The following post includes Amazon affiliate links.  That means a small portion of your purchase will be paid to me as a commission.  The price is the same for you.  I like to share these links to help support the cost of running this blog and to be a resource to you.  I like to make things easy for you and as always…..keep it real.

 

The Real Food Experience is a systematic approach to eliminating the harmful ingredients found in fast and processed food from your diet and focusing on eating real food.  Real food that is closer to nature than it is to science.  It’s a great time to focus on eating delicious and nutrient-dense food.  A healthy body has more energy for things that matter most in life. You can join us this week and get caught up by checking out our other weekly challenges. Here is the Week 1 Challenge. 

This week, we are focusing on what we drink.  Like many of our other weekly challenges, the level of difficulty this week depends on where you start from.  This week’s challenge is all about drinking real beverages.  If you usually drink soda, energy drinks, sugary iced coffees, and sports drinks, then this is going to be extremely difficult for you.  If your typical drink is water, then this week will be quite easy, and you may want to focus on increasing your water consumption. 

Real beverages defined: 

• water
• unsweetened herbal teas
• unsweetened coffee
• a small amount of 100% juice
• kombucha 
• bone broth

Drinking mostly real beverages is probably the change my family has made that has been the easiest to stick to over the years. We used to drink pop and juice at meals and now we all grab water for meals rather than other beverages. It is possible to create lasting change for your family.  I think there has been a strong cultural change since we started our real food journey that includes carrying a water bottle around all of the time. That wasn’t the case when we started years ago. Ordering water in restaurants feels more normal too. Let’s just say we aren’t the only ones ordering water. It’s probably more the norm now than ever before. 

The other cultural change that has gotten stronger is the iced coffee craze. I hate to say it, but most iced coffees from your favorite coffee shop are more like milkshakes. They are filled with tons of sugar and plenty of other highly processed ingredients. I see plenty of people walking around during the day carrying their water, their iced coffee, and their soda. Time to lighten up your arms and simply carry your refillable water bottle.

The challenge this week is to make the switch to real beverages only. Again, this is a challenge week. Perhaps, you can slip back to 80/20 with your beverages later, but this week I really want you to concentrate on only drinking real beverages. Water is probably the easiest and black coffee with maybe a splash of cream (not creamer) if you need the caffeine are what you will be focusing on. It’s not going to be easy. You are hooked on the iced coffees and your kids are hooked on their highly processed and highly sugary juice pouches. There are going to be lots of whiny voices and one of those voices is probably going to be your voice. I get it. It’s not easy. That’s why I refer to these as challenge weeks. 

OK…..it’s your turn now.  Let’s get to this. I believe in you. One beverage at a time make the switch from unhealthy to the healthy lifestyle you want and your body craves. Maybe grab a new water bottle to make it more fun. I like this one and this one.  What do you think is going to be the most difficult about this week?  Do you have to give up soda or iced coffee? Do you think you drink enough water regularly?

For simple recipes your family is sure to gobble up, make sure you check out the recipe index.  I am adding new recipes all of the time, so make sure you check back often.  You will also want to grab this free meal-planning printable calendar to make your meal planning easier.  It has areas to plan your daily activities and your evening meal prep.