Our first step: Limiting processed foods
I don’t know anyone who would argue that eating a lot of highly processed foods is a smart health choice, so I won’t waste time delving into the ins and outs of this decision. In short, it has to do with trying to avoid refined sugar, white flour, additives, empty calories, excessive salt, and refined vegetable oils.
Some transitions we’ve made in this area:
-Eating more fresh seasonal produce.
-Avoiding canned foods. Our one exception is that we often buy canned beans because they are more convenient than dry beans, but we stick to brands that don’t have any extra ingredients (just beans, water, and a little salt). A concerning article about BPA in canned foods can be found here.
-Eating whole wheat bread and pasta instead of those made with refined (“enriched”) white flour.
-Completely avoiding frozen meals and boxed meal mixes. [I’ll miss you, mac&cheese!]
-Switching to whole grain breakfast cereals that contain little added sugar and no blacklist ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Also, we’re substituting more nutritious breakfast options a few times a week, such as oatmeal or eggs.
-Avoiding processed meats (lunch meat, hot dogs, sausage, etc.). An interesting article about the health risks of these items can be found here.
As an additional rule, we try not to stock our pantry or refrigerator with packaged foods that contain more than 5 ingredients on the label. One exception is salsa: tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, vinegar, paprika, spices—what’s not to love?
Also, there is one ingredient that we try to avoid as much as possible--- vegetable oil. Refined vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, etc. are very high in omega-6 fatty acids. A balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is vital for heart health, but the average American diet provides more than 10 times the proper amount of omega-6. Vegetable oils are the main culprit, and they are found in most processed foods. So, we look out for processed foods that contain these oils and we completely avoid margarine and store-bought salad dressing, which are loaded with them. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are an even greater health threat, because of the trans fats (Mayo Clinic article).
