Lucy Pagano You know what sucks?
Work sucks. But you got bills to pay, so you’re on that money grind.
Know what else sucks?
Diets.
And if you’re trying to get your lean body game up, then you GOTS to diet. But who wants to diet? Not me. I know you don’t either. We’ve talked about how you shouldn’t even think of a diet as something to do to get look better or lose weight or whatever. Rather you should think of it as a lifestyle. That way, you’ll always have a beach body, like even in during the winter.
But watching what you eat is always such a pain in the ass. Isn’t it? Well it doesn’t have to be. Today we’re going to check out the ONE type of food that you can eliminate from your diet so that you never have to go on a diet again.
Processed Foods
The only good thing I can say about processed foods is that they’re like an orgasm for your taste buds. Can’t sit here, lie to your face and tell you that Ben and Jerry’s (insert your favorite flavor here) ice cream isn’t absolutely magical when you’ve got that craving for a late night snack.
And I’m certainly not saying that you have to stay away from processed foods. I eat processed foods. I just don’t eat them a lot. And neither should you.
Now I know you’re like, “Well duh, I’m not eating burgers and fries at the Golden Arches on a consistent basis”. I know you’re not. But it’s not that clear cut. It never is. When it comes to taking care of your body though, I got your back. I always do. So keep on reading to see what completely awesome health tips are coming your way in the next couple of paragraphs.
Here’s what you’ll learn today:
What is a “processed” food?
Why are processed foods bad for you?
Tips on How to Eliminate Processed Foods From Your Diet: No Effort Necessary
What is a Processed Food?
The easiest way to think of what a processed food is the wikipedia definition, which is:
“Convenience food, or tertiary processed food, is commercially prepared food designed for ease of consumption.”
Right now, your idea of what processed foods are probably as follows:
* Fast food like McDonald’s, Wendy’s etc.
* Packaged food like TV Dinners, frozen pizza, etc.
* Snacks like potato chips, ice cream, etc.
This is a good list for starters. If you’re somewhat health conscious, you’re probably already staying away from these foods for the most part, which is great!
Unfortunately, that list is isn’t the whole picture of what processed foods really are. When thinking about processed foods you also have to consider foods that have additives, preservatives, chemicals, or are refined. So let’s add some more to the list:
* Certain Grains like pasta, bread, etc. (Whole wheat falls under this category too . . . and I know I’m going to get a lot of shit for saying this so I’ve already decided that this is going to be the topic of next week’s article)
* Healthy snacks like Skippy’s “Natural” Peanut Butter
* Canned vegetables like string beans, corn, etc.
* Cold Cuts like salami, bologna, etc.
* Dried Fruit like bananas, apricots, etc.
All of a sudden the picture of what processed foods actually are is seriously like a Monet painting. From far away, most foods look pretty unprocessed, healthy, and good for you. Take a closer look and you start seeing a lot of shit. You got to wonder, how the hell do food companies take all that nasty shit and make it look so damn healthy? To take it a step further, are all these types of processed foods bad for you?
Uh, yes.
Why Processed Foods are Bad for You
Processed foods are the real reason that we as a nation are in the position that we’re in. And that position is really overweight. To add to that, we also have a ton of people walking around with type II diabetes. And it’s not just us, did you know that populations like China and Mexico are also seeing an increase in obesity? It’s crazy.
Not that I want to scare you or anything with what processed foods are linked to, but . . . boo:
* Obesity/Diabetes
* Certain Forms of Cancer
* Depression
And if that’s not enough, here is what else is wrong with processed foods:
* Lacking in nutrient density
* Contain A LOT of empty calories
* Contain chemicals
Now, I don’t want you to get it twisted – it’s not like if you touch a processed food you’ll keel over and die. But I don’t want that shit in my body, do you? Yeah, I know you don’t. And guess what, food companies know you don’t want it in your body either. Which is why they make it so fucking confusing for the consumer, aka you, to decipher what’s what when it comes to eating healthy.
You’ve got to do so much work to figure out what’s good for you and what isn’t. The reality is we’re all lazy. And no one wants to do extra work, especially when it comes to things that they enjoy, like food. It’s also mentally draining. Which is why when everyone tries to eat healthy, they typically fail. Not because they don’t want to eat healthy, but becomes the information overload is just overbearing and exhausting. Eating healthy is more a matter of psychological principles more so than actual health knowledge, interestingly enough.
But I’ve been through all that, and hell, I’m pretty lazy myself. So I’ve figured out some ways to keep things super simple. Check out some of the tips I have for eliminating processed foods from my diet and not thinking about it much at all. That way, your goal to eat healthy will be nothing short of success.
Tips on How to Eliminate Processed Foods From Your Diet: No Effort Necessary
Tip #1: Shop only in the produce, dairy, and meat sections
I’ve touched on this in a previous article, specifically when shopping for veggies, but shop at the ends of grocery stores. So produce, meats, and dairy – that’s it. Don’t even bother going to the middle of the grocery store unless you need toiletries or cleaning supplies. Pretend that other aisles don’t exist.
Tip # 2: The less ingredients the better
If you’re unsure what you’re eating is processed or not, check the ingredient list. Don’t analyze. Keep it simple. If it’s a laundry list of ingredients, chances are it’s processed, so put it down. Some types of food that I’ve found to be quite deceptive are trail mix, peanut butter, and yogurt.
What Peanut Butter Ingredients Should Really Look Like
Tip # 3: If you’re going to eat processed food, buy only when you eat it.
I know that you’re still going to indulge on tasty processed foods. I do too. It’s not a big deal. Like I said before, just don’t eat them a lot. This is actually the most important and results driven tip. Don’t buy your processed foods when you go grocery shopping.
Surprisingly, this is a powerful habit influencer. For example, I’m a sucker for chips and salsa. I could kill a whole bag of without thinking twice about it. Ask my friends, they’ll tell you. So, I buy them only when I’m eating out or when I really want them. In other words, they’re not just chilling around my pantry for easy access. If you want to indulge, this tip will set up a barrier to make you think twice if you really want it.
All in all, I hate thinking about the word “diet” as something that someone suffers through. It’s really a shitty association with something that everyone should really enjoy doing, and that’s eating. Eating healthy isn’t complicated, so don’t fall into the trap of stupid diet guidelines all for the sake of trying to be healthy or look good.
Follow the tips above and make dieting in your life a distant memory. If you’ve got questions, comments, don’t be a stranger – drop me a line or simply comment below. If you like this article, please share with your friends and join my email list! I’ll be sending out free products to my email subscribers in the coming weeks.
