My plan was to start this blog to share what I’ve learned about eating real food.  I’d love to be able to support others in our mutual quest to eliminate junk food from our plates, pantries, cars and desk drawers.  I’ve been learning about and moving toward a real food lifestyle for about three years.  Not for a moment do I delude myself by thinking I can be any kind of an expert on the matter.  I just have great enthusiasm and have felt the health benefits of my revamped approach to eating.  So why not share?!  I’ll tell you why not: Because a person can’t write a blog to inspire others to eat real food when she steps away from the computer to consume an obscene amount of salted caramel ice cream.  Even if it is all-natural ice cream.

Why is it so hard for some of us to just do what we know we need to do?  I know why highly processed foods are detrimental to my health.  I know they make my gut feel bad.  I know how much better I feel when I choose nourishing food.  And, very importantly, I now know what foods are actually nourishing.

I had an excuse when I didn’t really understand that Oncor frozen dinners don’t make the cut.  I thought I was doing right by myself and my family.  Oncor chicken parmesan with corn, mashed potatoes, and skim milk.  Pat yourself on the back, Mom, because for a change it wasn’t Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese from the blue box.  With hot dogs in it.  In my defense we sometimes had broccoli on the side. I must have fed my kids hundreds (thousands?) of chicken nuggets over the years.  Not from McDonald’s, oh no, those are gross.  I bought frozen Tyson.

I can’t remember why I thought these were good meals.

How do I write a blog about eating real food when despite all the food knowledge I’ve acquired, I still eat my fair share of Lou Malnati’s pizza?  (If you live in the Chicago area, this needs no explanation. And you will fiercely defend my lapse.)

There are countless food bloggers sharing recipes and tips for eating real food.  They make it seem so easy.  And fun.  And they are totally correct.  It’s truly not hard once you get your pantry stocked and find a few good recipes to get you started.  Plus, you will begin to feel noticeably better within days.  DAYS!  And, yet….

So, for now I shall be the food blogger who also shares her real life struggle to be a real food foodie.  I hope I can inspire you to keep at it with me.  And I hope you’ll share your inspirations too!

-Sue

Check out some of my real food inspirations on Instagram.