Expert Contribution

Eat Real Food for FREEDOM

Hunger, suffering, restriction and ultimately, failure … WHY do we continue to go on diets? 

I was prey to the fat-free, sugar-free (artificial sweetener) 1980’s dieting era. I remember drinking Tab Cola, nonfat, sugar-free yogurt and fat-free cheese. I spent about 30 years of my life on some diet or another. 

One day, I decided I was done. I just didn’t want to live my life obsessing over calories anymore. I was sick of eating Fake Food. There had to be a better way. So, I started an experiment. What if I could eat anything I wanted, in any quantity, as long as it was REAL Food? 

What exactly IS Real Food? 

Real food is whole food, which is unrefined and unprocessed and does not contain added ingredients and fillers or preservatives. Real Food is not just fuel, it is medicine. The quality of food we eat has a huge impact on our well-being as a whole. 

I decided I would eat till I was satisfied of the following Real Foods: 

Seasonal fruits and vegetables, full fat dairy, whole grains, wild caught fish (which are free of harmful chemicals), organic or grass fed meat (which are free of hormones and antibiotics), organic poultry, legumes, nuts, seeds, unrefined sweeteners (like raw honey and maple syrup), healthy fats like olive and coconut oil and superfoods like chia and hemp seed. 

I omitted just these 4 things (Fake Food): 

Alcohol, Processed Food, Added Sugar and Artificial Sweetener. 

I shifted my focus to EATING, not dieting. 

I found new joy in cooking and preparing real food. I also felt a little bit rebellious, which was fun! While everyone else was shunning heavy cream, I lovingly poured it into my coffee. I lost 10 pounds, my skin cleared up, my mood improved and most importantly, I felt FREE. 

What I learned: 

Nutrition is the ultimate self-care practice! We HAVE to eat. Life is short. Why are we spending our lives eating Fake Food? We ARE what we eat. We are a new person every seven years, and cellularly changing every minute. What we put in our bodies makes up WHO we are. 

Do your best each day to Eat Real Food, and watch your mental and physical health lead you to a life beyond your wildest dreams. Remember, you’re not restricting anything, because the food you are avoiding ISN’T food! 

In the month of September, I’ll be teaching my Eat Real Food Course at Body Love Cafe. It includes the following: 

Meal Plans, Recipe Booklets, Grocery Lists 

Easy to Follow Modules with Task Checklists, Downloads, Worksheets and more 

Weekly LIVE Zoom calls for education, support and conversation 

PRIVATE, DAILY Closed Facebook Group for peer support 

ACCOUNTABILITY! 

WEEKLY TOPICS are as follows: 

  1. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS – KITCHEN PREP 
  2. MEAL PLANNING + LABEL READING 
  3. PROTEIN + BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION 
  4. DIGESTION AND BOOSTER FOODS 
  5. AMINO ACIDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND CRAVINGS 

Reach out to Team@Bodylovecafe.com to sign up! 


By Chris Engen NC, CRNC, BCHN™