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Farewell to days when the resolve to lose weight meant living on protein bars, chalky chocolate pre-made drinks or counting every point consumed.
A new health revolution is happening in 2016—one to help shrink your waist and enhance overall well-being. Plus, it’s good for Mother Earth. It’s the Real Food Revolution. We can learn and embrace for a healthier today and tomorrow.
Instead of creating another weight loss resolution filled with unrealistic goals and expectations, I inspire you to join the Real Food Revolution. Bring back eating real food, packed with real nutrition for your digestive and overall health. Be sure to check out the apps in the mini article!
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First let’s break down the basics of classic definitions when it comes to eating real food:
food [food] n 1. something that nourishes, sustains, or supplies
real [ree-uhl, reel] adj 1. true and actual; not artificial
When it comes to eating real food, it’s simple. Focus on eating more from Mother Earth and less from a package. As my colleague Kate Rountree, RDN, LDN says “Eat from the ground up, not the box down.” Here are practical tips for starting your own real food revolution.
First let’s break down the basics of some classic definitions you will hear when it comes to eating real food:
- Shop primarily the perimeter of the grocery store. This helps reduce the amount of highly processed and packaged foods. A traditional grocery store is set up with the cookies, cereals, chips and other foods filled with added preservative on the inside aisles. The outside perimeter of the store is more often stocked with fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, and protein. (Note however there are good foods in the aisles such as whole grains, beans, etc.)
- Visit local farmer’s markets to buy fresh, local produce. The farmer’s market is an excellent opportunity to try new foods and learn new ways to prepare them.
- Be prepared by having fresh foods on hand. Stock up on fresh produce and have in a place visible and easy to access. Cook brown rice and sweet potatoes in advance. Peel, cut, and chop veggies to have easy go to snacks. Concerned about fresh food going bad? Frozen veggies and fruits are great to have on hand as an alternative. They’re flash frozen at the time of ripeness, locking in nutrients.
- Plant a garden and be part of your own real food revolution.
- Read ingredient lists and limit foods with never-ending list of ingredients.
- Add more greens to your day, such as spinach to morning eggs, kale to smoothies, and arugula to salads.
- Eat dinner foods for lunch. Yep, you read that right. The simple shift from a traditional lunch such as a sandwich or wrap, to a meal such as baked fish, brown rice and broccoli is an easy way to decrease processed foods and increase whole food intake.
- Plan your meals around fruits and vegetables. Add color and variety to your plate with fresh orange slices, berries, sliced red bell pepper, spinach, kale, broccoli, purple cabbage and more! Try to get at least three colors on your plate.
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| Blueberry Beet Juice with Kale and Lemon |
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This refreshing & healthy berry beet juice with kale is the perfect start or pick-me-up to your day! It’s easy to make with four simple ingredients and is full of natural energy boosting ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1 package (6 ounces) Driscoll's Blueberries
- 1 medium beet, quartered
- 2 cups kale
- 1/4 lemon, peeled
- 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Directions:
Cut leafy tops off the beet and then scrub the beet well before cutting it into quarters keeping the skin on. Peel both the ginger and the lemon. Add all ingredients one by one to juicer.
Recipe by Driscoll's Berries
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‘The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.’
~Thich Nhat Hanh
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| Apps to Empower the Real Food Revolution: |
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Fooducate - Created by a dietitian, this app provides ratings for foods based on their nutrition facts and ingredient list. By scanning a product’s barcode in the grocery store, you can see its Fooducate grade and reasons why it received the grade.
Wholesome - Organized by food color, Wholesome gives details of nutrient qualities for fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, meat, and more. It also provides tips on cooking the items and selecting the best produce based on season.
Dirty Dozen - If you’re trying to be more cognizant of organic produce, download this app that was developed by The Environmental Working Group for a quick reference at the grocery store. It lists the 12 ‘dirtiest’ fruits and vegetables as well as the 15 cleanest! They also release a yearly “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce” to keep you up-to-date on the latest research.
Wellness Planner by Owaves - Owaves takes five categories: exercise, sleep, nutrition, stress management, and love/social and helps you manage time for optimal wellness. Plan each day individually to suit your schedule and bring balance to your life.
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| ABOUT Nutrition Resolution, LLC | | Alyssa Simpson is the owner of Nutrition Resolution, LLC which provides individuals looking to improve their health with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to return to their natural state of wellness. After working for 9 years as a dietitian in hospitals, long term care facilities, fitness centers, a community health center, and a managed care organization, she started Nutrition Resolution, LLC. Her experience in a variety of settings provided her with a broad perspective and lead her to gain additional certifications so she could specialize in the areas she is passionate about, including integrative and functional nutrition. Now in private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling, which may include nutrition education, menu planning, special diets, elimination diets, and specialty testing. Alyssa is partnered with Arizona Digestive Health and specializes in treating digestive complaints, including gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s, colitis, celiac disease, and others, as well as conditions related to food sensitivity such as chronic fatigue, headaches, fibromyalgia, migraine, sinus problems, joint and body aches, and more.
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