By Heather Binns

So many people are confused about nutrition, and you have every right to be.  There is so much information out there about fad diets, USDA guidelines, and more that it’s quite confusing.  What most people don't realize is that you really only need to remember one simple thing when it comes to healthy nutrition – eat real food!

So what is real food?  Here is what the dictionary states:

Food - Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.

Real – Not imitation or artificial; genuine.

So in essence, real food is food that genuinely nourishes, maintains life and growth without artificial ingredients.  But still, how do you really know if you are eating real food?

I love The Real Food Good-Better-Best Principle  by Weed ‘em & Reap for showing how to do the very best you can to eat real food with the ingredients you have on-hand or have access to.  They simplify real food into the following categories:

• Fruits and vegetables – organic, local and seasonal or grow your own
• Grains, beans, nuts and seeds – homemade cooking with 100% whole grains and preparing properly by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening
• Eggs – organic, local and pasture-raised
• Dairy – whole, primarily grass-fed, pasture-raised, organic and raw
• Meat – primarily grass-fed and/or organic and pasture-raised
• Seafood – fresh, local and wild-caught
• Fats – grass-fed lard and tallow, raw butter, or organic extra-virgin coconut or olive oil
• Sweeteners – local honey, organic unrefined cane sugar, pure stevia, coconut sugar, or organic real maple syrup
• Pantry Items – homemade, whole grain and properly prepared snack foods or stop re-creating them altogether
• Fridge Items – homemade and properly prepared “soda” aka without kefir or kombucha and lacto-fermented condiments*

Within each of these categories, they easily show you how to not feel overwhelmed with trying to eat as healthy as possible.  And, when you eat real food such as that mentioned above, you also don't need to worry about counting calories and tracking your every bite.  When you’re eating real food, you don’t need to worry about eating too much. Your body knows when it’s full, you just have to listen to it and learn.

For additional help on understanding how to eat healthy life-long and to change your nutrition habits long-term at a slow and reasonable pace, check out my Renov8 Fitness Nutrition Coaching Program available to you anywhere in the world.  Eat well and prosper!