When I ask people this question I get a lot of the same replies.
“Organic foods”
“Not eating chips, sodas and candy.”
“No more hot dogs…”
“Wheat bread, juice vs. soda and organic milk”
“McDonald’s salad and yogurt with a diet Coke”
I was at the grocery store the other day and the checker asked me if this particular bag of chips I was buying were good.
“They are very good” I said.
“Eating healthy is expensive. I wish I could do it.” She replied.
Organic meats, farm fresh produce & dairy products can be expensive you’re right, but what about the winter months or regions of the country where people don’t have access to those things? What we are left with; the grocery store.
Companies are getting smarter about advertising because people are taking notice of the chemicals in their foods and are demanding healthier alternatives. With the ever expanding shelves at the grocery store, how do you know which peanut butter to buy? Wouldn’t you think peanut butter was just, peanut butter? Who has time to read every label especially when you’re not sure about what you’re looking for. We are seeing labels pop up everywhere “Natural”, “No MSG”, “Whole grain”, “Sugar Free”, etc. Beware, most of the time these are just marketing flags to bring your attention to their product. The FDA has NO regulations on the term “Natural”, yet. The only way we can know is to read the label and have a basic idea of what we’re looking for.
Every time I go to the store I read a few more labels. This is very time consuming if you read every label. Once you know which pasta sauce, yogurt and chips to buy you can move on to other products you might want to try or that you’re wondering about.
Start simple. Start eliminating things with things that contain high fructose corn syrup and added sugars. You’ll be surprised to find it in everything, even things like re-fried beans, canned tomatoes and breading mix for your chicken breasts. And yes, it’s in some big name peanut butters reading “Natural” in HUGE letters. If you must choose go for sugar vs. it’s chemical alternative.
Then you can move on to things like MSG & all of its other names, colors and preservatives like BHT. The FDA and many people will claim that these things are safe, OK maybe they are, but what if they’re not? The FDA has also approved many things that get ripped off shelves when a large enough population gets sick.
Get used to reading labels. You being healthy & feeling good is the most important thing on this planet! If you’re unsure of what something is, look for an alternative with simple ingredients that you know. When in doubt eat simple foods like meat, vegetables, fruits and water. Food is medicine and should heal us, energize us and make us feel happy.
