Real Food

I'm not sure when my interest in real foods began. I told Colin that it probably started with him, but he told me that I was interested in them before we got to know each other. Either way, he's a healthier eater than I am so he keeps me eating healthy.

On the blog of my sister's friend, I found these two books that I checked out from the library: Real Food by Nina Planck and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, who is the president of the Weston Price Foundation, whose website has a lot of information.

I have been blown away by these books. They recommend, in general, eating whole foods, including grass-fed beef, eggs from pastured chickens, dairy made with raw milk, real sea salt, and avoiding the new, processed foods like refined white flour, margarine, vegetable oils, corn syrup, etc. Everyone is afraid to eat real foods because they are high in cholesterol, but Planck goes to great lengths to show that research proves real foods don't cause heart attacks but industrial foods (and our lack of activity) do.

I have gone to the grocery store a few times since reading this book and have been sort of in a quandary about what to buy. In the stores closest to us, organic foods are rare. To get the foods Planck recommends, we have to drive further and of course spend more. But, I am at least educated more in the ways of real foods and know simple facts like wild salmon is so much better for you than farmed salmon (but herbivorous fish like tilapia, carp, and catfish are okay to farm).

Planck also says that it's more important to spend your dollars on quality meat since it's higher up the food chain than vegetables, so more toxins are stored in it. I am beginning to search for real meats and dairy.

Colin is also considering going on the GAPS diet for a while. I've read some rave reviews online about people feeling much better as a result, but also read that it's a challenge to stick to! Has anyone tried it?