Wanna join our JERF challenge? Just Eat Real Food and experience the benefits.

There are many diets with varying rules, but most healthy options are grounded in similar foundations. Of course, you will see fad diets everywhere with wild promises and extreme measures that might even trigger binge episodes and a rebound weight gain afterward. But I have found that most people feel more comfortable with nutritional counselling when they are given recommendations and feel free to adapt them to themselves.

That is what we found in the JERF diet, an acronym for “Just Eat Real Food.” The concept is easy to grasp and apply in your daily life. At the end of the day, that’s precisely what you want in a new diet: a new way of relating with food that brings about lasting results and can be maintained without much struggle for as much as you want.

In this article, we’re telling you why this JERF approach to dieting turns the experience into an easy-going and sustainable method to lose weight and stay healthy.

What classifies as “real food”?

We often need to translate scientific terms into day-to-day jargon, and the concept of real food is an example. Anything you eat is real, not imaginary, but what we want is food that comes directly from natural sources. As fresh as possible and without processing. The problem is that processed foods add several chemicals and takes out valuable nutrients at every step of the road.

The scientific term would be nutrient-dense foods, which are basically fresh foods and whole foods that provide a very high proportion of nutrients for each calorie. For example, fatty fish like salmon, liver, sardines, seaweed, kale, eggs, and berries.

You can call it real food, clean food, whole food, fresh food, or nutrient-dense food. It’s up to you.

A motivation to change

Any change in our lifestyle and eating pattern should be motivated by solid facts. Otherwise, it will be a temporary change and won’t have long-lasting results. That’s why I love talking about the importance of real food in our lives.

Food is one of the primary fuels in the organism. You wouldn’t fuel your car with a gas-like product. You use gas and probably choose a high-quality type. Similarly, the human body can be fueled by inadequate foods or high-quality nutrients.

Only real food will make your body work as intended:

• You’re not meant to gain excess weight, and real food will keep your body fat in a healthy balance
• You’re intended to have a balance between fat mass and lean (muscle mass). Real food improves your body composition and favours muscle toning.
• Your brain is designed as a powerful machine with unlimited capacity. Real food provides energy and prevents decay in this complex organ.
• Your hormonal system is intended to keep your chemical balance. By providing the building blocks, real food supports your hormones, keeping them at normal levels.
• The gastrointestinal tract is made to absorb food from natural sources. Real food has nutrients in the right proportion and promotes absorption.
• Your metabolic system is meant to store energy and make it available when it is needed. Real food increases your energy levels without contributing to excess fat weight.
• Neurotransmitters make up an essential part of body chemistry, and real food provides the materials to maintain the right proportion and contribute to your mood.
• Food can facilitate sleep or make it difficult for you, depending on what you eat before bedtime. Real food is easier to digest and won’t give you problems falling asleep.
• Exercise, muscle repair, and recovery are a part of the natural process in muscle growth and training. Real food is nutrient-dense and speeds up the process, helping you recover more quickly after working out. You will also boost your exercise performance and enjoy practical workout sessions.
• Your skin and personal appearance depend on what you eat. Real food will give you a healthier skin glow and a fresh look
• With all of these benefits, real foods contribute to your health, giving you a quality of life and extended longevity.