Cutting out processed foods is one of the best things you can do to improve your diet. I recently reread an article, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, that got me seriously fired up about food. I know that food manufacturers do shady things, but reading about it is bothersome. Extremely bothersome. The bottom line is that the companies making our food aren’t going to change. In fact, as food scientists become more knowledgeable, they’ll probably go further and further beyond what I believe to be ethical. This means that it’s up to us to make better decisions about the foods we feed ourselves and our children.
Rather than discuss the issues with our food (I encourage you to read the linked article above for some insight) I’d like to instead focus on the solution. I realize that packaged food is most frequently consumed out of convenience. We’re members of a busy society and time for cooking doesn’t always feel doable. Try these five tips to make some small steps towards cutting out processed foods.
1. Read Labels and Upgrade
When I go to the grocery store I have a tendency to buy the exact same items every time. Most of us just fly on autopilot as we maneuver through the aisles, but I urge you to consider rethinking some of your choices. Some processed foods are certainly better than others, so take some time to change the specific items you buy. Yes, this step takes some time and experimenting to find a product that your family will enjoy. But soon, your food upgrade will be purchased on autopilot just like your previous, unhealthy selection.
Some ingredients to avoid include:
- Ingredients that sound like they came from a lab (they probably did come from a lab). If you follow this rule, the following rules won’t require as much thought.
- Food dyes – you can read more about their detrimental effects in this report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Vegetable oils including soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower, etc. – these are nearly impossible to avoid entirely unless you cook from scratch
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenate oils – shortening is included too
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Yeast extract – a common ingredient in health foods that actually contains MSG
- White flour
- Nitrates – a preservative in many processed meats
- Preservatives including BHA (butylated hydroxylanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxyltoluene) – both preservatives are FDA approved, but these are being further investigated as likely carcinogens
- Sugar – mannitol, xylitol, apple juice concentrate, pear juice concentrate, maple syrup, honey, cane syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, palm sugar, etc. Sugar is hidden is almost everything.
2. Organic Isn’t Better
I’m always surprised at the amount of processed junk available at our local health food store and unfortunately, this is true for most health food stores. Labels such as “organic,” “natural,” “all natural,” and “gluten free” lead us to believe that we’re buying a superior product. Processed foods are marketed in a variety of ways, but the ingredients list is where you should be looking; not at the catch phrases.
One our favorite processed treats is to buy Applegate brand hotdogs. These weiners are marketed as hormone and antibiotic free, but the ingredient list doesn’t include a single item I’m unfamiliar with. So, this processed food is an acceptable choice for the occasional splurge. I do have to take out a small loan every time I buy them, but hey, it’s for the rare occasion.
Another frequently consumed “health food” includes Annie’s brand products. I’m not convinced their products are as good as they claim. For example, yeast extract is one of their commonly used ingredients. And do you know what’s in yeast extract? MSG. Yes, that’s right, your pressure little Annie’s Organic Cheddar Bunnies are poisoning your children.
3. Eat More Fruits and Nuts
Fruit and nuts are about as convenient as it gets when it comes to whole foods. Most fruits travel well and they’re the perfect snack for kids or adults. My kids and I usually eat two pieces of fruit per day. We eat a good breakfast, snack on some fruit, lunch, more fruit, and then dinner. Kids don’t need to be snacking much more than twice a day if you want them to actually eat what you’ve prepared for dinner.
Nuts are a great accompaniment to fruit. We eat a variety of whole nuts, but I almost always keep sunbutter or peanut butter on hand for a more filling snack. But be aware, nut and seed butters are often full of additional ingredients, so be sure to find an all natural variety without added sugar. The only ingredients that should be present in nut/seed butter are nuts/seeds and salt.
4. Start Cooking in Larger Quantities
Cutting out processed foods means replacing that food with something and most of us don’t have any additional time to spend in the kitchen. If I were to tell you to start cooking more often, you’d likely scoff at my suggestion. But cooking a great quantity? Now, that’s doable. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you’ll see images of foods that I cook in extremely large batches. I feed our family a 100% whole foods, made-from-scratch diet, which means I have to cook… a lot. Rather than making every meal something mind blowingly new and exciting, I cook enough for a few meals and we repurpose the food to seem like something new (i.e. 2 whole baked chickens turn into chicken salad the next day).
I also like to lump similar tasks together in the kitchen, which saves even more time. If I’m going to make salads, I make salads for the week. If I’m chopping vegetables, I’ll chop a few for a different meal.
5. Nourish Your Body Without Food
Is it just me or do most people start searching for junk food when they’re tired, frustrated, bored, depressed, angry, or sad? Most of us have tendencies to eat when our body needs something other than food. Cutting out processed foods means more than just changing the way we eat; it means learning to hear what our body is telling us. I will say that it takes practice, lots and lots of practice, to learn to hear our needs on a deeper level. But when we do start to listen better, we start to hear our bodies asking for things like water, mental stimulation, exercise, rest, or laughter. We can also start to hear our bodies telling us that processed foods aren’t supportive of our health. I invited you to read an early post, The Benefits of a Restrictive Diet for a deeper understanding of the ways in which food impacts our health.
Cutting Out Processed Foods for Good
Follow the steps above and slowly make steps towards cutting out processed foods. After years of practice, I now successfully feed my family a whole foods diet, but it took years… of practice. Making this shift also required that I appreciate small changes. No one can successfully change their diet overnight, but it’s the culmination of small changes that surmount to something bigger in the end. Maybe you start by buying a different brand of peanut butter and crackers. Easy enough, right? And then next month you start cooking in larger quantities. As long as you keep making forward movement towards a better diet you will succeed.
If you have any tips to share with the rest of us on cutting out processed foods, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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