My Real Food Journey

On my eighteenth birthday, my mom gave me a book she found at the health food store. From that book I learned how to make bone broth, how to find clean meat and dairy products, and how to use honey and maple syrup as sweeteners.

Several years later, my husband bought me a grain mill. It was used, but still in great condition (and we’re still using it today, about thirteen years later!). I learned how to grind my own grain into flour, and began the arduous task of learning to make my own whole-grain bread completely from scratch.

We joined a food co-op where we could buy whole grains and other products in bulk, bought a Bosch mixer so I could make six loaves of bread at a time, I finally mastered the art of making really good whole-wheat bread, started sprouting seeds and legumes, and bought a Berkey to filter our water.

About ten years ago we discovered Nourishing Traditions. I learned how to make Kombucha, sauerkraut, and water kefir. Then came yogurt, soaked grains, soaked breads and nuts, and dairy kefir.

We learned about healthy fats, and added coconut oil to our diet. We found a local dairy farmer to buy raw milk from. He charged a small fortune for his milk, but we felt like it was worth it because we knew the value of good dairy products.

We later moved away from our farmer and found some friends with a Jersey cow to buy milk from. We also tried out goat’s milk for a time.

In the midst of our journey, we began to hear about all the negative effects of eating too much grain. I reluctantly gave up bread-making for a time, and we attempted to eat a gluten-free diet. Instead, I focused on alternative flours such as almond and coconut.

At the moment, we find ourselves in survival mode. Life has been so crazy with my husband’s health issues and work, that I’ve gotten away from so many of the nourishing practices we used to embrace.

“You were doing well for awhile, there—but then life got crazy. You had a new baby, or lost a family member. Summer vacation caught you off guard, or school beginning threw you off balance. You changed jobs, relocated, the dishwasher broke, or some other major life event happened and suddenly you fell right off the real food wagon and found yourself in the checkout of the nearest fast food joint. You know you’re not eating as healthy as you should, but there’s no way in God’s green earth you can cook dinner tonight, or be organized enough to make it to the co-op this month.


I’m going to climb on my soapbox right here and now and enunciate very clearly: seasons are okay. In fact, they are natural and good. Recognize them so you can go with the flow instead of fighting it.


And if you’re in survival mode? Once again I beg you not to spend energy on feeling guilty, but just ask that you be aware and as intentional as you can. The biggest thing to remember if you’re in this season is that though we are called to steward our bodies well, what we put in our mouths is not the biggest influence on our health. No, the biggest factor in our health is the God who created our bodies. Trust this season to Him. Pray over your food and rest in the truth that the God who turned water into wine and fed five thousand with one boy’s lunch can nourish your body with the food that’s available to you. He operates outside of time and space and that plate of food you have no choice over is certainly under His jurisdiction.” ~Trina Holden, Your Real Food Journey

I still soak oats for breakfast, we eat eggs scrambled in butter or coconut oil, and we buy sprouted bread from Azure Standard, our food co-op.

We currently get our eggs from my parents, and honey, maple syrup, and pastured poultry from the local Amish. We don’t currently have a source for raw milk, so we compromise and buy organic milk from the grocery store, which we mostly use for cooking. We buy yogurt from Azure, and that’s our main source of dairy right now. We occasionally get a good deal on grass-fed beef or bison from local farmers.

We do the best we can. I try not to stress about it, while at the same time I’m taking baby steps to regain what I’ve lost.

Trina Holden’s book, Your Real Food Journey, has been a huge source of encouragement as I work my way back. I love Trina’s writing style and I love her recipes. I also have her other book, Real {Fast} Food, and it’s full of great whole food recipes, menu planning helps, and tips to streamline your real food prep.

In Your Real Food Journey, Trina leads the reader gently through the steps toward a real food lifestyle. Each of the beginning chapters describe a component of real food eating, and at the end of each chapter she includes some “stepping stones” to help you reach your goal. It’s really very doable when it’s broken down this way.

She also includes plenty of delicious yet simple real food recipes and tips for practical help in the kitchen.

And I loved her very balanced view of grain consumption. While acknowledging that moderation is key, she doesn’t insist that you eliminate grains entirely from your diet (unless you have a medical reason to do so, or if you just prefer to).

“Grains have gotten a bad rap in recent years. They’re blamed for everything from our belly fat to allergies, and many people have ditched them entirely. I’m all for avoiding foods our bodies don’t agree with, and I personally go on the grain-free GAPS diet one month each year just to give my digestive system a break and a boost. However, I believe that if we’re preparing grains properly and eating them in moderation, we can benefit from having them in our diet.”

Even though this book didn’t contain completely new information to me, it was a wonderful refresher course, and really helped me hone in on some areas where I could take some small steps back to a healthier lifestyle (as well as provided some new recipes and menu planning ideas).

But the main thing I gained from Trina was a huge dose of grace.

“The secret to remember is that the biggest factor in our health is not our own efforts–it’s the God who created our bodies. God may very well be leading you to understanding your body better, calling you to become a better steward of your health and to make wiser choices for what you feed your family. But never at any point does He lay the entire responsibility for our health on our efforts. Through whatever challenge we face, God maintains His role as Creator and Sustainer of our bodies, reminding us that while we can’t change a hair on our head, He has our hairs numbered.” ~Trina Holden, Your Real Food Journey

“Real food is a process–let your goal be to embrace the journey.” ~Trina Holden

I highly recommend Trina’s book to you, whether you’re just starting out on the road to healthier eating, or if you’ve been down the road already but you’ve veered off a bit and want to get back on the path.

I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.