What is real food? Today, I’m sharing how I decide what real food is, plus how I define real package food, such as the ones here. I’m sharing my favorite real food convenience foods plus easy from-scratch recipes to get you started on your real food journey!
What is real food?
Real food is food that comes from nature. Food that is an ingredient. Food that had a mother. Food that grew from the ground. That’s how I define it in the most simple form.
We can also have real food that comes from packages as well. If you think about, bread for example, bread is flour, sea, yeast and water. You can make that (in fact, here’s an easy recipe to try). But you can also buy bread that’s made with minimal ingredients that’s already done for you.
The same example can be said for yogurt. It can be easily made at home with milk and cultures. However, you can also find amazing yogurt made with simple and minimal ingredients. This saves you time so you don’t feel like you have to make everything from scratch.
How do we know if it’s a real food packaged food?
Real food can also be packaged ingredients.
How do we know what we’re getting? We simply need to turn over the package.
What are the ingredients used?
Are these ingredients that I could buy and combine together?
Or, is it filled with words that I do not understand, making it so that there was no way I could create this product in my own house.
If that answer is no, that I couldn’t make it, I don’t consider that a real food packaged product.
Convenience foods can be SO helpful in feeding our families. The decision we have to make is this: what do we want to make from scratch? What do we want to buy that’s already pre-made?
I do not really enjoy making crackers from scratch, so I am happy to buy crackers and have those around. (here are my 5 favorites).
There are a bunch of foods that I buy that are not technically straight from the ground or straight from a mother. And I am so good with that!
Questions to ask about real food:
- Did it grow from the ground?
- Did it have a mother?
- Do we recognize the ingredients listed in a packaged product?
- Could we make that product at home (if we wanted to)?
Utilizing packaged foods with ingredients we can recognize make this lifelong journey so much easier!
Don’t let perfection rule you
While I strive to eat food from nature, I also want to live my life! Aiming for 90% of wholesome ingredients is always my goal. I know that gatherings will come up, access isn’t always possible, and I also don’t want it to become a stressor.
Find a balance of unprocessed foods versus convenience foods. Always aiming for more good, and the less good for you foods will fade away.
Packaged real foods I love
The list is long of minimal ingredient packaged foods we love. Here are a handful that I bring into the house that simplify my life!
- 5 Favorite Crackers – great options to choose from
- RXBars – for when I don’t want to make my own bars
- CHOMP Sticks – an easy protein on the go
- Eating Evolved Chocolate Cups – delicious chocolate
- Unsweetened Plain Nutpods – adding daily to my coffee
- Einkorn Pasta – love the heirloom grain
- Enchilada Sauce – because it saves me a step
- Almond flour tortillas – ready to keep in the freezer and delicious
- Avocado Oil Mayo – better for you oil
- No Sugar Added BBQ Sauce – who needs added sugar in their BBQ sauce? We love this one
Easy from scratch recipes that will help you on your journey
Real food starts at home by making meals. Below you’ll find easy from-scratch recipes for pantry staples, and a free meal plan to help get your family started on this journey! If you are looking to make feeding your family even easier, check out Fit Mama Meal Plans!
- 1 week family friendly meal plan
- Homemade taco and fajita seasoning
- How to make oat flour
- How to make almond milk at home
- Peanut butter fig oatmeal bars
- Easy crockpot recipe for bone broth
- Homemade crockpot yogurt
- Buckwheat oat pancake mix
Keep on reading. More helpful resources:
- No diets, just eat real food
- How to build a healthy balanced meal
- The complete guide to seasonal meal planning
- The ultimate guide to unrefined natural sweeteners
- How to build a healthy capsule pantry
What questions do you have? Leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to answer it!
XO
Heather
from scratchHealthy eatingreal foodwhat is real food
