10 Days of Real Food Challenge

I think for the most part our family makes really good food choices.  We eat organically and we have been forced to eliminate many processed foods from our diets due to family allergies.  However I KNOW we could do better.   Stacy and I have been thinking about making some even bigger lifestyle changes and we decided to do this 10 Days of Real Food Challenge.  I stumbled upon this blog one day and this lady was inspiring to me. It's called 100 Days of Real Food...she and her family did this and did it successfully.  The reaped many benefits from doing this and after looking through her blog we got excited! She has worked so hard to make big changes in her family but also spent so much time and energy into her blog and educating people about the benefits of eating real food.  She even has amazing recipes that you can follow.  So.... starting on Monday, June 9th our whole family is doing the 10 Day Challenge.  Here are the RULES:

What you CAN eat:

1. Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
2. Lots of fruits and vegetables (we recommend that you shop for these at your local farmers’ market)
3. Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains (find a local bakery for approved sandwich bread and check the Understanding Grains post for more info)
5. Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)
6. Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
7. Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, and, to help the adults keep their sanity, wine and beer!
8. Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
9. All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation
10. Also check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes

What you CANNOT eat:

1. No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
2. No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
3. Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
4. No deep fried foods
5. No “fast foods”

Stacy and I spent the last few days planning out six days of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners.  I will be blogging what we have been eating along the way and how we have been feeling.  I think this is going to be great!!!  Wish us luck!  Especially because I will be attempting to make our own whole wheat tortillas!  :)