My name is April Mims and I am a certified nutrition counselor and life coach, wife and mother of 2 and grandmother of 1, and an avid runner and fitness enthusiast. As I started getting more active (after starting to gain some extra weight and being sedentary for many years), I started gradually making healthier changes and choices. Knowing the benefits of healthy eating, I set out to improve my family’s diet. We didn’t eat a huge amount of junk food but we did eat a lot of convenience foods: boxed meals, easy-to-prepare foods, and restaurant meals a couple times a week. I knew we could do better and set out to figure out how. I read book after book, tons of online and magazine articles, and listened to countless podcasts about healthy eating. What I learned was what NOT to eat but nothing was ever said about what I could replace those “bad” items with! Different approaches to “ideal healthy eating” include eliminating dairy, meat, fruit, fat, sugar and carbohydrates. None of these approaches quite fit with what I was looking for for my family; I didn’t want an elimination diet but a real healthy lifestyle that was simple and good for our bodies. Each of these so-called “bad” foods has some health benefit (I’ll be exploring some of those benefits in future blog posts). My approach is to eat real food – food that I can tell you exactly what is in it and how it was prepared. Using that approach, I started making gradual substitutions for my family that I felt good about and they liked. Over time, we have eliminated soda, fried foods, heavy sauces, and boxed foods and have replaced it with water, fruit smoothies, steamed vegetables, and fresh food that is delicious and easy to prepare.
My goal with My Real Food Family is to help other families enjoy the benefits of eating healthier. Eating healthy is not about a special diet or losing weight or a short-term solution to health concerns; it is a way to feel better, have more energy and enjoy food as it was meant to be enjoyed. Each week I will offer a new recipe made completely of real foods with no additives or preservatives. I encourage you to be adventurous and try something you’ve never tried before…..some foods you will love and some not so much.
As an 10-time marathoner, I want to make sure to eat foods that fuel my workouts. I’ll be sure to throw some of these recipes in as well as fitness tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years. You’ll also find plenty of inspiration to help you live a healthy, well balanced life – everything from reducing stress, making the most of your day and saving money at the grocery store.
I’d love to connect with you on social media – you can connect with me using the buttons on the right! And be sure to sign up for my weekly email for a little more motivation and inspiration to help you live your best life!
P.S. If you haven’t already grabbed your FREE copy of my new ebook, get it now!
