Grocery carts, reading labels, and rules

The last day of preparations for the 10 day challenge is going well. I've been to the grocery and have all of the items I will need for this week. I've made almost everything I need to make in advance. And I even spent some time cleaning out old extra-processed food from the fridge and pantry.

One thing that I really loved while I was checking out at the grocery today was to look at the items in my shopping cart and compare what I saw to what my shopping cart normally looks like. Today when I looked in the cart I saw a ton of fresh fruits and veggies, some locally grown meat, some bulk nuts and grains, a few organic dairy products, and a couple of spices/condiments. Normally my shopping cart contains lots of frozen items such as pizza, quick meals, and ice cream; lots of chips and crackers; and some cookies (so embarrassing, but I'm trying to be honest). I normally hope that I don't see anyone in the store that I know so they won't judge me based on what I have in my cart, but today I was very proud of my groceries!

Finally, I want to give you the rules that I will be following for the next 10 days. From my shopping trip today, I have already realized how much of our food is processed. I had a hard time finding items to fit the rules, and I spent a lot of time reading labels and putting items back on the shelf because they were off limits. It is incredible how many products that look healthy actually have hidden sugars and weird chemicals in them. So here are the rules that are taken from the 100 Days of Real Food blog:

What you CAN eat:

1. Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
2. Lots of fruits and vegetables 
3. Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains 
5. Seafood
6. Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
7. Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, and, to help the adults keep their sanity, wine and beer!
8. Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
9. All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation
10. Also check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes

What you CANNOT eat:

1. No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
2. No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
3. Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label-- I had to cheat on this rule with a couple of items
4. No deep fried foods
5. No “fast foods”