“Why is it so difficult to eat real food in the 21st century?”


Yes, it’s hard to eat real food in the 21st century:

The Verge: Why is it so difficult to eat real food in the 21st century?

However there is an upside if you actually manage to do it. If you don’t just passively eat whatever processed junk is most profitable for some giant company.

Your health, weight (and probably life) will be vastly improved. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s worth it.

Earlier on real food


  1. Janknitz
    Scary thought: I was talking to some moms whose kids had SEVERE nut allergies. They said that when they were out and about, if their kids wanted a snack they could always safely buy them Oreos, because Oreos contain absolutely NO REAL FOOD that could possibly trigger an allergy.

    Hmmm, why not buy your kid an apple or banana???

  2. Lori Miller
    Vlad Savov must be new to eating "real food." It's usually not hard to avoid eating junk or even wheat (assuming trace exposure doesn't bother you). But if you insist that every bite be pure and pristine, you're going to have a hard time when you need to eat away from home.

    Here's what I do:
    Eat at home most of the time.
    Get a burger without fries or a sugary drink and throw away the bun at McDonald's or other burger joint.
    Get an egg and sausage sandwich (and throw away the bun) and a black coffee for breakfast out.
    Get unbreaded hot wings if others are ordering pizza.
    Eat before I go out if I don't think there will be anything there I can eat.
    Take a snack like a Qwest bar. If that's not pristine enough for you, you can take nuts or some hard cheese.

    It's not that hard...but maybe that doesn't make for an interesting article.

  3. Galina L.
    I don't think it is hard to find normal food nowadays, escaping junk food is challenging sometimes.
    As it is often the case the picture with a "real food" contains only raw vegetables. Probably, it is the perfect snack for the people who need snacks, but it is not the perfect food to eat if you want to be not hungry for the next several hours after your meal. I would cook broccoli and carrots and add butter and salt.
    Reply: #4
  4. Caylee
    Why dilute the nutrition of the vegetable by adding butter or salt!
    Broccoli is one the healthiest foods you can eat and carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A!
    Salt and butter are good for nothing but making you unhealthy! The fat you eat is the fat you wear
    I dropped over 50 pound eating unlimited fruits and vegetables and feel amazing!!!
    Replies: #5, #13, #17
  5. Galina L.
    Most readers of that blog, Caylee, feel amazing eating butter and meat with their vegetables.
  6. Andrew
    So much different views of nutrition out there I don't know who to believe anymore!
    Not really a bad thing just saying!
    Reply: #8
  7. MiniH

    I lost 75+ lbs eating all the fat and salt I wanted ON my veggies, and I feel more than amazing. Congratulations on what worked for you, but clearly that doesn't work for everyone.

    Our bodies need both fat and salt. Recent studies show that too little salt is just as dangerous as too much. Good, natural sources of fat have essential vitamins, fats are necessary building blocks to hormones. Without fats, our bodies can't utilize all the FAT SOLUBLE vitamins in the fruits and vegetables we eat. Salt and butter ARE essential to a healthy diet for the long term.

    Be sure to read Dr. Enefeldt's "LCHF for Beginners". You may learn something. His recommendations are based on studies AND years of clinical experience. And countless people here will tell you that his advice works.

  8. Galina L.
    You may try and decide for yourself. There is no way I would be eating like a rabbit again. I like to feel satiated for hours with a reasonable amount of food.
    Reply: #11
  9. Lori Miller
    Caylee's been trolling here for a long time. She's a hidebound vegan who's not going to learn anything here.

    Caylee, why don't you get some leafy greens ready for Santa. His reindeer will love it.

    Reply: #10
  10. Galina L.
    Ya, vegans. They like to tell about vegetables being excellent source of all nutrients, even vitamin A. Ha! Recently one lady again started to explain to me how she nurtured the life in her body by eating fresh produce being still alive. I told her I was kinder to kill your food first.
  11. Caylee
    I usually leave walnuts for santa...
    On a more literal note all I was trying to say is I was able to get pretty healthy and get nearly all the nutrients I need from plant based foods! I was heavier as a meat and dairy eater! While I do believe sugar and bad carbs are a problem whole fruits and vegetables make me feel great! Eating a strawberry carrot or kiwi is not the same as eating a marshmallow! If sweet potatoes and fresh fruit where bad i'd be obese! Foods like cheese and salted nuts make me gain weight way more than a sweet potato! Obviously foods like pasta bread white rice dried fruits/fruit juices or sweeteners like maple syrup or agave I keep to minimum but eating whole foods and some exercise like a long walk here and there have kept me in quite good shape! Many of my friends and family have done the same and gotten also very good results!
  12. Sigrid
    Lucky you Caylee, your body metabolizes fruit and sweet potatoes efficiently enough to allow you to lose weight and be healthy when included in your choice of foods. Is it possible for you to understand that other people have less tolerance for the amount of glucose generated by fruits and starchy vegetables?
    Reply: #14
  13. erdoke
    Carrots contain no vitamin A at all, as it comes only from animal food. There is a huge difference in the conversion capability of carotenoids to vitamin A between people, to the extent that some can develop severe deficiency while eating two pounds of carrots per day.
    If nothing else, include nutrient dense animal foods (liver, eggs) for the sake of proper supply of fat soluble and B12 vitamins. Even D supplementation requires fats for efficient absorption, although olive and coconut oils seem to be OK for the purpose.
    Please elaborate on the molecular details how real butter can make one unhealthy. Copying quacks like T. Colin Campbell is strictly forbidden. :)
    Reply: #15
  14. Galina L.
    I remember how surprised I was after using Firday.com to count what I ate. Salads added almost nothing. I like salads, but I consider it as a not-essential fan part of my meals.
  15. Lori Miller
    Yes--vitamin D requires fat to be absorbed, as do vitamins A, E and K. So most of that wonderful vitamin E, vitamin K and precursor of vitamin A in your salad and carrot juice go down the toilet on a low-fat diet.

    A lot of butter or any other fat would be bad in the context of a high-carb diet. But low-carb--no. Without lots of carbohydrate, insulin is kept in check, and fat can be released from fat stores. If this is incorrect, then endocrinology book need to be re-written.

  16. Lowcarborama
    I don't find it hard to eat real food at all. Christmas Day was easy on LCHF. The only "naughty" food I ate was a white potato! I have created a 7 day meal plan to help beginners. You can get it at http://www.lowcarborama.com So many people have already started on it. So glad I can help get LCHF into the minds of more people! Happy Holidays Andreas and your family xxx
  17. Murray
    Butter and salt enhance the nutritional value of vegetables. Dairy has over 400 types of fatty acids, many of which enhance absorption of nutrients across the gut barrier.

    Vegetables also taste a lot better cooked with butter and salt. Even better, braise with chicken bone-broth stock. I just made braised leeks (heavy cream, stock, thyme, salt, pepper ) and the kids negotiated who got the last bit. They are a treat for the kids. Broccoli soup (steamed broccoli, stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper, grated Parmesan) is another favourite for the kids. Mushrooms sautéed in stock, reducing the stock, adding salted butter, repeating until there is a rich sauce coating the mushrooms is another kid favourite. Possibilities abound and our kids now love well prepared vegetables.

    People on low carb who don't have elevated insulin will likely need to be mindful to get sufficient salt. My blood pressure dropped significantly after going lchf and now if I don't make a point to add salt I can get lightheaded standing up quickly from a crouch position.

  18. Marilyn
    Murray, you can come and cook for me any time. :-) On the matter of braising: I braise most of my meats. Most of them—chicken legs, pork steaks, lamb chops or steaks—have bones. I brown the meats in butter, add whatever onions/garlic/marinated artichokes/etc. that I want for seasoning, then add a bit of water, and simmer for a couple of hours. I don't make separate bone broths because we eat as gravy whatever cooking liquid is left in the pan each time I braise some meat.

    Perhaps part of the problem is that people either never learn to prepare food—some, especially in poor communities, don't even have appliances for cooking in the kitchen—or their schedules are too crazy to devote much time to it.

  19. This Old Housewife
    I have numerous food allergies and am currently eating keto--2 good reasons to eat at home. The after-holiday craziness is a good reason to STAY home!
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  21. 1 comment removed
  22. Nichole
    Grocery stores make me sad; thousands of items and only about 1% of them worthy of entering our bodies.
  23. Susan
    real food is hard? Why? It's easy, tastes much better and is SO much better for you!

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