Study after study finds that eating processed foods is bad for your health. While many foods are “processed,” -frozen, canned, pasteurized-and are fine, those that are loaded with salt, sugar, additives and preservatives are not. In addition, the processing of foods makes them more expensive. A bowl of oatmeal will be both cheaper and better for you than a bowl of Cheerios. Oatmeal contains more dietary fiber, less sugar, and fewer calories compared to most Cheerios varieties, making it a heart-healthy choice.
Two things that increases the likelihood I’ll cook instead of opting for a processed item are a) easy to use cooking tools, which for me include an air fryer, Instant Pot and a food processor, and b) having my go to tools, along with other frequently used items, accessible on the kitchen counters. This is not a kitchen for House Beautiful, rather it’s a working kitchen where everything is in easy reach. If you need inspiration, check out Julia Child’s kitchen that now resides in DC at the Smithsonian.
Read labels and understand what the nutrition information means. Check out How to Read Food Labels Without Being Tricked or watch the video below.
Be a smart shopper: Markets are designed to encourage people to buy, particularly items that net them the most profit, which are often highly processed foods. The easiest tip is to shop the edges of a store, which usually includes the produce section, meat counter and dairy cases, and avoid the middle aisles as much as possible.
Then there’s the 6-1 rule developed by Will Coleman. To stream line shopping and save money, he purchases 6 veggies (fresh, frozen or canned); 5 fruits; 4 proteins; 3 starches; 2 sauces and 1 fun item. Note that 6-4 are edge of the store shopping. An interesting approach but highly recommend planning your meals before heading to the store.
Food writers Michael Pollen and Michael Moss provide great tips on how to navigate supermarket aisles to reduce processed foods.
What to Avoid and what to eat
There are plenty of recipes on-line to help make the switch. Below are just a few to consider
• Shredded Cheese: Pre-shredded cheese comes in a bag or plastic along with chemicals to prevent mold growth and some nasty stuff to keep it from clumping. Grate your own and you’ll find it tastes better, it’s cheaper and less packaging. If you have a food processor, use that in place of a hand grater. Put the cheese in the freezer for a short while to make grating easier.
• Salad Dressing: Many come in plastic bottles with lots of extra chemicals. Instead try combining 1 part olive oil to 3 parts red wine vinegar in a clean jar with a lid. Add minced red onion, a sprinkling of salt, pepper and garlic powder and 1 or 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Stir vigorously until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Salsa: This is the recipe that I make and freeze whatever I’m not going to use immediately. Mason jars are great for freezing. Just dump all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Ingredient list: clump of cilantro (1/2 cup or to taste), onion (quartered); 2 cans (14.5 oz) of fire roasted with garlic diced tomatoes; 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies-Rotel’s or a store brand is fine; juice of one lime; 1 teaspoon each of cumin, sugar and salt; ½ teaspoon pepper.
Easy & Tasty Swaps
• Fruit instead of fruit juice
• Applesauce instead of Canned Fruit
• Potatoes instead of Potato Chips (note that you can make some delicious and crispy potato & veggie snacks using an air fryer).
• Make your own pancakes and waffles and freeze instead of buying Leggo My Eggo. Reheat in the microwave, toaster oven or even toaster
• Plain yogurt with fruit, maple syrup or honey instead of flavored yogurts
• Homemade granola over store bought
• Water instead of soda (seltzer can be a good substitute)
• Whole Grains instead of white pasta, rice, bread, and tortillas for whole grain alternatives, such as brown riceand whole grain pasta, bread, and tortillas.
Food Rules for Healthy People and Planet Michael Pollen
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