Image by illustirAre you ready for part 3? Helping husbands get on board with real food is such a big topic, and most people haven’t talked about it from a man’s perspective. I’ve asked my husband to share his perspective on various questions in this issue.
Here he is again!
In part 1 and part 2, I talked about getting your husband on board with real food, and how to really view the cost of real food. Today I’m going to focus on another key tenent — what will I eat?
What Do I Eat Now?
Am I going to have to eat soy turkey and drink wheat grass shakes?
When most people who are new to real food first hear about it, they assume that it will be the same as most other popular diets. “From now on you can’t eat meat, fat, or sugar. You will have to live on soy burgers, rice cakes, and salads.” Unfortunately, our modern culture has villified fat and meat to the point that most people think all they can eat on a “healthy” diet is grains and vegetables. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A key distinction about eating real food is that more often than not, you’re just eating your normal meals. Love burgers and fries? Eat grass-fed beef and fry your french fries in a healthy fat like coconut oil or lard. While there will be some meals where the transition is more substantial, like eating spaghetti squash instead of pasta (if you are on GAPS), most of your favorite meals can be easily replaced with real food. The main thing you’re doing is just avoiding processed foods and all the chemicals they contain; you can still eat all the meat, potatoes, fats, eggs, etc… that you want.
What is this going to taste like?
Let me say one word — bacon. I have never met anyone who didn’t love bacon. In case you didn’t know, fat is delicious! Literally every single meal I eat contains large amounts of fat. For breakfasts we often have eggs fried in bacon grease, for lunch I have soups that contain large amounts of olive oil or beef fat, and dinners often consist of food fried in lard, butter, or beef tallow. When we initially switched to real foods, I did have some reservations about what things would taste like. I loved eating pizza, fried chicken, and maybe other typical favorite foods. Not only can I eat all my favorites, but they actually taste better than they did before. As a society, we are so used to eating low fat foods, that we’ve actually forgotten how amazing food tastes when it contains a lot of fat. In addition, fat is actually good for you!
For me, eating a lot of fat also makes it much easier to not be tempted by standard American food. When we go out to eat I often think to myself, “This really isn’t that good. When Kate makes this same meal at home, it is so much better.” I’m not alone in that sentiment, either. It is very hard to match the taste of real food with sugar or processed chemicals. The only reason most Americans accept that food tastes that way, is because they’ve completely forgotten how great food is supposed to taste!
What about my junk food?
Not only was I initially worried about losing my favorite entrees, but my sweets as well. Like everyone else, I love ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, and all manner of sugary delights. I can honestly say, that switching to real food does not mean that you have to give up all sweets; but it does mean that you have to change the way you make them. (Kate’s dessert cookbook is a great start.) The important thing is, that you can eat them.
Let me put it to you this way; two years ago I lost 65 pounds after switching to real foods. Not only did I eat as much as I wanted at meals (no portion control in this house), but I had a quart of ice cream every day. I kid you not. Raw milk contains a ton of fat and nutrition and it only takes a small amount of raw honey, instead of white granulated sugar, to achieve the same sweetness. For two years, Kate and I have made 1/2 gallon of ice cream almost every night and split it between us. I must have been working out like a madman though to burn off those calories, right? In fact, until just a few weeks ago, I never worked out or had any substantial physical activity on a weekly basis. By eating the right types of food (high in fat, low in sugars and grains) youy body will function more effectively and you won’t gain weight.
This isn’t true just for us. My dad was very reluctant to switch to real food. I spent over two years trying to convince him of its merits. That doesn’t seem like a long time but my dad and I are very close and he values my opinion highly. Since he changed his diet 6 months ago, without changing anything else about his physical activity and continuing to have ice cream daily (we are both addicted), he has lost over 30 pounds. Did I mention that he is 60 years old? How many 60-year-olds can you name that lose weight? The “normal” way of thinking isn’t right, if eating real food has these results.
Conclusion
I know it seems crazy, because this is the exact opposite of what you hear from the mainstream. I’m telling you that you can have all the meat, fat, and ice cream you want, while losing weight at the same time. It only seems crazy because you don’t know the science behind it. I encourage you to try it for yourself. Talk to your wife, read more blog posts from this site, and above all, just try it. Real food will be the most delicous and healthy food you’ve ever tasted!
Ben, love your posts!!
I like seeing real food from a new perspective! Great 3-part series! I would encourage you to keep up with physical activity you mentioned starting. Traditional societies that thrived on real food also thrived on a lot of physical activity to keep the body strong. Good luck with your new physical activity!