What is “Real Food”?

Let me tell you. What I refer to as “real food” is the ONLY food you should ideally be putting in your body. With that said, we don’t by any means live in a perfect world and I for one am definitely not perfect either. However, this is the way I strive to eat daily and the way I hope to inspire my clients, family and friends to eat as well. So here is my “top 10″ list of things to avoid when determining whether or not that food you are about to put in your shopping basket is REAL.

1) Did it grow from the ground, swim in the ocean, or did somebody have to run after it to catch it?

This is the only question where if you answered “yes” it is a good thing. If you answered “no” to this question then WHAT exactly is it?

2) Is it highly processed, refined or stripped of its natural goodness? 

This includes refined sugar, flour or salt.

3) Does it contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavourings or colourings ?

4) Does it contain residues of hormones, antibiotics or pesticides?

You need to buy organic and ”naturally-raised” (in terms of livestock) to avoid these substances.

5) Has it been irradiated, sprayed or waxed? 

6) Does it contain hydrogenated fats/oils, trans fats or other possibly rancid fats?

7) Does it have a health claim?

Whole foods do not need to “claim” to be healthy – they just are. Ignore the marketing hype on a lot of packaged foods which are often times unhealthy culprits hiding behind glorified claims. You don’t have to be fooled though. Flip it over and check the ingredients.

8) Has it been genetically modified?

With regards to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the only way to ensure that it isn’t is to buy organic. However, with certain foods such as corn, soy and wheat, it is pretty much safe to say that they have been genetically modified unless organic.

9) Can it sit out on your kitchen counter top for days/weeks/months without spoiling?

There are some exceptions to this with dried goods, spices and such, but for the most part REAL food doesn’t have an extended shelf-life.

10) Does it have a long list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce?

Simplicity is the key – the shorter the ingredient list the more likely it is real and closer to its natural state. If there is an ingredient list (a lot of whole foods wouldn’t have one!) look for foods that have recognizable ingredients and less than 3-4 listed (ideally).

If you answered yes to any of these with the exception of #1 (which is good!), you might want to consider putting it back on the shelf . It’s likely that you won’t always be able to avoid all of these things for each and every food item that you put in your basket (oftentimes availability is an issue) but the more you can the better. And of course there are always exceptions to the rules but for the most part you should be shopping around the outside ring of the grocery store and striving to buy whole, natural and unprocessed foods as much as possible.

Remember though, it’s about progression not perfection!