If you can't convince them, confuse them - Harry S. Truman
Is butter really back like Time magazine said some years ago? Did the protein found in the milk that makes the butter change? Did they figure out how to remove the casein that has been linked to cancer and more? Unlikely.
Healthy means different things to different people. What the food industry considers healthy, many who know what is truly healthy might disagree. One of the latest gimmick seen in stores and on TV now is the label, ‘plant-based.’ Plant-based hotdogs, Impossible burgers, Beyond Chicken/Burgers, vegan cheese, vegan frozen dinners… they all tout the words ‘plant-based’ to give the impression that they are healthy choices. While these foods may be good for transitioning to a whole food, plant-based way of eating, they are not the healthiest choices, especially if used long-term. Many of these foods are ultra-processed and lack fiber and other nutrients. They also are inherently higher in sugar, salt and fat, both saturated and unsaturated. Still ultra-processed.
Foods like fake meats, veggie straws/chips, and others have a slew of additives that do not bring good health. Starches, gums, pectins may give the same texture that we are accustomed to in products made with butter and eggs but the truth is these food additives are unrecognized by our bodies and often lead to weight gain, low energy and a general unwell feeling when used regularly or too often. Even healthy appearing protein bars can be deceiving… take, for example, Clif bars. Most have a day's worth of sugar (22gms or more). Remember, Oreos and Nutter Butter cookies are considered vegan and plant-based (technically) but so much sugar and unhealthy fat, they cannot be considered a healthy food.
So, how do you sort it all out? Find a resource you trust - one that feels aligned with what you considered healthy and stick with that resource. As you probably already know, my ‘go-to’ is www.nutritionfacts.org (Dr. Michael Greger). His non-profit website accepts no endorsements and is ad-free and based on true science. Also, www.nutritionstudies.org is a reputable resource for real nutrition. Dr. Joel Fuhrman's website, drfurhman.com is another one of my all time favorites. He is who I started with so I almost always check his resource tab when I have a question.
Why pursue the healthiest way of eating? Here's just a few benefits of eating the healthiest diet… any stand out as important to you?
Lower risk of prostate, breast and other cancers
Prevent, even reverse, heart disease and diabetes (and more)
Lose weight and have more energy
Live longer (and better!)
And more!
What is the price of having this? What is the cost of NOT creating it? You get to decide. Letting go of the confusion and moving toward the healthiest way of eating will serve you in ways you had no idea you could experience… give it a try. Do an experiment for 3 months, 6 months, whatever. What do you have to lose?
They say on average we make 200-300 food and beverage decisions every day. Many of these decisions are made on ‘auto-pilot'… strictly out of habit! The problem with this is that we are often influenced by our environment or by what others are doing around us. When we ‘go with the flow' and do what others do, it may not serve us well.
Our lives are busy, so much is going on. Who has time to think about food? The thing is that if we don't make a plan, we are likely to grab the first thing we see when we get hungry. The decision gets made for us, prompted by the need to fuel out bodies. Is this the best method for achieving optimal health? Or it is a recipe for disaster?
Benjamin Franklin is quoted to say, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
Making our food decisions ahead of time may allow us the freedom to relax and enjoy our meal instead of rushing to find something to eat when time allows. Planning what we will eat and when we will eat it removes the angst and frustration that can go along with lack of planning. Taking the time in advance may be well worth the effort. Meal planning does not need to be complicated. It can be very simple. Most people eat about the same things most of the time. Very few of us prepare elaborate dishes with huge variety. We tend to create habits around our eating and stick with them. Prepping a week's worth of lunches may take a couple of hours on the front end but how nice would it be to go to the fridge in the morning and have your food ready to be placed in your lunch bag?
If you are a breakfast eater, you can prep this ahead of time, as well. Overnight oats can be made a week at a time. And it's easy! You could mix in a different fruit every day to keep it interesting. Add some ground flax or hemp seeds for added health benefits and satiety. So often we leave the decisions until we are forced to make them. It doesn't have to be this way. Stepping away from the habit of putting off our food decisions may be a way to reduce the possibility of eating foods that may not lead us to better health and longevity.
Ready to do it differently? My challenge to you is to plan one of your meals for the next week… whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner, doesn't matter. You may notice a difference in how much you enjoy your meal when its planned ahead. Take note of what you experience. It just may change the way you look at food decisions and the impact they have on your day to day life.
In the 1970s, the food industry began it's boom. ‘Convenience’ foods were all the rage. More moms were working outside the home and were eager to find easier ways to feed their families. Enter processed food…
These foods seemed the perfect solution for busy families. Microwave prices were coming down and more homes were able to enjoy the convenience of warming up food quickly. TV dinners (the first processed food) no longer had to be placed in the oven with longer wait times.
Over the years, processed foods have developed into a way of life for many people. If we are not eating outside the home, we are eating frozen foods from the freezer section much of the time. The benefits are easy access without the hassle and the food industry does a lot of planning and preparing to find that bliss point where the food tastes amazing. This keeps us hooked and coming back for more.
So what's the harm?
The food industry exploits our innate biological vulnerabilities by stripping crops down into almost pure calories—straight sugar, oil (which is pretty much pure fat), and white flour (which is mostly refined starch). First, they have to remove the fiber, because it effectively has zero calories. Run brown rice through a mill to make white, and you lose about two-thirds of the fiber. Turn whole wheat flour into white, and lose 75 percent. Or, you can run crops through animals (to make meat, dairy, and eggs), and remove 100 percent of the fiber. What you’re left with is CRAP (an acronym used by one of my favorite dieticians, Jeff Novick): Calorie-Rich And Processed foods.
- Dr. Michael Greger (nutritionfacts.org)
Processed foods are usually HIGH in sugar or high fructose corn syrup (sweeteners are used in processed foods because people generally love sweet food), artificial ingredients, refined carbohydrates, and trans fats or processed vegetable oils. The nutrients, including the fiber is typically very low to none. These ultra-processed foods lead to obesity and other illnesses. It is estimated that these foods account for 25-60% of the food people around the world consume.
Some examples of ultra-processed foods include:
frozen or ready meals
baked goods, including pizza, cakes, and pastries
packaged breads
processed cheese products
breakfast cereals
crackers and chips
candy and ice cream
instant noodles and soups
reconstituted meats, such as sausages, nuggets, fish fingers, and processed ham
sodas and other sweetened drinks
These ultra-processed food items may be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease (heart disease and strokes), obesity, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and cancers. These foods lead to food cravings (addictive nature) and low energy. You might consider them anti-nutrition.
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Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (see note)
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup cooked or no-salt-added or low sodium canned chickpeas
1/2 cup low sodium or no-salt-added vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning, or other no-salt seasoning
Directions
In a saute pan, heat a couple tablespoons water. Add the onion and water saute about 5 minutes, until slightly softened, separating slices into rings. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add additional water as needed.
Mix in tomatoes with juice, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, vegetable broth and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 5 minutes, slightly mashing some of the garbanzo beans. Add zucchini. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with no-salt seasoning.
Some popular ways to enjoy sweet potatoes include:
Sweet potato chips: Peeled, thinly sliced, and baked or air-fried.
Sweet potato fries: Peeled, cut into wedges or matchsticks, and baked or air-fried.
Sweet potato toast: Cut into thin slices, toasted, and topped with ingredients like nut butter or avocado.
Mashed sweet potatoes: Peeled, boiled, and mashed with seasoning like nutmeg or cinnamon.
Baked sweet potatoes: Baked whole in the oven until fork-tender. They just get sweeter and sweeter with roasting.
Sweet potato hash: Peeled, diced, and cooked with onion in a pan.
Spiralized sweet potatoes: Cut into spirals, sautéed, and sauced.
In baked goods: Sweet potato puree adds moisture without fat. I have an amazing sweet potato chocolate cake with frosting recipe. If you’re interested, add a comment below. I am happy to share it. You will not believe there is anything healthy about it, it’s so good.
“Healthy gut bacteria create a craving for healthy foods, while pathogenic bacteria create cravings for unhealthy foods”
Rich Roll, Author of Finding Ultra
Important Disclaimer
The content in this newsletter is intended for educational/informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of your health care professional.
