When you walk into the store to do your weekly grocery shopping, I'm sure that many of you have noticed the slogan plastered on the side of any cereal, soup, granola bar or a loaf of bread: "Made with real ingredients."

Since when has it been OK to make food with something other than actual food?

This alone is enough to drive many people up the wall, wondering what and where the food we're putting into our bodies actually comes from. But it's not all that surprising to see that the vast majority of citizens actually don't fret all that much over the fact that those frozen vegetables contain a lot more color number 40 than the valuable vitamins and minerals we're searching for. When you think about it, it sounds a bit like false advertising. But that would explain why our food industry has become one of the biggest marketing campaigns in the world. Because, come on, money is way more important than food. And I'm sure that the people making the big bucks from selling a "butylated hydroxyanisole" preserved can of fruit eat all the organic goodies they want, because they can afford it, right?

My first year of college at Western State Colorado University, I was introduced to the organic garden run by a group of students on campus, and to be honest, I was fairly shocked. The fact that I could walk through a gate, pick a bunch of carrots from the ground and stick them in my refrigerator for free was wonderfully baffling. Why in the world had I been spending money on bags of carrots from the shelf at a grocery store when they were growing in the ground, only meters away from where I was living?

At first, this seemed so logical to me. Growing your own food wasn't all that hard, and eating it was the most rewarding part. But looking at it on a larger scale, I can see that this type of lifestyle can be viewed as a bit of a luxury. I realize that not I, or anyone who has the blessing of experiencing this, can sit here and tell everyone to become an organic gardener and only eat produce you personally pick from the stem of a plant. The gist of it is that it's not in everyone's reality to have a garden of their own or even nearby. But there had to be some other way to avoid eating the fake and processed foods I was so used to seeing people buy in the stores.

Well, the truth is that there is a way, and it's actually quite simple. While it's always better to find a way to grow your own food, or at least find a local farm or garden that does, take a look in the produce section the next time you go to the grocery store. Look and tell me that a bag of bell peppers is not only $3 and that two onions aren't only $1.99. The misconception that we can't afford "healthy" food is all too real. Yes, it takes a bit of extra time to cook and a little bit more planning than your average microwaved meal. But I challenge anyone who isn't used to a dinner that is "made with real ingredients" to try it.

Once a week, pick something easy, Google a recipe and cook away. Spend that extra 45 minutes in the kitchen and see how much more energy you have during the day, and how content you feel when you're done eating. I promise that once your body knows what it's like to have good, raw and healthy food, you will begin to crave it.

So give it a shot. Eat a carrot, fry an egg and make a move towards enjoying food that is truly satisfying.