Traditional Foods for Modern Living

I love this time of year; vegetable gardens are coming to life, farmer's markets are getting into full swing, recipes for fruit and vegetable dishes abound! Eating fresh, local food is important to me.

Since changing over to a real foods diet from one that was largely made up of processed foods, I personally have enjoyed better health. No more achy joints or muscle pain, which makes it easier to become more physically active. Of course, I can only share my experience; I can't claim that food is a cure all. My philosophy is, we all have to eat and since we have to eat, why not try a real food diet as a first step towards better health?

What exactly is a “real food” diet? To me, a real food diet is one that is made of foods that are not processed. The food is real and the vitamins and minerals they contain are real.

What do I mean by processed food? The kind of food you find in packages at the store, with ingredient names you can't pronounce. And have you noticed how those lists seem to be getting longer?

Then there's the kind of food you find in your bag after you leave the drive-up window, though you may wonder how a burger or chicken sandwich can be made of anything but meat and bread. And, often, what you find on your plate when you sit down in a restaurant.

What's left to eat, you might ask. What's left is real food, or traditional food, that you cook and prepare yourself. I'm sure right now you're probably thinking it sounds like a lot of work and who has time for cooking from scratch? At least, those are the thoughts I had initially when considering a real food diet. After all, who doesn't love the convenience of convenience food? The problem with convenience food is most of the time it's made up of more chemicals than actual food. In addition, there are often chemicals used in the processing itself.

When I first began a real foods diet, there were resources available on the internet to aid me on my journey. In the two plus years since I began, those resources have expanded exponentially. However, it can still seem daunting to someone just beginning. And there are a lot of conflicting viewpoints when it comes to food and good health. How does a beginner find the starting place?

Thankfully, there are some resources that start at the beginning. One of those resources is found at the Cooking Traditional Foods (CTF) blog. There is an eCourse being offered at no cost that explains how to get started. It includes things like how to begin the transition to traditional food. I like that this course meets people right where they are and offers explanations for why you should consider making changes. Another thing I like about the CTF site, is that it accommodates various food allergies.

There are even ways to combine old fashioned tradition with healthier options without sacrificing real food. Here's one alternate recipe.

 Chocolate Nut Fudge

(original recipe at Whole New Mom)

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups cooked beans, drained and rinsed (white, black, pinto, etc)
• ¾ cup coconut oil (softened or melted)
• ½ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened kind)
• ½ cup sweeter of choice (honey, unrefined sugar, etc)
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients together well in a blender or food processor. Pour/scrape into an 8 x 8 baking pan and place in refrigerator for an hour. Cut into squares. Keep refrigerated, as coconut oil in a warm environment can become too soft to handle. For a pumpkin or peanut butter version, see the CTF blog.