What is Real Food?

Real Food: What to Eat and Why
is a thoroughly researched rebuttal to the dietary fads of our day, calling us back to common sense in eating the traditional whole, unprocessed foods of our forefathers. Throughout the book, Nina explains how ancient foods like grassfed beef and butter have been falsely accused, while the highly processed ‘foods’ of our day have created a growing epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Please allow me just a little time on the soap box … Our food supply has not only been impacted by an industrialized society, but by one in which instant-gratification has become the norm. Sadly, the food we eat today is nothing like the food our ancestors ate just a hundred years ago, let alone in centuries prior. We have moved away from eating what the Lord has created, to eating man-made processed distortions of the real food graciously given to us by our Creator.

So it really shouldn’t be a big surprise to see the skyrocketing disease and illness prevalent today. Just as one example, Type 2 diabetes in children was relatively unheard of just 50 years ago, but it is now considered one of the top health concerns of our nation. In fact, the CDC predicts that if our nation continues in the current trend, approximately one in three children born since the year 2000 will become diabetic. It’s important to note that the single largest risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes is obesity, followed by insulin resistance, which are, of course, directly related to an individual’s diet.

Why is it that we as humans always think we can mess with God’s design and not pay the price – both in spiritual and physical terms. When we distort the truth of God’s Word with man-made philosophies and traditions, we end-up with no truth at all. Likewise, how can we expect to be nourished, when we as humankind pervert what He has provided for our sustenance?

So, what do we do?
My humble opinion is, we can either turn a blind eye to the rapidly declining nutritional value of the pseudo-foods and GMOs marketed and sold in our country as food. Or we can choose to humbly go back to our roots and focus on eating what our Creator designed for us. After all, He knows best what we need to maintain health and vitality – He created us!

SIDEBAR: Before I explain the premise behind what I like to call the “back-to-real-food” movement, I want to take just a moment to clarify my intentions and motivations. I’m not saying that eating real food makes someone more Godly, or more accepted by God. We gain acceptance by God through Jesus Christ alone. Additionally, the Lord is quite clear in His word, that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). So, the most important thing we need to ingest is His Word. Therefore, our pursuit of health and wellness should be focused not on our own personal gain, but with the goal of being good stewards of our bodies in order that we might be more useful in serving the Lord and advancing His Kingdom.

I hope that the above sidebar helps clarify that I am not advocating the pursuit of a false God (idol) in my life or anyone else’s. So, with that said, let’s move forward with a brief discussion about what real food is  …

In a nutshell, real food is:
• Organic (and in the case of meat, grassfed)
• Whole and unrefined (processed as little as possible)
• Nutrient-dense (full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and probiotics)
• Free of additives, fillers, preservatives and synthetic/chemical ingredients
• Not genetically modified (No GMOs)
• Traditionally prepared (i.e. soaking, sprouting, culturing, etc.)

In addition, below are some helpful guidelines (abbreviated) from the Weston A. Price Foundation, which I hope will shed a little more light into what “real food eating” is all about.

In simplest terms (from a Christian perspective), it’s about eating what God created, as close to the way that He created it as is possible.

Real Food Guru Sally Fallon in her thoroughly-researched Nourishing Traditions
book/cookbook dispels the myths of the current low-fat dietary trends in this practical and well-researched book. She sets about to prove the traditional diet of our ancestors (which consisted of animal fats and other real foods) are vital components to good health, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels.

Real Food Dietary Guidelines:
• Eat whole, unprocessed foods.
• Eat pasture-fed meats: beef, lamb, game, organ meats, poultry and eggs.
• Eat wild fish (not farm-raised) and shellfish from unpolluted waters.
• Eat full-fat (whole) milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as: raw milk, raw cream, yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, raw cheeses and cultured sour cream.
• Use animal fats, especially butter, liberally.
• Use traditional vegetable oils: extra virgin olive oil, expeller-expressed sesame oil, small amounts of expeller-expressed flax oil, and the tropical oils – coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables (preferably organic and raw, or lightly steamed is best for highest nutritional value).
• Use whole grains, legumes and nuts that have been traditionally prepared by soaking, sprouting or fermenting to neutralize phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors and other anti-nutrients.
• Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
• Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of pasture-fed chicken, beef, lamb and fish and use liberally in soups, stews, gravies and sauces.
• Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
• Use unrefined salt (such as Celtic sea salt) and a variety of herbs and spices.
• Make your own salad dressings using fresh whole ingredients, including raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of expeller-expressed flax oil.
• Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, pure maple syrup, maple sugar, date sugar, dehydrated cane sugar juice (sold as Rapadura or sucanat) and stevia extract powder.

In closing, I do want to again point out that true nourishment – of eternal lasting value – only comes through knowing and serving the Lord. If you want to know more about how to get real life – eternal life – I implore you on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ, to please read the Good News!

Joyfully Serving Him, Kelly

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post include affiliate links, providing The Nourishing Home a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make a purchase, but if you do, it helps to support this site and ministry.

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