Rajul’s Real Food for Real Life rules:
- Prepare as much of the food you eat as possible.
- Choose as much organic, nonGMO, whole grain, unprocessed food as possible. The fewer ingredients in any given food, the better. Clean eating means a cleaner gut, easier digestion, less inflammation, decreased hormonal imbalances, and better immune system.
- As with any larger long term goals, start with smaller, short term ones. For example, maybe start with only going organic in the dairy department. Or always cooking dinner on weekend nights when you may have more time and energy. Don’t assume what you’re willing to do now is too easy or not enough. Slowly and definitely surely, you will get to where you ultimately want to be.
- Meal plan as much as possible and to whatever extent you can and always go to the store with a list be it written down or entered into your phone. I have weeks where I know what I am going to make for 5 evenings of dinners and other weeks when I have just brainstormed that we will have soup/slow cooker night twice, pizza night once, Mexican bowls another, etc. When you shop for mostly what you need and have planned for, you are better prepared to succeed at making your meals, saving money and time, and not wasting the groceries! I have a basic list in my head that I try to keep stocked so that I can throw something together! (i.e. veggies, grains, legumes, dairy, nuts/seeds, spices)
- Do the best you can. Your intentions will transform into efforts which in turn will give you the healthy outcomes you desire. What you’re doing today is right for you, and that is always enough!