Just Eat Real Food
If you’ve looked into getting healthy, I’m sure you’ve had one (or fifty) people tell you to just eat real food.
Need extra energy? Just eat real food.
Having a difficult time saying no to junk food? Just eat real food.
Lost a limb in a battle with a giant squid? Just eat real food!
Every time I hear it, I want to punch something. It’s one of the cockiest things a fit person can say and it’s right up there with spending your time at the gym doing nothing but posing in front of the mirror while people are trying to workout. Saying it doesn’t make you helpful. It makes you a douche.
Allow me to explain…
I’m sure most people say it in an attempt to be helpful, not realizing how incredibly pompous they sound. These people have likely never had an unhealthy relationship with food. They’ve never hidden a container of Girl Scout cookies from their family so they can devour them in hiding once everyone is in bed. They’ve never made a frozen pizza at midnight then woke up in a pool of thick red drool, covered in crumbs.
These are not people who need help making healthy choices.
I found a kindred spirit on the interwebs who put it more succinctly than I ever could:
Of course it would be great to have all of my eggs laid by pasture raised unicorns and eat only food directly from my hydroponic tilapia poop fertilized organic garden. The problem is I don’t live in fantasy land.
In a perfect world, we’d all Just Eat Real Food, but this isn’t a perfect world.
My family has bell peppers and onions in 85% of our meals. We eat little red meat, stick to whole grains, and have a fridge full of fruit and yogurt. And guess what? We still don’t get all the nutrients we need in a day from food.
I have three growing boys and a mammoth of a husband. Accounting for enough protein to satisfy what their bodies need is intimidating. I wouldn’t even know where to start looking at what foods to feed them to ensure they get enough pro- and prebiotics to encourage healthy stomach functions.
My already over-worked brain would finally shut down if my only option was to just eat real food. We have to supplement. My family’s health is more important than a fad shaming people for trying to improve their lives one meal at a time.
Great article. Yes getting on ban wagons when it doesn’t fit your life is so very difficult. Do what you can and what fits your family!
Exactly!
I hear ya, at my age it’s hard enough. I’m trying to lose weight and everyone always has something to say right but what happened to the days that it was ok to eat the store bought stuff just so you could lose some weight? I’m having the worst time, I am trying to eat healthier but the next person that says Eat Real Food or how about Eat Clean, that is my favorite, I’m going to scream!
There is NOTHING wrong with store bought or frozen! Try to pick the things that have the least amount of junk in them and do your best. No one is perfect. We’re all in this journey together, and we need to support each other.
I know what you mean. Eating frozen or fast food from time to time is not bad. I’m trying to loose weight but I am not stressing about it.
That’s good. Stressing about it makes it more difficult to lose the weight. We stress because we’re overweight then can’t lose the weight because we’re stressing. ?
If you ever need some support, reach out!
This is so true! I have good intentions, and most of what we eat is pasture-raised beef from our freezer or venison we butchered ourselves, but sometimes the box of macaroni and cheese is just what happens in the moment.
You are very lucky to have access to that meat. Kind of jealous. 🙂
Oh goodness. I tried to do the Whole 30 and lasted a day and a half before my husband came home and found me covered in brownie crumbs. Balance is key!
Yup. I’ve shoved a sleeve of cookies in my mouth so my kids couldn’t get to them. I’m not proud. Well…kind of haha.
So true!!! It’s a lot easier said than done. Plus, it’s all about balance anyway. Thank you for sharing!
[…] I used several supplements. Before you go into a “Just eat real food!” rant, read this. Don’t be that […]
[…] Eat Real Food crowd: I know. It’s better to just eat real food. In a perfect world, we’d all do that. Some of us however run around after kids all day, and […]