What Is a Real Food Diet?
Real Food Diets Explained…
While the concept of eating a real food diet has been becoming more popular – the details of what that means aren’t always clear. In this post, I’ll share the basics of the definition I use.
Only a hundred years ago, the need to define a real food diet wouldn’t have made much sense to anyone. “Real food” was all there was. But now? Well…now it’s a bit more complicated.
The Rare Real Food Diet
Unfortunately, most of us don’t eat a real food diet anymore. The way we feed ourselves, at least in the U.S, has changed enormously in the last century. And — based on the general state of our health — it doesn’t seem that the change has been for the better.
The bulk of what we eat now comes in a package, has a lot of interesting food science behind it, and is processed in multiple ways before we consume it. Most foods in the average grocery cart have loads of ingredients — many of which we can’t identify or pronounce, and would never cook with ourselves. Most of our meat, dairy, and eggs come from somewhere more like a factory than a farm.
So — although much of our food is cheap and plentiful — most of it isn’t very “real”, or all that good for us. Eating a real food diet just involves seeking out more foods that aren’t part of this new, industrial model, and excluding the ones that are.
Rooted in Tradition
To be more specific, a real food diet is one based on foods that humans have eaten for thousands of years; that were raised, processed, and prepared in traditional ways; and that are produced and distributed in a sustainable manner. Basically, a healthy real food diet can include almost any type of food — as long as it’s the “real” version. Here are more tips:
Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy are all fine, but they should come from animals that are pasture-fed, not confined and fed on grain. These items should be hormone-free and antibiotic-free, and organic, ideally. Fish should be wild-caught, preferably from a sustainable fishery.
Vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes should be minimally processed, and organic.
Fats and oils should be traditional choices like butter, coconut oil, and olive oil, and should also be lightly processed.
You Need to Try It for Yourself
There is a bit more to it than that – but that’s enough to get you started. I’d recommend giving your diet a big push in this direction for a month or so, and seeing what you think. The benefits you can expect are a topic for another post – but my guess is that you’ll be pleased!
Want to learn more about my favorite real food diet plans? Visit my best real food diets page to find a great selection!
