One challenge families have when they start eating trading processed foods for real food is that it’s either:
- a) Too expensive
- b) Too complicated – it takes too long
- c) Too … different
And it’s true, you can run into all of these challenges when you’re switching up how you eat. But you don’t have to. You can keep it simple and make the real food switch a lot easier by opting for better versions of foods you already eat.
1. Yogurt
Try switching to plain yogurt with lots of probiotic cultures. (You can always sweeten with berries, raw honey or pure maple syrup if you don’t like the tart flavor). We have some Oregon dairies that make great yogurt, full of probiotics, minus lots of sugar.
This is a far cry from the yogurt we used to eat, which was mostly sugar. If buying the best yogurt you can find is too expensive, try making it yourself. Even if you buy the best quality milk (bonus points if you use raw milk), you can still make 2 quarts of yogurt for the price of one.
2. Eggs
Try switching to free-range eggs. We’re blessed to get free-range eggs from my mom’s chickens. Most days, my kiddos go outside and gather them in their little baskets. The yolks are a deep orange color, full of nutrients. And they taste delicious!
One easy switch is to start eating free-range eggs, rather than eggs that come from chickens in awful living conditions with no access to the outdoors, which offers sunshine and a variety of foods that increase the nutritional quality of the eggs. While you can find free-range eggs at health food stores, try checking out Craigslist or local farms for better prices.
3. Peanut Butter
Try switching to peanut butter made only from peanuts. Most peanut butter you find in stores contain sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oils, additives that are unnecessary. Instead, look for brands that only use peanuts.
You’ll notice oil on the top of that jar – that’s normal. Or you can get even fresher peanut butter by grinding it in store (cheaper) or making it your blender with fresh peanuts and a touch of salt (even cheaper).
4. Butter
Try switching to butter instead of margarine. We use organic butter, from grass-fed cows if we can (like Kerrygold butter). If that’s too pricey, I go for butter with no rbST (growth hormone). Real butter is a great source of essential vitamins and helps fat-soluble vitamins get absorbed into your body. And it tastes delicious!
5. Coconut Oil
Try switching to coconut oil for cooking and baking. While store-bought vegetable oils are touted as healthier, they’re often oxidized due to heating or sitting on grocery shelves, which can cause free radicals (hello cancer!). Coconut oil is a great alternative with many benefits.
6. Bone Broth
Try switching to real bone broth, instead of bouillon. We used chicken bouillon for years until I found out it has MSG, a damaging neuro-toxin. Then we switched to organic chicken stock. And then I had a light-bulb moment when I realized I could save money, reduce waste and get lots of nutrients by making bone broth with leftover bones from the whole chicken we had each week. Win!
7. Kombucha
Try switching to kombucha instead of soda or juice. This probiotic beverage is beneficial in a number of ways. It promotes health by helping your body detoxify, strengthening gut health, improving joint health and boosting your immune system.
Plus, you won’t find excess sugar and empty calories, like you would in juice or soda and you can save lots of money by making your own kombucha.
8. Fresh Vegetables
Try switching to fresh veggies, instead of canned or frozen. This might seem like a given, but this was actually a challenge for me as I grew up on canned veggies. The difference in taste is amazing, especially if you eat local veggies that are in season.
If you’re also used to canned veggies, try eating those same veggies fresh. Once that’s part of your routine, try branching out with other vegetables you’re not used to.
9. Natural Sweeteners
Try switching to natural sweeteners like raw honey, sucanat and/or pure maple syrup. Got a sweet tooth? Me too. Fortunately, I don’t feel deprived because I switched out refined sugars for natural sweeteners. These sweeteners taste just as sweet (sometimes even sweeter) and contain minerals that are stripped out of processed sugars.
What real food switches have you made?
This is such a great straightforward article, and I already do quite a bit {don’t let the fitness CEO title fool you 😉 } We have chickens that give us eggs. I make butter from our goat’s milk that we drink, and that I milk myself by hand. The only thing I don’t do yet is the home-made kombucha, but one of my friends just shocked me by starting his own {not someone I’d envisioned doing it} and he’s promised me my own cultures.
Yes! These are all fairly easy, peanut butter is the one I have yet to change. Adding it to my ‘to-do’ list!
Thx for the article. I will share with my daughter, who is struggling with celiacs. Tiffany, a couple tips on the peanut butter….some people like to drain off the oil from the top first (I used to do this, still drain some of it) and that makes its stiffer, yet might make it more palatable at first, just peanut flavor, nothing more. I always bring mine home and store it upside down in the refrigerator, it just makes me happier to have it more mixed. Turning it upside down seems to help. I always store in the refrigerator; it’s kind of hard to stay out of it.
I was at my parents house last week to help out with my dad being sick and had a name brand “typical” peanut butter and kinda gagged. It no longer tasted good to me.
Hi Nina – Thanks for linking to my post on butter! I appreciate it and love your site! 🙂
Great list Nina, it sure is nice to start with a few simple steps. I remember when we first switched to coconut oil years ago… it has slowly progressed from there – still plenty of room to improve but we’ve come a long way. I never thought about making my own peanut better tho – I’ll have to give it a shot. 🙂
Nice segue into the ebook bundle – there sure are some great books in there!
I love these simple ideas!
Gonna definitely look into a couple of the natural sweeteners you’ve suggested.
Thanks!
All true! But all expensive, except broth and yogurt. Eggs here ate $6-8 from the farms where we get raw milk 🙁 expensive for a family of 4 who eat lots of eggs. And the good syrup and raw honey are crazy expensive. Wish e could fine reasonable prices.
I know this is a silly question, but how can I tell if it is “good” yogurt? I know how to see if there are live cultures in it. Just not sure about the added sugar part.
Switched to butter years ago, ditched the canned fruits and veggies for fresh and frozen, working on reducing aspartame and HFCS (just can’t get rid of it completely and still keep my kitchen sanity); we still eat commercial flavored yogurts but make sure they are free of HFCS, artificial dyes and aspartame; kombucha will be a “heck no” (sorry, it sounds completely disgusting to me and our guts/immune systems are very healthy); range free eggs are just too pricey, the nearest farm is a 60 mile drive each way to pay $6 per dozen (I buy regular ones for $1 per dozen); pure maple syrup is also too expensive (I pay $6.99 for 1.5 gallons of a typical name brand, real syrup is $16.99 for a quart, which would last us only a month); I can’t do it all, but feel that every little bit helps!
So true! i started buying free ranged eggs about a month ago and man you don’t go back once you try them so much better then regular eggs- i was even buying organic eggs before this. I get them 6 for 2.49 $. I never get the regular peanut butter from the store,often the first or second ingredients in them is sugar 🙁 i found a good brand that is organic and has very little cane sugar in it.
Check the list of ingredients. I typically buy yogurt that has nothing added. Sometimes I’ll get honey yogurt, and rarely I’ll get vanilla yogurt that has evaporated cane juice toward the end of the ingredient list (sugar that hasn’t been bleached). If you see sugar at the top of the list, or high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup, set the yogurt down and back away slowly. 🙂
Baby steps are good!
p.s. The first time I tried kombucha, I spit it out in the sink. Now it’s my fav. Just sayin’ … 😉
May I clarify one thing in your paragraph regarding eggs…a free ranging chicken can be a chicken who is loose in the chicken house with actually no access to the out side or grass….looking for “pastured’ chicken eggs is a better bet, these chickens are loose in the grass eating the things God meant for them to eat. It can be tricky deciphering grass fed…pastured…free range etc as there are no regulations governing what those terms mean. And by all means free range (loose in the chicken house) is still much better than a factory farmed chicken!
Very good 1st steps! I’d love it if you shared this with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/04/eco-kids-tuesday_30.html
Thanks Hannah! I linked it up. 🙂
Oh my goodness; thank you! This is the post I was looking to read– I’ve recently gotten into “real food” more and more, albeit not completely as I would be unable to replace everything in my cabinets right away (and we are not made of money)! Raw milk is another one of those things that’s hard to get (looking for “herd shares” as it’s illegal in my state to purchase raw dairy)– allllllll the crunchy websites seem to think I can get it at the corner store or dropoff point, which again I don’t have (just TRY finding someone around here who even knows what kombucha or sucanat or kefir *IS*, let alone sells it; I couldn’t find turmeric capsules and the pharmacist looked at me like I had two heads) as I live in the absolute sticks and have to drive on the weekends over an hour to get organic products, or 35 minutes to get to the Farmer’s Market (very small so you get what they are selling ;), and I have to rush from work). I bought organic apple cider vinegar when I was in town because the grocer here in the sticks didn’t know what “with the mother” meant…he said, and I quote, ‘ whose mother, honey?’.
I’m the kind that if I can’t get into it 100%, it’s easy to feel like I’m not doing it “right”…but this post made me see that even the small things we are already doing (straight-from-the-neighbor’s-yard hen eggs– my vet sells her organic hen eggs by the dozen for $2!, organic whole milk and organic dirty dozen produce, fresh veggies, real maple syrup and raw honey instead of white sugar, more sprouted grains as I slowly reduce my grain intake, real nut butters without sugar, grassfed or Amish pastured butter, and H2O with lemons and limes, not soda). I want to do natural without feeling like I’m losing my mind or inept because I have to work FT and farm PT (we have beef cattle and sheep). I have driven, shopped online, and found farm hookups, but it’s not an overnight thing.
So this lifestyle has to be something I can afford, and do without going broke or constantly going hungry trying to find better choices. My husband also grew up eating Wonder bread and margarine, so I’m trying to be a little flexible in pushing these changes. 😉
Sorry about the longwinded comment— but THANKS for the post! It was like a pep talk when I was losing heart, because *no* I don’t have Dr. Bronner’s soap available in my grocery store, and I don’t simmer chicken heads and feet in a pot all day to get broth (yikes, those heads!). 🙂
Wonderful suggestions to make healthy switches. I used to drink kombucha tea years ago. I might have to try it again.
My dietitian suggested when eating more fruits and veggies, to start by incorporating one dark green and one orange veggie daily, then eat other colours. I found this very helpful.
Thanks again!
Yay for the good tips! I have yet to try kombucha, but do all the rest! Thanks for sharing your post with us. I featured it on my blog! Hope to see you again today at Eco-Kids Tuesday!!
i love all of these 🙂 (minus the homemade kombucha, which my husband got very sick off of a couple years ago!)
I try to eat real food. Coconut oil is VERY expensive, as are farmer’s market eggs, but Kombucha honestly stumped me for a few minutes and I had to go look it up on Wikipedia. As I don’t like yogurt, but I do like seaweed salad, I have no idea whether I will like kombucha. And as I haven’t seen it in the supermarket, my only option would be to try to make it… and there is zero guarantee that it would work well. So I have to say that it’s not an “easy” food to change.
can you mention some yogurt brands plz that we can trust.
My first visits to your site. Love it. Love the list. Plain and simple. I have been clean eating for awhile now. Will have the occasional dessert if we dine out but most always try to eat at home to keep things real ! I have been educating myself by visiting these great sites. I do not follow a specific diet, just good proteins, fruits, veggies, natural raw sweeteners, grains, eggs, seeds, nuts. Still would like to lose some weight but I will just continue to consume good wholesome clean eating and get in exercise daily and be hopeful that someday it will happen.
Hi Nina! Thank you for the link love to my health benefits of butter post! This is a great post and I’ll be sharing it on my FB page! 🙂
Thanks Jessica!
Sadly I quit kombucha-it messed up my BM and even with time didn’t work itself out. My local egg sources tend to dry up over time. Right now I must choose between supermarket organic and free-range eggs or non organic (thus gmo feed) but local and small scale.
I have been reading a lot tonight on your site. When I can get the real raw milk, I love to make and so does every body, my yogurt. Just found a lady with the eggs, and all the chicken parts. bone broth a cooking. I make all my dog food, I brought my little pepper plants in and placed them in the back bedroom with no heat, still a putting out blossoms. Started them from the peppers I bought last spring and tossed the seeds in to a pail on the front porch. Also those little tommy tomatoes that grow wild here. No money? Just a couple tomato plants, couple pepper plans, some string beans, I have to grow in pails, spinal injury keeps me from bending down or working in the yard. I make my bread, gelatin with orange juice and lemon juice, make all my soups, soup beans and corn bread are a staple here in this area. Composting is a must in this house, rags all the time for everything, shop at the Habitat store, get free whenever, and those second hand places are terrific, when I go for the once a month free food at the church, I take home 1 to 3 articles of clothing, if it does not fit, take it back. Was, for 6 years, heating with wood, now need a new chimney and air tight stove, but the wood is free here. I am elderly, grown children are helping right now with the power bill, the heaters are ok. I am now considering chickens, and I endorse gardens, not lawns. I have offered my land to those who would like to have a garden…since I have to heat with electric, I bake all my food, and even use a kettle in oven to heat my tea water. It takes a minimum of 6 quarts of water to bring hot to kitchen tap, I catch and filter to drink and use in cooking. City water costs here, I am frugal.
Make my laundry detergent, tooth powder, and since I am incontinent, bought 1 yard of PUL and 1 yard of absorbent zorb off Amazon.com, will make my own pads, and wash just like the diapers back in the 50’s and 60’s. Never bought a paper diaper for any of my 5 children. And I washed the diapers by hand for the first year, no washer. I shop on amazon.com, get free shipping. I grind my wheat berries, soak the beans and all. It takes a little to get started, but the journey is fun.
Oh, I worked all my marriage! Up till just 3 years ago, and I am 77. I have 5 grown children, and plenty of grand and great grand children. I am widowed, no fun, but love cooking my soups for my children here and now am doing a service to the local fire company by doing soup, corn bread and cake once in a while. A thank you for serving me and in turn the fire chief gives back to me as their thank you. I recycle everything I can, fix what ever I can and now I think I will be bartering my bread for the farm fresh eggs. this is her suggestion. Trimmed down the wardrobe, don’t fit, give it way, don’t wear, give it away, no space, decide what I want , then pass it on. Gifts are something I make or something I purchase at the second hand store and people love it.
Yes, those good eggs cost. I did research on eggs on line, found the brands that were the best. Guess what, they are from I lived for over 50 years! it is not easy getting any good food here. Greeneville, TN is the # 1 fast food per person city in the United States. Every time we saw another building going up, thought maybe now..only it was just another fast food place. So we eat at home or each others homes. My bone broth(first time) is turning out great. I will have to can some, there is so much. But my innards need good nourishment and I am on no medication at all. Praise God. My two little dogs eat the best I can cook for them and will not eat commercial dog food.
Have made peanut butter, mayo, kids used to say, homemade mayo, home grown tomatoes, lettuce and homemade bread, they did not mind taking their lunch to school. Our little garden was small because of my neighbor’s trees shading my yard, but I managed, and now with the pails on my little front porch, I am managing fresh veggies. During august, I had no food money, had made this nice pizza dough recipe. I went out every day, picked the little string beans, peppers, and the tomatoes, made a little sauce, put all on that nice dough and sprinkled nutritional yeast on for cheese and had it every day for 10 days. I loved it.
I do the best I can and I do a lot of research. The sharing of beef or milk cow might be good, but that is in the future. Mean while, about the only packaged item I buy is the hard candies, and they are all natural and no sugar. Just realized my favorite Silk has Carrageenan, told them good bye and need another source I can afford in milk. I need a source for some of the dishes I like. Cannot legally purchase real raw milk here, and I grew up on it and so did my children. they would go with me as we dipped it out of the tank as it came from the cows.
Sweeteners, maple syrup and local honey. real mashed fruit on toast, man that is good! Always use butter. I do have sugar in the house, company does not like good food.
I have one daughter in her 50’s and her daughters making sure they have as best natural as they can. My daughter here is getting into it and we have fun getting different things and making, she even put in a garden and working long house had to pick her peppers and just threw them in the freezer,,, should have seen the special potato salad I made, we had no onion, but every thing else went in and we called it ‘don’t ask, just eat’ and they did and loved it!
Yes coconut oil costs, but the health benefits out weigh buying poor food. did the research on olive oil. Found my favorite store here just started carrying the best and it is $1 cheaper than Colavita. I watch price per ounce, also ingredients. I teach others about this.
See, the way I figure, one item at a time and speak your mind to the ones who stock the shelves. I do. and tell the grocer you do not appreciate some things and tell them you won’t shop there. I do. do research on your area and speak up about getting farm fresh, about getting a group together and sharing the expense of getting the items to your area, like the drive. share with people, be good neighbors, use your search on your PC’s to find. That is how I found this nice lady with the chickens and eggs last week and she drives right my house every Wed and will deliver. I do not particularly like out farmer’s market here, I am used to different, in FL and upstate NY, but I make friends and share information and ask on FB locally. I know this is long but as I read all the comments, there is a way if a person pursues looking. Money is tight every where, but you never know what you have that you can barter with that someone else needs or wants.
Nuff for now, Just Sayin’ 🙂
I am wondering how to do this if you are on food stamps here in Oregon. Are there any farmers nearby that we can get raw milk, eggs and the like?
Dori – you have to buy raw milk with cash/check, but there are other places you can use food stamps to get real food. Farmer’s markets in Oregon take EBT, so that’s a great option. Also, I know of a local farm that offers a program for people on food stamps and they offer food year round. And you can find a lot of real food options at places like Fred Meyer, Trader Joes, locally owned produce shops that all take food stamps.
Thank you Nina. Can you give me the name of the local farm?
The one I know of in central Oregon is Rainshadow Organics.
Thank you so much for helping us get to a new start. That is close by.
I have my own hens so Ive got the good eggs covered. I switched to real butter a couple years ago. My question: is stevia ok (I use Truvia). I had used the bad sweeteners for years and I kept needing more of the sweet taste. Stevia isn’t as sweet.
Wonderful! As I buy and prepare food I ask myself .. of my choices, which are closest to the hand of God?
Thank you Nina. I’ve done some of these switches, but now have a list of things to try and incorporate. When I first signed up for your newsletter I thought the information might be too advanced for where I’m at (as a relatively ‘natural ‘ novice), so I really appreciate simple articles like this. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kyle. And it’s great to see you here!
Great article. I’ve been looking for some straight forward info. on my quest to becoming more holistic and natural. I thank you! I have also found that agave nectar is also a good sweetener, with blue agave being best.
I find the best pricing and plain yogurts at my local Indian Markets!
Oh, good to know! Thanks!