"The Rules" of Real Food

1/2/13:   Now I have to say I'm still learning and I'm guessing my education will be on-going.   As I begin I am using two main sources as my guide:

100 Days of Real Food Blog -  this is a really great down to earth resource.  While I respect those that go all the way and grow their own food ... I can't even cook so really?  NOT realistic.  I searched a long time before I found something that spoke to me ... that seemed do-able in my day to day world.  Strongly suggest you check it out!  They share the rules that their family follows freely.  These are the rules I'm using as I learn more myself.

In Defense of Food - by Michael Pollan - a good resource to explain the 'why' of trying / moving to a "whole" or "real" food way of eating.  I'm not finished with the book yet but it has already inspired me to give this a shot.  Simply - it is the first thing to actually make sense to me when it comes to diet!

I've found many more resources that I have yet to really explore fully ... there is only so much time in the day!  But I see this journey as my 2013 resolution and it's ONLY January 2nd!  I'll get there.  Hopefully as I do I'll have some original recipes and information to share!

2/12/13 Update:  I've learned so much but I've decided to continue to follow the rules as laid out at 100 Days of Real Food.   I'm not 110% strict and have gone off this just a couple of times but this has truly become how I eat.  I continue to read and learn and it influences my choices but if anything it has given me more reasons to follow these rules instead of create my own.   I'm loving the food and honestly I don't feel at all deprived - if anything I feel like I'm being good to myself.

3/3/13 Update:  I continue to stick to the 100 Days of Real Food 'rules' the majority of the time.  When I have strayed it has been minimal.  I can literally count the times:

• Two tablespoons of raw sugar in a bread recipe.
• Regular organic phyllo dough because the store didn't carry whole wheat.
• Tofu  (some say is "too processed" for whole / real foods)
• Vegan chocolate chips in cookies (they do have cane sugar in them)
• A serving of ranch dressing to dip my raw veggies in at our neighborhood bar / grill. 
• I have not found truly locally raised meats but I do pay attention to where they are coming from and how they are raised (grass fed, etc.).  All my meat so far has come from Whole Foods.
• No deep fried foods - my pan frying on some things I'd call border line here.  But I do it myself and know what kind of oil I'm using! And as Michael Pollan says "eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself."  It takes effort to make them so just because of that moderation is kind of forced. 
• Shroom Pizza from Pitch (yummy ... but I paid for this as I had a serious food hangover the next day!)

See ... not exactly what one would call "naughty".   Hubby is on board too - I'm slowly starting to see him giving up packaged foods and he hasn't brought home takeout in weeks!   I continue to read and learn ... and I still am finding more reasons to stick with these rules than to make my own.  They just make sense.