If you have landed here, you are probably looking to improve your diet in some way. Maybe you are overweight, or were just diagnosed with a chronic disease, or perhaps you are just tired of not having the energy to keep up with your kids. You don’t have to tell me your reason, but don’t worry, we are besties now, and I don’t judge. Changing your diet comes with so many obstacles. Your kids are going to complain, your husband is going to complain, and your food budget may even increase a little. It’s ok. I’ve been there and done that. We can get through this together.

They say it takes about 21 days to form a new habit. For some, it takes longer, and for others, it takes less time. My experience is that changing everything all at once is exhausting, frustrating, and doesn’t work for long-term change. So, are we just going to give up? No, we aren’t.  We will make gradual changes each week. We are going to give ourselves and our families time to get used to each change, and then we are going to move on to the next change to our diet. I like to call these changes to our diet “challenges”.  I’m competitive, so even challenging myself is fun.  I like to set clear goals and work towards them. Leave me a comment down below if you are competitive and/or goal-oriented.

What is going to keep us motivated? That’s hard to say. People are motivated in many different ways. Some people like to reward themselves with things, while others respond to their friends and family commenting on the physical changes they see. I know that having a community of like-minded friends has always helped me to stay motivated to do the things I need to do to stay on my real food journey. That is why building a community here is so important to me and those who join our “Juggling” community. If you want to join me and others as we build a healthier lifestyle for our family through real food, leave a comment below to let us know you are “all in”.

This week’s challenge is simple. You are going to buy a bunch of fruit and prep it to eat for the week. It could be a bowl of apples, or a bunch of bananas, or a variety of berries. Whatever you like is good with me.  Leave it out on the counter or in a bowl at the front of the refrigerator. You are going to be intentional about trying to eat at least 3 servings of fruit each day. It could be with meals or as snacks.  As far as your family goes, this week we say nothing. Just leave the fruit there and watch them eat it. Fruit tastes like dessert. We don’t want our family feeling like they are being punished. Just let them enjoy the fruit. 

Enjoy fruit week!  If you think of it, circle back here and let me know what fruit you choose this week. Did your family notice the extra fruit in the house? Were they excited about the fruit? If you have strayed from having real food in the house, this is going to be a big change for your family. If it’s not unusual to have fruit in the house, this week is going to be easy for you. Don’t worry, the challenges are going to get harder as we go. Can’t wait to hear how your weeks go! Leave a comment here or visit me on Instagram and Facebook.    

Click here for the next article in the Real Food Experience Comeback Challenge series.