition. If you’re feeling particularly daring, make a trail mix out of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. You can even make sweet snacks that are super healthy and great for a midday pick-me-up with a little imagination.
You can make an instant treat with honey and natural peanut butter that your entire family or friend circle will enjoy. Add some cran raisins and you’ve got yourself a quick healthy snack to get you out the door. Experimenting with probiotics and that combination could be one of the most solid breakfasts you could eat.
Avoiding Certain Foods
It should go without saying that if there are foods that you can eat and this dietary change requires you to focus on a specific type of food, then you’ll be doing your best to avoid an army of sweats and sodium-filled junk calories.
There Is No Fast Food
Fast food restaurants spend a lot of money marketing their products in ways that contradict the facts about how their food affects the human body. Don’t be duped. Avoid any and all fast food establishments you come across. Even if some chains claim to use high-quality ingredients in their food, a little digging usually reveals that they’ve cut corners on the meat or breads that they serve.
A heavy presence of condiments on the food can completely derail the results of a well-planned diet. These companies’ sauces are frequently of poor quality and contain chemicals that can upset the delicate balance of what your body expects from the food you eat.
Consume Only Whole Grains
You should avoid grains that have been refined into a powder or paste with no visible fiber grains. These types of fiber provide no benefit. In addition, a lack of whole fiber in your diet can cause digestive problems. During adulthood, some people develop tiny pockets in their intestines. If you consume too many refined grains, they turn into a pasty sludge inside your intestines.
That flour paste can get stuck in the pockets and prevent your intestines from healing, or worse, rupture. ‘Eating whole grains helps your body carry out its proper elimination, which can protect you from serious physical issues in the future.’
Avoid Using Refined Sweeteners
Various groups are still researching refined sweeteners. One thing we know for certain is that the corn syrups used in today’s foods have had unintended consequences. These sweeteners, which include many options like Splenda, should be avoided at all costs.
There will be no deep-fried foods. Everyone is aware that fried foods are unhealthy. The food may taste good, but the long-term health consequences should not be paid for by a tasty but overly salty meat snack.
How To Prepare Real Food Ahead Of Time
This is the point in the article where you’ll get a more in-depth look at how you can make some things easier on yourself. Meal planning is always at the heart of a successful diet upgrade, so when you’re getting everything laid out like your grocery list, you’ll also want to think about how you plan to store many of these wonderful foods that will help you get healthier.
You’ll want to buy enough of what you like to last until you’re ready to go to the store, but be careful not to buy anything just because it’s on sale, as you’ll almost certainly end up wasting the food. Only purchase what you are certain you will require. The real food lifestyle for weight loss will become easier with meal planning as you gain experience, and you’ll probably discover that you enjoy the process.
1. Determine what foods you intend to prepare. Include items that you can reach for quickly, especially those that are satisfying in the event of a strong craving.
2. Make a plan for where it will be stored. You must consider that there will most likely be some plastic containers. Determine what they could be and plan accordingly.
3. Go shopping and buy anything and everything related to storing your food for the week or month. Purchase decent containers that can seal well enough to keep foods fresh tasting.
They are slightly more expensive, but it is worth it to be able to keep your food separate from the dry, musty flavor that is trying to infiltrate your food containers. You’ll most likely need a large number of bags and at least three different sizes of containers.
4. Collect the most perishable foods last to ensure that they are not exposed to dangerous temperatures for any longer than necessary.
5. Return home with your purchases and follow the plan you devised to sort and store the foods from your shopping trip.
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If you’re just starting out or going through a rough patch, it’s still possible to eat healthy; you just have to be more selective about which ingredients you buy and be prepared to plan ahead. To get the most out of your purchases, make sure to get items that can be combined in a variety of ways.
When you buy ingredients that are only suitable for one type of meal, you run the risk of them going bad. That increases the likelihood of them turning into disgusting refrigerator sludge in about 3 months. Buying whole foods encourages you to use the ingredients in their purest form, which will go well with the other vegetables.
Purchase in bulk
Take it home and cut it into smaller pieces for meal preparation. Make extra bags for the meal-sized portions of food. If you don’t have enough of an ingredient in your meal, simply add another portion to the food that’s cooking. One of the biggest benefits of this method of food preparation is that smaller meals don’t have to be a big deal when you need to make them.
Get rid of waste
Food waste is a huge financial drain on a family. When you cook food that isn’t eaten, you’re literally throwing money away. When you have to get food out of restaurants after you have already purchased food, this increases dramatically.
Make Your Own Sauces
Chemicals and preservatives abound in store-bought condiments. You will have healthier and fresher versions of your favorite sauces if you make them yourself. You can save a lot of money by making your own ranch, ketchup, and hot sauce. Sauces made in a factory are pumped full of chemicals so they can withstand long journeys across the country.
They usually contain exorbitant amounts of sodium, which can make your joints stiff. When you make these items at home, you only need the basic ingredients: vegetable matter, seasonings, and the appropriate amount of time to cook. There could be an order of placement that produces the best results.
Grow Your Own Herbs
Indoor herb gardening is relatively inexpensive. Herbs can grow very quickly and do not require a lot of water or nutrients to thrive. The only thing you need is a small window box to help you grow the wonderful herbs that you can use in a variety of dishes. Plant stores sell a variety of seeds, but you can easily browse a database of seeds online and order them all at once to ensure you have everything you need.
Make Meals That Can Be Reused
Have you ever made a batch of rice or beans and then left it in the fridge to grow a beard? When you discover a wasted meal, it can be extremely depressing. The best way to combat this would be to create food that can be transformed. For example, when making ground beef, beans, or rice, you can leave it plain so that it can be seasoned to match whatever meal you’re making that night. That way, you have already prepared food, but it will take much less time.
Purchasing Bulk Dry Foods
Do you have a place to store a large amount of dry food? If you can get away with using the space almost constantly, stocking up on large bulk bags of dry food can save you a lot of money over the course of a year. When purchasing small 4 – 8 oz bags of rice, expect to pay at least $1.50 – $2.00. That means that when you see a 10 pound bag of rice for $5 – $7, it should be a no-brainer. You can even keep a container filled for easy dispensing for day-to-day food cooking uses.
Purchase Food Directly From A Producer
When you put your mind to it, eating healthy is a fairly simple task. If you are fortunate enough to live near a grower of some kind, you can work out arrangements with them to purchase their fresh foods. This will benefit both yourself and the farmer because it will keep their inventory flowing.
Stock Up On Foods That Are Easy To Grab
When you’re shopping, you’ve probably noticed how inexpensive bananas and other fruits can be. It’s a good idea to stock up on these fruits and vegetables because they’re a great way to help you stick to your diet. These fruits also promote excellent gut health, so they’re always a good idea to keep on hand.
Purchase The Ones That Can Be Frozen
Have you ever noticed how long frozen fruits, such as berries, last? You should always keep a good supply of these wonderful fruits on hand because they keep well. They also make excellent breakfast replacements because they make excellent smoothies.
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Conclusion
When this habit is combined with the belief that fresh foods are out of reach, the results can be disastrous; however, if you’re willing to invest some time in research, you may discover that you can open up an entirely new world of possibilities and health. The only problem now is figuring out where to go from here with real food lifestyle for weight loss!
