Sound, sight, touch, smell and taste…

we all know the five senses.

Which are the most important when it comes to food?

Of course, smell…and especially taste!

We frequently hear people say, “healthy food just doesn’t taste as good” or “vegetables are just so boring.”  Why does this perception exist?

One reason is someone may say, “I am going to eat healthy” and they start their new routine of chicken or fish, steamed broccoli and brown rice.  If this is their meal over and over, of course this is going to get boring!

How can someone expect to maintain a healthy lifestyle if their food doesn’t make them happy, or better yet…bring them joy?  This bland, boring meal would be viewed by most people as more of a sacrifice or deprivation…they might say, “it doesn’t taste great, but the sacrifice is worth it.”  How long can someone expect this to really last?

Our food needs to make us happy to become part of a healthy lifestyle that sticks!

This is part of our mission at Eat REAL America – to provide meal ideas and recipes that are NUTRITIOUS, and are also DELICIOUS and full of FLAVOR!

Our criteria for Eat REAL America recipes and meal ideas are:

• easy-to-prepare
• affordable
• REAL food ingredients
• good for you
• and taste AMAZING!

That sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it?!  We are trying to bring the JOY back to our dinner tables!  We want people to enjoy absolutely DELICIOUS meals where they (and their families) can say, “I can’t believe how amazing that tasted…and it is good for us?!” as opposed to “I may have to spend some extra time in the gym tomorrow, but it was worth it.”  When you see the results people are able to achieve – including how quickly their cravings start to change – this really isn’t a tall order at all!

So, why do so many view delicious AND nutritious as a virtually impossible combination to achieve?

Information overload!

We are bombarded with so much information about calories, carbs, fats and sugars that great taste is often forced to take a back seat.  What if we were able to simply rely on our natural instincts and trust that what tastes good to us is exactly what our bodies need?

A very interesting study in 1939 looked at the eating habits of toddlers who were just starting to eat regular food.  The children were allowed to choose freely from among 30+ different foods…with no influence from parents or other adults!  They could eat whatever they wanted in the amounts they wanted.

Believe it or not, the children ate different varieties of food, and consistently consumed calories that were within recommended limits and ate appropriate quantities of healthy carbs, fats and proteins.  The unfortunate reality in 2020 is that our natural instincts are overruled by our food environment at a very young age…which is why it’s so important to keep improving our food culture!

Solution?

Focus on eating REAL food that you find delicious!  Don’t obsess over calories, carbs, fats and sugars…if you are eating REAL food, the nutrients will take care of themselves!

Flavor from the farm or the factory?!

Processed foods have been “flavored up” by food scientists.  As processed foods become flavorful, they also become more “addicting” and more tempting to choose over REAL food.  Factories and labs spend millions (actually, make that, billions) of dollars to add addictive flavor to processed and fast foods.  Just think about the different flavors of yogurt, potato chips, cereals, snack bars…and more!

As we know, these factory-produced flavors don’t provide the nutrition of a REAL blueberry, strawberry, jalapeno pepper, vanilla bean…you name it!  Instead, they provide large amounts of added sugars, salt and artificial flavorings, which harm our bodies (vs. REAL food, which nourishes our bodies).  We may THINK these foods are delicious, but they definitely ARE NOT nutritious!

Solution?

Focus on “flavoring up” your cooked-at-home REAL food meals!

If there are processed foods you would like to eat less of, try to come up with a delicious REAL food alternative.

Love chips?  Try air-popped popcorn!

Ice cream addiction?  Whip up one of our banana ice creams!

Have a weakness for Rice Krispie Treats?  Try our great tasting version (without marshmallows)!

There are so many ways to flavor up your meals…just a few ideas include pesto, toasted nuts, roasted vegetables and other flavorful toppings.  Or, let us help, because you CAN have the best of both worlds!

If there is something specific you would like to see on the website, please let us know — we will try to find a way to make it both delicious AND nutritious!