We’ve almost reached the end of another fantastic year. After publishing two articles a week in 2014, I’ve compiled the 10 most popular.

I started this tradition last year when I shared my Top 10 Blogs of 2013. It’s always interesting to see which articles resonated with our community.

Let’s get into it…

The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2014

1. I Didn’t Think I Ate a Lot of Sugar Until…

Until I broadened my definition of sugar, I was in complete denial of how much of the stuff I actually ate. Not in the white, crystallized form, but in the form of complex carbohydrates that we’re told are healthy. In my quest to get enough fiber from whole wheat, brown rice and steel cut oatmeal, I was crowding out the vegetables, healthy fat and protein that my body really needed. And unbeknownst to me, this led to seventy five percent of my calories coming from sugar!

2. Skye: PMS, Bloating and Cravings a Thing of the Past (success story)

A participant of our very first Eat Real Food Academy over a year ago, Skye has not only been able to maintain her healthy habits long term, she has also gone on to inspire countless others as well. We love to see that ripple effect!

3. My Costco Dilemma

I like Costco because the price is right and there is little-to-no variety for any given product. So in theory, it saves me both money and time. But after reading the bookMindless Eating, I learned about how we subconsciously consume more from larger packages, which of course at Costco they all are. That’s the whole point.

4. Real Food Summer Detox: A Three-Day Salad-apalooza

I ate a salad at every meal for three days straight this past summer. No, I didn’t lose a bet! It actually just worked out that way. Find out the circumstances behind my summer salad-apalooza in this post (which went a little bit wild on my Facebook page).

5. I’m Not Judging You

Given what I do, so many of my conversations with people revolve around their food habits. Whenever it comes to sharing their vices or less-than-ideal habits with me, I very often hear a hint of guilt and shame in their voices. Like they’re worried I’m judging them. In this post I go on the record explaining that I’m not. I’m really not.

6. What to Drink When You Ditch the Pop

This article explores a variety of different beverages that remain on the menu when you finally come to terms with the benefits of giving up pop, including several recipes.

7. Elena: American Reader Reverses Pre-Diabetes with Living Primal (success story)

This inspirational story goes to show that armed with the right information, you can be your own health crusader.

8. What Real Foodies Forget to Tell You

We’ve probably all had those dreaded conversations with people who come on a bit too strong following their success with this diet or that diet. “You’ve gotta try it. The weight is literally falling off of me. And the best part is that I’m never hungry!” While many of our clients do offer these kind of testimonials, I think they can sometimes be misinterpreted — as if to suggest that chocolate bars and candy all of a sudden taste revolting, which is virtually never the case. It’s just that these foods don’t hold the same power over you when you consistently eat real food first.

9. Food Chemicals: Are We Fighting the Right Battle?

This article discusses the so-called triumph against a large food chain which, in response to a food blogger’s petition, agreed to remove a potentially harmful “yoga mat” chemical from its bread. While everyone loves a good David and Goliath story, I urged readers to consider if this kind of fight is a good use of their energy. While it’s undeniably a good thing to put the pressure on large corporations about being more transparent about the chemicals that are lingering in their processed food, wouldn’t it just be easier to skip the processed food altogether?

10. 3 Reasons Why I Love Batch Cooking (and you should too)

Unless you want to be spending more time meal prepping than you really need to, get acquainted with batch cooking! It is arguably the key activity that can make or break your long term success with eating real food. Especially if you have a busy schedule.

3 Posts That Deserve a Second Look

As always, there were many posts that I thought were great, but for whatever reason they didn’t gain too much traction. Here are three that I think are worth a second look…

1. Why Your Worst Health Nightmare is Often Your Greatest Gift
2. What Warren Buffett Can Teach Us About Weight Management
3. No Brainer Ways to Eat Healthy and Exercise Regularly

And finally, my most popular recipe of 2014 was Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

Want More?

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As always, thanks so much for reading!