132. The Bitter Taste of Convenience: Unveiling the Unhealthy Consequences of Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods

Processed foods have become a popular choice for consumers in search of convenience. However, it is important to understand that there are significant downsides to consuming processed food, such as decreased nutritional value and potential health risks.

What You'll Learn From this Episode:

• Explores the implications of processed foods and shares tips for redefining our relationship with food in order to achieve greater physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. 
• The importance of understanding what is in our food and encourages us to make a conscious effort to choose whole, unprocessed foods. 
• Understand how processed food affects our overall health, we can make informed decisions about our diet and achieve better health.

If you find that you are one of those Americans in whom are consuming 60% of their calories from processed or ultra-processed foods, let's scale back. 

1. Increase whole foods in your diet. Maybe start with one meal a day, maybe start with one serving per meal. Make a point of having a fresh salad before your meal and an apple as a snack. I know this is so basic and not sexy. But guess what, the stuff your mama told you, as basic as it is, matters. So let's go back to the basics. 
2.  Consider meal prep. It's never easy and in fact impossible to do things on the fly. You need to plan and be intentional which means that you need to be prepared and plan. 
3.  Include your family- one of the most common reasons we turn to processed foods is because of time and let's face it- having a family is a time sink- haha. And if you recall the statistic above- our kids are eating even more processed foods than we are and over a lifetime that could really impact their health. So include them in family meal planning, engage them, make it fun, and make it engaging. 
4.  Let manage our expectations- living a healthy and intentional life takes time. The notion that everything should be quick and easy is an expectation that sets us up for failure. Fortunately, advances in food technology have made life easier for us but the notion that it should be all ease is a false notion. Our relationship with food takes time, it takes effort, just like all important relationships do. 
5.  Last but not least, be kind to yourself. Don't expect complete 180s overnight and don't expect perfection. But that does not mean there should not be accountability. Be committed, be accountable. You are in the driver's seat- keep yourself there. 

 

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