You Are What You Eat

Americans eat junk. My generation grew up in an age of TV dinners, ice cream sandwiches, Kool Aid, sour gummies, chicken nuggets, and Happy Meals. We were raised on convenience foods. We were raised on foods with added vitamins and minerals to make it appear healthy (ie Iron Kids Bread) or junk food that was lowfat (remember Pringles made with Olestra?) when really it was just crap with clever marketing.

Chicken nugget, anyone?

Some foods are obviously crap, even to the untrained eye--fast food burgers, sugary drinks, gas station burritos--but what about the aforementioned cleverly marketed junk foods? What about the food that I refer to as "diet crap"?

Chances are if its bottled, boxed, canned, frozen, or fast food--its bad. I don't care if its only 300 calories. I don't care if its lowfat (lowfat is a ridiculous notion, but I will save that for another post), fat free (bleh), or sugar free (double bleh)--its probably bad for you!

Marketers are very clever. They find ways to get you to buy their chemical filled products. Don't start thinking I am some crazy food industry conspiracy fruit cake. I just want to eat wholesome foods. I mean, who wants to eat chemicals for breakfast? Not me!

So what do you do to make sure you are eating clean healthy food? You avoid processed foods. And how do you do that?:

1. Read your labels.

Educate yourself. Read labels on anything you are thinking about buying. In time you will know what types of food to avoid. The rule of thumb is to shop for fresh food. The fresher, the better it is for you. And by fresh, I don't mean that fried chicken in the deli!

Remember, if it looks like a chemical it probably is. Google it! Here is a fine example of something people think is healthy. Behold, Propel Zero. Thats right, I am about to ruin your day. You thought this crap was good for you, didn't you? Man, if you want water--drink water! If you don't like water, put some fruit or mint in it. Just stick with water. Don't try to get fancy. This crap is essentially diet water. Whaaaat? It has artificial sweeteners, preservatives (formaldehyde!) among other things. Its pretty much like drinking a flat diet soda. Just drink water, dammit!

What a few of the ingredients actually are-

Sucralose- Artificial Sweetener (Splenda) - Recent studies on rats have shown that sucralose can alter your gut microflora. Scientists are just now beginning to realize the importance of gut microflora, but they are particularly important to the health of your brain and digestive system, and can affect how easy it is for you to gain/lose weight. Believe it or not, there are more cells of bacteria living in your digestive system than all the other cells in your body combined. Splenda change your gut bacteria for the worse, and the effects can last more than 12 weeks after you stop consuming it.

Acesulfame Potassium- Another artificial sweetener - This sweetener needs more study overall. But it does contain methylene chloride, a known carcinogen primarily used as paint thinner

 Calcium Disodium- A preservative that prevents color and flavor deterioration. It is made from formaldehyde, sodium cyanide, and Ethylenediamine.

This water is a lie!

Speaking of diet soda--you don't even need to read the label. Just stop drinking it. Now. Stop drinking regular soda too. I promise you there is absolutely no health benefit to drinking it, and it has been linked to several health complications, including diabetes.

I also want to point out the ingredients in Gatorade. I already ruined your day, so why not cause you to lose all hope when it comes to "healthy" beverages?  I know you want to drink it for the electrolytes  Dude, get some coconut water. At least it isn't made with brominated vegetable oil. Barf.

Don't fall for the marketing. Marketers use buzzwords that will make you pick up that box of diet, sugar free, taste free, chemical laden crackers, cookies, pudding cup, etc. Be smart about it. Say "Screw you and your marketing lingo" and read the label. After you read the label, you probably won't want to eat it. Here are some buzzwords and my interpretation of them:

Fat free-we removed the fat but don't worry, we added artificial flavoring and weird chemicals so this doesn't taste like crap.

Made with Real Fruit Juice-1% of this is real fruit juice. The rest of it, crap.

Made with Whole Grains-we threw a few whole grains in the mix so you will buy this high sugar cereal for your children and think it is healthy.

Fresh-If being fresh isn't self explanatory, and it needs to be marketed as fresh...um, it ain't fresh. You dig?

Diet-This word makes me want to throw up in my mouth. I hate the word diet for so many reasons. I suppose that is another post. Anyway, diet usually means made with artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are absolute crap and are in no way natural.

Real or Natural-I love this one. If food needs to be marketed as real or natural, it most likely isn't real or natural! Take this example: "Real Natural Lemon Flavor." Think about that. Obviously there isn't anything real or natural about lemon flavoring in your snack pack. For realz.

Real Natural Lemon Flavor???

Organic-Okay, sometimes organic is good. But the word is used so much now that it really has no meaning. What is the point in organic soda? Or ice cream? Its still crap. Sugary crap.

Low calorie-This food is probably not filling. Its probably a tiny bag of low quality, sugary snack crackers or cookies. Still hungry? Yeah I thought so. Go grab a handful of walnuts and move on.

Energy boosting-This giant can of diet carbonated chemical crap has a ton of caffeine in it and it is really going to dehydrate you! If you want some caffeine, have some tea or coffee (not a frappucino mind you, but coffee. Real coffee. Black coffee).

Probiotics-Yes, probiotics are good. They are especially good in kefir and some yogurts. But I have seen probiotic ice cream. How is something good for your stomach when it is loaded with sugar?

Antioxidants-Again, something good for you that is often added to to something bad for you to get you to buy it. Beware of sugary fruit juices marketed as having antioxidants. Just go have a glass of red wine instead. You deserve it.

2. Say No to Fast Food

We all eat out. Just try to avoid the big chain fast food. Chances are you can get something much better for you at a local eatery, especially one that offers farm to table options. Big restaurant chains purchase large quantities of low quality meats, produce, etc. They add a lot of preservatives so the foods don't spoil so they can ship them out to stores and out to the public. In many cases, the food loses natural flavors in the while being frozen during transportation. The flavor must then be added back with flavor packets that were designed in a lab. Again, don't fall for the marketing. Know what you are eating. That "fresh" submarine sandwich? I don't see anyone in the back of the store baking bread or slicing meat, do you?

And big chain sit down restaurants are just as bad. I had a friend with a severe msg allergy that went to one and they didn't have a single item on their menu she could eat. The manager told her that everything came to the frozen and prepackaged. Ewww.

My best advice to you is to keep it local and search for restaurants that offer high quality ingredients. Yes, it isn't going to be cheap or fast, but it will be so much better for you! I will gladly eat a grassfed piece of beef covered in butter at a local New Orleans restaurant, but there is no way in hell you will ever find me at a McDonalds unless its the only place to stop and pee on a turnpike or something.

3. Avoid Both Real and Artificial Sugars

Sugar stimulates the release of opioids and dopamine. That means it triggers our brain's reward system, which also means that it is addictive like a drug, both behavioral and neurochemical.  The effects that go along with this are the same as any drug - binging, withdrawal, craving, and cross-sensitization. The more sugar you eat, the more addicted you become, and the more you need to satisfy that addiction. It is the classic addiction cycle.

Food manufacturers know this, and add sugar to tons of products. Its in everything. EVERYTHING. Its in your bread, your juice, your cereal, your pasta sauce, even your salad dressing. Too many people drink soda and sugary coffee drinks on a daily basis. Or load up their coffee with Splenda or Equal. Where I live people drink sweet tea. If I drink sweet tea I feel like my teeth are coated in sugar.

I used to be a hardcore sweets addict. I also used to run a side baking business until I started to eat clean. Then I decided I didn't want to contribute to the obesity epidemic in this country and put down the spatula. I must admit, I make the best brownie in town. So how did I break my sugar habit?

First, I stopped drinking soda. I used to be big into Diet Dr. Pepper. If I missed one serving of it I would have a horrible migraine. I stopped drinking it and switched to coffee. Guess what? No more migraines.

Then, I stopped putting sugar in my coffee. I just add a little cream. I tried adding almond milk but it made my coffee taste like burned almonds. Sometimes I use coconut milk. If its too dark and I want it a little sweet I use natural stevia. Natural being the key word.

I use this when I want a little sugar in my coffee. 

I was also big time into chocolate. And I have written in a previous post about how the chocolate cravings can be a sign of magnesium deficiency, which can be rectified by taking supplements and eating more magnesium rich foods like spinach. However, I have learned to love unsweetened baking chocolate. I know that might sound icky. It sounds icky because YOU LOVE SUGAR! Unsweetened chocolate has a lot of health benefits, and it pairs with a glass of cabernet sauvignon nicely.

If I want something sweet, I eat dates. I freaking love dates. I love dried fruit in general. Fruit is also another great option. If you want something sweet, at least get something that is naturally sweet like an orange.

I make my own tomato sauce, use oil and vinegar for salad dressing, and avoid foods with added sugar. It takes time to make the changes but it is worth it in the long run. I can't say that I don't occassionally want a big brownie, but I don't crave sweets all the time anymore. And when I see donuts, white bread, or other unhealthy sugary options I have no desire to eat them. Give me some meat!

4. Seek Out Local Ingredients

Your best bet for clean eating can be found at local farms and farmers markets. Cage free eggs, organic vegetables, local seafood, and grass fed beef. Some markets even offer a program where you can get a box of produce for a fixed price every week. It can be hard to seek out these markets, depending on where you live. A lot of the so called farmers markets in my area sell crafts and sugar treats but very little produce. I have to drive to New Orleans for a good market. To find information on local farms and farmers markets, check out www.localharvest.org.

You can also grow your own vegetables. I did not inherit my grandmother's green thumb, so growing fruits and veggies doesn't really work out well for me. However, growing herbs isn't too difficult. Its a good starting point!

5. Know Your Oils

As you may already know, we freaking love coconut oil. But there are other options. For cooking, olive oil can be another good choice. We actually often use a high quality butter rather than use any oil at all. Avoid soy and vegetable oils, as they are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat, which can promote inflammation. A recent study demonstrated that butter may be better for your heart than vegetable oil, contrary to what we have been told in recent years.

You can find a lot of great information on the best oils to cook with at Balanced Bites. Go. Read. Learn.

You also have to examine the oils in your food and make healthy swaps. A prime example of this is margarine. Its often made with soybean oil, corn oil, and preservatives. If you think you are making a healthy choice by using margarine in your cooking think again--get some butter! After all, butter makes everything better.

I'm not a fan of Paula Deen but I am a fan of butter!