There’s been a lot of talk lately about reducing our intake of processed foods. Since March is Nutrition Health Month, we’d like to help you think about your diet and how you can improve your overall health, well-being, and mood by learning how to discern which processed foods are okay versus those that are unhealthy.
Clean eating—that is, eating a diet of whole foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants—promotes better digestion, mood, sleep, energy, immunity, and weight versus eating a diet that includes foods laden with added sugars, salt, and unhealthy fats. Clean eating doesn’t mean you have to totally eliminate ice cream, bread or cereal. But it’s important to know what’s in those foods, and how to become a smart shopper.
Continue reading to find out which foods will help you attain your health and weight goals this year, and which foods you’d be a lot better without.
Processed vs Ultra-Processed Foods: How to Learn the Difference & Make Healthy Food Choices
There’s a broad spectrum of processed foods ranging from the minimally processed such as cheese and milk to packaged foods that contain numerous ingredients that are hard to pronounce. These ultra-processed foods are made mostly from food components that are extracted from foods, or are synthetically produced in a lab. They’re usually filled with salt, fat, sugar, and starch and have been scientifically formulated to taste good and make us want to eat more.
Get in the habit of reading the nutrition facts label on the processed foods that you buy. The label lists the ingredients in order of quantity. Avoid or limit foods that list sugar, hydrogenated oils, and sodium at the top. Other names for sugars include dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, mannitol, molasses, sorbitol, xylitol, and sucrose, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. In general, the fewer the ingredients the less processed the food.
The most commonly consumed ultra-processed foods include soft drinks, chips, cereals, candy, desserts, breads, ice cream, and lunch meats containing nitrates.
Just think about potato chips. It’s really hard to eat one, right? That’s because they’ve been engineered by food scientists to make you want to keep eating them because they’re tasty. But consuming a product with excess salt and low-quality oil isn’t healthy and, adding insult to injury, you may want to wash the chips down with a soda (or beer), which is another story.
People all over the world drink soft and carbonated drinks. These drinks are packed with sugar and calories that contribute to chronic diseases, and are detrimental to general and oral and health.1, 2
A single 12-ounce can of Coke and Dr. Pepper contains 39 grams of sugar. According to the American Heart Association, women should consume no more than 25 grams of sugar a day, and men should consume no more than 36 grams.
Diet sodas might be even worse for you. Studies indicate that artificial sweeteners can impact cognition. An article on the Harvard Medical School’s blog (June 7, 2017) says that “Compared with people who said they didn’t consumer diet drinks, those who had at least one per day suffered three times more strokes, and were three times more likely to develop dementia.”
Studies also show that drinking soft drinks increases risk of bone fracture.3
Try This Instead
- Drink water throughout the day.
- Add a splash of fruit juice to bubbly water for a healthy alternative to soda. Or—drink coconut water, iced herbal tea made with a bit of honey or stevia, or kombucha.
- Instead of eating chips, pop organic corn in avocado oil and top it with Brewer’s yeast or a sprinkle of salt. Or choose a baked, organic vegetable chip with no salt or oil added. Better yet, make your own veggie chips.
Recipe For Veggie Chips
Ingredients:
- Root vegetables of your choice: carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, etc.
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Avocado or olive oil
Slice vegetables and mix with salt, pepper and a dash of avocado or olive oil. Place the veggie chips on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving. Yum!
If you have an air fryer, cook the chips in a single layer at 400 F for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Store at room temperature in air tight container for up to 2 weeks.
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream
You’re an ice cream lover and reach for it almost every night. But have you checked the ingredients of your favorite snack? Unless you’re buying a premium brand that only includes a few ingredients, you may be eating a frozen dessert with fillers, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other chemicals. And frozen yogurt desserts are not necessarily any healthier. They’re often filled with the same low-quality ingredients even if the label says it “contains fruit.”
It’s possible to find a healthy frozen dessert such as frozen fruit pops without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. But it’s almost easier to make your own.
Try This Instead
Make you own frozen dessert. It only takes a few minutes and you don’t need an ice cream maker.
• In a blender, combine a sliced, frozen banana with other flavors of your choice (fresh peach slices, raspberries, cocoa powder) for a healthy soft serve ice cream
Recipe for vegan coconut ice cream
• 1 ½ cup canned coconut milk
• ½ cup additional coconut milk or milk of choice
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice (coconut sugar, honey)
• pinch of salt
• Flavorings: Vanilla -add 1 tsp of vanilla
• Chocolate -add ¼ cup of cocoa powder
• Strawberry- add 1 cup pureed strawberries. Omit the extra ½ cup of milk
Experiment with your own favorite add-ins.
Bread Is the Staff of Life
However, most grocery store bread contains bleached flour, dough conditioners, high-fructose corn syrup, potassium bromate, palm oil, thickeners, and artificial colors.
Try This Instead
Choose an organic wholegrain or multigrain bread, and/or one that contains flaxseed, or a sprouted grain brain such as Ezekiel.
Make your own. Real bread can be made with just flour, water, and salt. Just make sure you use an organic bread flour since non-organic flour is often bleached, and the wheat has been sprayed with glyphosate, an herbicide that is applied to wheat and the leaves of plants. Glyphosate is found in the weed killer Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world.
Foods that test the highest for glyphosate include wheat-based products, corn and soy-based products, seed oils, oats, and other processed food.4
Start Your Day with a Healthy Breakfast
Eggs with beans, veggies and ¼ of avocado is a great breakfast and way to start the day.
Most folks start with a cup of coffee and bagel, or a bowl of corn flakes and a banana. Please read the ingredients on the label to make sure your cereal is organic and doesn’t include added sugar. If it’s not organic, there’s a good chance the wheat or oats have been sprayed with glyphosate.
Try This Instead
Recipe for overnight organic oats
Mix equal parts organic rolled oats and water along with a pinch of salt in a jar, cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 3 days. For one serving, use 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup water (or milk or nondairy milk).
For added nutrition combine milk of your choice, yogurt, organic oats, honey, chia seeds, and cinnamon in a ½ pint jar. Cover and shake until blended. Fold in fruit of your choice such as blueberries, raspberries, etc. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat it in the morning if you prefer it warm.
Overall
In general, it’s always best to eat unprocessed, organic, fresh whole foods. Focus on getting at least 5 to 7 fruits and vegetables a day, whole grains, and good quality protein and oils. These foods contain the macro and micro ingredients that are beneficial to the human body. Notice how much better you feel by eliminating foods that contain ingredients that are not helpful and may be harmful to your health. You’ll sleep better and have the energy and stamina to get you through the day, and your relationships will also benefit.
