"Real" Food?

Anyone else out there trying to cut out the processed and fake/fad diet type foods?  I feel like so many people are focused on shakes and power bars and low fat everything and I'm feeling a bit alone here!

You're not alone   I'm also a big fan of real foods, home-cooking and all that it entails.  Partly because I don't think the processed stuff is particularly nice, partly because I don't think it helps much with weight and health and partly because I'm too damn cheap to pay the price they want for the artificial stuff!

I'm not 100% holy about clean-eating and there are a few fake foods that I shamelessly enjoy but I'd say 90-95% of what I eat is 'real food'.   With a little portion-control I find it a pleasant way to keep my weight under control and my doctor looking happy.

I definatley prefer "real" food.  I find that all the "diet" stuff is mostly to over processed for me.  One thing that comes to mind for me personally is instant oatmeal packets.  They have so much sugars and crap in them but they sell because of the "simplicity" of it.  Whats frusterating is regular oatmeal is just as easy to cook, 2 min in the microwave and its so much better for you.  Just an example.

hurrah there are others out there!

It makes me abit sad to see the 'what did you eat today' thread, and 90% of a persons intake is just a list of brand names and low fat/non fat/SF/protein powders etc. etc.

I like real food, and things that don't come out of a packet with a list of unpronouncable ingredients. Most of my meals centre around a carbohydrate, a fat, vegetables/fruit and protein. Just plain ingredients from each food group, cooked together in interesting ways, flavoured with herbs and spices or garlic or lemon etc. That suits me fine :)

It's also a little depressing on the 'Recipe' board when someone says... just take a blob of 0% fat Coolio Lardio, mix with a little Sugar-free banana essence substitute vapour and garnish with some low-carb woodshavings for an amazing calorie free dessert that also removes stain marks from bathtubs!

We made the most fabulous apple pie at home the other day.  Lots of wonderfully tart Bramley apples, brown sugar and cinnamon in a thin, crisp wholewheat pastry crust and served with a big dollop of custard.  One thin slice was heavenly but plenty. 

hahaha agreed GI Jane.

I have read discussions over '0 cal peanut butter style spread' uuuugh! the reason i love peanut butter is because its full of protein and fat and keeps me full and is nourishing, why on EARTH would I want to eat a jar of chemicals instead!?

It's the word 'style' that grits the teeth, isn't it?     In a book I rather like the author refers to 'edible food-like substances'... which encapsulates the whole industry quite neatly. 

Original Post by gi-jane:

We made the most fabulous apple pie at home the other day.  Lots of wonderfully tart Bramley apples, brown sugar and cinnamon in a thin, crisp wholewheat pastry crust and served with a big dollop of custard.  One thin slice was heavenly but plenty. 

Sounds yummy, gi-jane!  One of my favorite desserts is to take a peach (cut in half), and to broil it for a minute with just a sprinkling of cinnamon.  When it comes out of the oven, I'll top each half with a teaspoon of goat cheese and drizzle with a little bit of honey.  A quick 'real food' dessert for me and my sweetie!

Now for a second there I was waiting for the spoiler...   Any minute, I thought, there's going to be some mention of 'Coolio Lardio fat-free yogurt-like topping'.. but bless you, you went for the goat's cheese and honey!!!   HA!!  You will live to be 100...

I LOVE this thread! I don't eat any of the stuff gi-jane referred to either and want to barf when I read those recipes that do... IMO they are just gross! Glad to know that there are others of us out there cc-ing! My "worst" foods are occasional crackers, pretzels, and potatoe chips. Other than that it is all REAL food... fresh vegies, fruits, meat, grains.... The only cans I use are canned tomato products;(

About 30 years ago I took a peach to school for a "between class/after class snack". I accidently left it in the car...in the summer... in Arizona! When I opened the car door it was about 170 degrees inside (no kidding) and the peach was pretty much cooked. It was DELICIOUS!! I have been cooking peaches ever since.

I love having real food as i just love cooking, tonight i know i'm having grilled plaice, potato wedges with homemade tarter sauce with broccoli and peas, yum with just a drizzle of lemon juice on my plaice.. my tastebuds are tingling from the thought..

I would rather eat real foods as i know what's gone into it, rather than eat low fat, high sugar foods.. I had a low fat fish pie and it contained 26 grams of sugar!

If i cook it myself i can switch the high fat things with alternitives for example if something requires cream i either use low fat creme fresh or low fat natural yougurt :)

Although i don't always have the time to cook so i normally just have some frozen birds eye chicken and some steam in the bag veg..

Me too! I love eating this way because it's so much more satisfying. I eat clean about 95% of the time. I usually post new recipes in my CC journal too :)

I also agree with the above comments about the Recipes forum. If I see the words "Splenda" or "PB2", I move right along!

What a relief!  I'm still a work in progress when it comes to clean eating.  Been a picky eater most of my life and that's always held me back from trying new things.  One of my best gal pals locally lives 100% clean, and about 90-95% natural/organic.  She's just amazing and I've learned a lot from her.

I'm loving some of the ideas shared here already!

I do a lot of nutritional research through books (I adore Dr. Andrew Weil, for instance), but it's been awhile since I wrapped my head around a new one.  Any suggestions?

And can I just say what a giggle/groan I get out of store packaging that says, "Made with REAL [insert food item here]"?  Gah!  It's so SAD!

I'm with you on this one!  I'm always amazed at how many calories I can cut out of a dish if I make it myself.  They put sugar in just about everything! 

I will say that I still used some canned stuff, but I try to check the ingredient list and buy things that have fewer ingredients.  I used canned tomatoes, but I try to buy ones that don't have a lot of extra stuff in.  

I'm trying to find good snack replacements.  Does anyone have home-made granola bar recipes, or crackers.  Stuff like that that I can make for me and my kids?

I'm a real foodie too :)  I so much prefer eating lunches of leftovers of the meal I made the previous night than running to a fast food place for whatever I might be able to squeeze onto my plan.  I have some chicken and pineapple and rice right now in front of me -- so much better than a tasteless fast food salad!  And I know exactly what's in it.  I'm with the 95% club -- I do eat some granola bars or have an occasional WW or Skinny Cow ice cream dessert, but mostly it real or it's something I've made.  What's funny is that when I used to cook all the time, I maintained my weight pretty easily.  When I started eating crap, even the stuff touted as "healthy" (energy bars, shakes, etc), I gained.  So I'm rediscovering my love for cooking and losing again!  Win win for me!!!

I am so with you on rediscovering my love of cooking.  I've really gotten out of the habit the last year or two, and it's taken its toll!

We're really blessed where we are to have access to a lot of natural food products.  The community where we live pretty much demands it.  Every grocery aisle has a green shelf loaded with natural food products.  They're still processed, of course, but it's a good intermediate step for those (like my husband) who don't handle change well.  I don't have any recipes, but I've found a lot of snack foods for my kids that are made without additives or artificial flavourings and colours. 

Sometimes we just have to aim for "better" on our way to getting to where we want to be.  Trying to do everything in one go can be discouraging and increase our chances of giving up.

I'm a dedicated eater of real food.  Of course, I have little processed indulgences every once in a while, but I feel really crappy and sluggish when I eat fake food.  I'd rather eat a wonderful little pastry from the bakery once a week than fat free pudding every day.  I can see the temptation of all the fake food for some people.  Before we started counting calories, many of us got used to being able to eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  People switch to fake foods so they can keep eating that way.  I've done a lot better (in weight loss, strength, health, and energy level) since I've learned that treats should be something special you eat every once in a while.  I don't think I could fully appreciate the glory of  dark chocolate mousse with real whipped cream if I ate sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding every day.  And that would make me a very sad girl.

Amen to that!  One of the most eye opening things for me is how the sense of taste is dulled by the overly sugary and salty processed foods.  I ate an apple yesterday and it was the sweetest, most delicious experience I've had in a good long while.

I just hope I can remember that the next time my husband/saboteur brings a bag of junkfood home from work with him.  I'm passionate about real food, but I'm also very, very weak in the face of my favourite fake stuff.  I've come a long way, but have a long way to go yet!

Original Post by kymburleev:

I do a lot of nutritional research through books (I adore Dr. Andrew Weil, for instance), but it's been awhile since I wrapped my head around a new one.  Any suggestions?

• Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
• The Eat Clean Diet (& Cookbook) by Tosca Reno
• Magic Foods by Reader's Digest

Original Post by quiltinmoma:

I'm trying to find good snack replacements.  Does anyone have home-made granola bar recipes, or crackers.  Stuff like that that I can make for me and my kids?

 I made these granola bars once and they turned out pretty well. I used molasses instead of honey, fiber-rich cereal (crumbled) instead of Rice Krispies, and dried cherries instead of apricots though. I also added 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips :) They were delicious, but they were a little crumbly. I think if I had of used honey, they would have "cemented" better.

I think this recipe because it's easy and it doesn't require eggs, oil or baking!

Chewy Almond Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats (small flakes)

1 cup crispy rice breakfast cereal

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped dates or dried apricots

1/2 cup dried blueberries or cranberries

1/4 cup chopped pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds

2 tbsp flax seeds (I used ground flax seeds)

1/2 toasted silvered almonds

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup honey

Mix all ingredients, except almond butter and honey. In a separate bowl, mix the almond butter and honey until smooth. Stir it into the dry mixture until well mixed. Press into a 9x13 inch pan. Press down firmly. Chill well (at least 4 hours) and cut into bars.

Makes 24 bars (though I think 12-15 is a more reasonable amount!)

If you get 24 bars, 1 bar = 145 cals, 3 g protein, 18 g carbs, 2 g fibre, 6 g fat, 120 mg sodium