Eat. Real. Food.

     

You may be wondering what I’m talking about. You’re thinking, “Of course I eat real food. What the hell else would I eat?”
I have news for you Miss Smarty Pants: If you’re eating processed food, non-organic fruits and veggies, meat or dairy products, you’re consuming a lot of chemicals and artificial ingredients that are as fake as Khloe Kardashian’s nails. If it wasn’t grown in the ground from non-genetically modified seeds, using organic farming methods, chances are high that it’s been injected, sprayed, coated or even manufactured with chemicals and non-food items.
Even if the laboratories, farms and manufacturing facilities are adding “vitamins” and “fortifying” the food, that is not REAL food, and your body knows the difference.

Beware of clever marketing terms

Your warning lights should go on when you hear terms like “healthier” or “light” or “fortified.” Consuming “healthier” chips that are baked instead of fried still doesn’t come close to the nutrients you get from eating a baked potato, for example. “Fortified” breakfast cereal doesn’t look nearly the same to your body as a homemade green smoothie, bowl of fruit or cup of oatmeal with blueberries. Removing fat or sugar from a pastry to call it “light” and substituting a chemical in its place doesn’t make it any healthier, and certainly not more real. Processed foods are chemical-filled and do your health and your beauty more harm than good

Why real food?

You work so hard to keep that beautiful bod looking good. You make time for your spin classes and yoga sessions, avoid too much caffeine, drink plenty of water and get enough z’s most nights. And you avoid the Cheetos, pizza and cupcakes (most of the time). All of those choices are certainly the right ones for your body. But if you’re also taking shortcuts and buying pre-made packaged food, eating most of your meals out and starting your day with a bar rather than a meal made at home, you aren’t giving your body all the nutrients it needs.
Expensive creams, gels and fillers won’t keep you as beautiful and fresh as feeding your body nutrient-filled fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You were designed to use the nutrients mama earth gives us, not the chemicals cooked up in a food lab.
Follow these tips to make sure you don’t get confused between food and crap:
• Eat primarily plant-based foods, like fruit, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds and berries
• Eat moderate amounts of whole grains like quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice and barley
• Avoid processed and packaged foods
• Incorporate healthy fats like avocados, nuts, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil into your diet
• Avoid meat, whether its beef, lamb, pork, poultry or seafood
• Eliminate dairy products
• Drink lots of water and fresh vegetable and fruit juice
• Prepare your own meals as much as possible, rather than eating out
No matter how much you hate to cook, grabbing an apple takes no more time or thought than stopping at the coffee shop for a fat-free, sugar-free gluten-free muffin - but it may rejuvenate your bod and save you a few months before that next Botox shot.

Lori Kenyon, Contributing Writer
Former corporate attorney and master of the loop-hole, in 2010, Lori co-founded the kick-ass raw organic juice company, Ritual Wellness.  Lori now spends her time producing a healthy alternative to chemical- ridden, nutrient-void drinks in the market, and writing  to help educate people about healthy food choices.