Top 5 Tips for Cutting Out Processed Foods
Simple Changes to Becoming a Real Food Junkie!
When I first began leaning into real foods, I didn’t even realize it was happening! Being very introverted, I have always had a thirst for All. The. Information. So I started by reading labels. I noticed items I couldn’t pronounce and terms that didn’t sound like “food” terms, i.e. artificial coloring or a color “dye” #6. So many words for “sugar”, soooo many! I actually named them “The ose-es”! Learning the layout of grocery and warehouse aisles was also shocking (stay out of the center stores!). All things being un-equal, these are my five tips to start your journey!
1. Read
Nutrition is food for your body to function at a basic level. We must shift our thinking to foods that are fuel vs. foods that bring us comfort (notice I didn’t say “bad for us”). An ingredient list should only include things you recognize and be about 5 ingredients in length. When you identify an ingredient you don’t recognize, put the item back on the shelf (see #4, Swap). Choose foods by Eating A Rainbow!
2. Drink
Water, that is! The common response when I say to drink more water is, “I need to use the bathroom so frequently”. Insert: eye roll emoji here! That’s the point of the water, flushing your system. There are so many healthy benefits of drinking water from glowing skin to weight loss! I simply am perplexed as to why one would not want to! So grab some H2O and cheers to natural (and FREE) resources!
3. Freeze
Almost like an unspoken option, is the word FREEZE. Frozen veggies, fruit and even potatoes in the grocery store are a great choice and HUGE time saver for the busy person. You can also buy fresh and blanch to freeze. This isn’t a time saver unless you’re, say, making fresh broccoli for dinner and blanch extra (see #5, Choose). I also freeze herbs from my garden: basil and parsley to throw in my stews, soups and sauces. Get cozy with your freezer again!
4. Swap
Change one ingredient for a real food swap. The ingredient I suggest is butter. I use real butter for both cooking and baking. Another good swap are burgers. I always buy bulk ground meat: beef, turkey, chicken, bison or a plant version. Most come in 1lb. packages. I buy at a warehouse store, so it’s three 1lb. packs. I’ll make 3 different types of burgers, freeze separately and pull them out when needed. You can also grill/air fry some and freeze those separately for quick lunches or throwing on a salad or whatever. (See #3, Freeze.)
5. Choose
Make small changes at a comfortable interval for your lifestyle. Once my eyes were open from reading labels, I learned how to navigate the perimeter and frozen aisles at grocery stores. Then I applied this to my meal prep. The first meal I switched to real food was roasting my own chicken. It seems small, but it was a happy coincidence that I realized the 100daysofrealfood.com whole chicken in a crock-pot can be used for bone broth too; talk about efficiency! (Time-Saver tip: throw the bones in a zip-loc and freeze until you’re ready to make your broth.)
My Best Advice
Be real with yourself. Be focused and consistent to bring results. Approach life in baby steps, one smile-workout-change at a time. This results in lifelong shifts in your mind, body and soul.
Before you go … !
Today is the day to start cutting out processed foods one by one. It’s as simple as Read, Drink, Freeze, Swap, Choose! Simple as 3-2-6, or pie, because who doesn’t love a real food, fresh, warm pie!
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