A personal philosophy around food can be beneficial as you navigate the sometimes tricky food world. Consumers are fed countless messages about food and new studies that contradict previous studies (I'm talking to you, egg/cholesterol scientists), and it can feel like we don't know which end is up. It's time to take control back!
The key to my unprocessed eating philosophy is choice. Highly-processed foods are not going anywhere; they are a reality in our lives, especially in families will kids. Knowing that I cannot avoid them, I categorize them into two forms:
Gratuitous, highly processed items: chips, ice cream, cookies, candy, etc. You know what you're getting. There are no surprises here, just (delicious) junk.
Highly processed food disguised as "healthy" aimed to have consumers believe they are making a healthy choice: cereal, salad dressing, crackers, frozen/ready meals, etc.
It is important to me that I have the ability to *choose* and understand the consequences of my food choices.
"Food" in the first category is pretty clear. And when I eat highly-processed foods (and I do, gasp!) like chips and candy, it's because I want to and choose to. I weigh my options, and if I'm ok with the consequence, I eat the thing. Because I limit highly-processed junk food, I have no shame eating it occasionally when the time calls for it (i.e., I'm hangry, lack of time, etc.). As with everything, moderation is key.
The second category of highly-processed foods disguised as healthy is that we are essentially being fooled as consumers. This is how most of us interact with processed food at the grocery store - buying a packaged meal is so much easier than creating it at home with fresh ingredients, and I totally get it! I spent years trying to make food quick, easy, and as healthy as possible without actually trying to make it healthy. I never looked at ingredient labels because I trusted the front of the box with its "20% more iron!" or "30% less sugar!" that made me think I was doing something good for my body.
Michael Pollan shared in his life-changing book In Defense of Food (and I paraphrase greatly) that if a packaged food item makes health claims, it is highly processed and you should put it back on the shelf.
Food shopping is much easier, faster, and cheaper when armed with my food philosophy.
Here is a short list of the sneaky foods I whiz by at the grocery store because I have easily swapped them out with minimally or unprocessed foods/ingredients.
1. Cereal (of any kind)
All cereal is highly-processed. Period. Even the beloved Cheerios, which seem only to be little circles of puffed air. Here's a great example of marketing to consumers about added iron, vitamins, and minerals to make you feel like you are making a "heart-healthy" choice.
Instead of cereal, our breakfasts consist of:
Toast and cream cheese (from the farmers market when possible) and OJ
Eggs: hard-boiled, over easy, or scrambled. With or without toast, sliced tomatoes, micro greens, and goat cheese.
Peanut butter and jelly - sounds strange, but some days, that's what the kids want. I use natural PB and locally-made jam. It's a filling way to start the day :-)
French toast: farm fresh egg, organic cream, cinnamon, and bread. You can't go wrong and likely always have these ingredients on hand. We opt for natural amber syrup that is much lower in sugar.
2. Shredded Cheese
Shredded cheese is a racket, and I used to buy it all because it was a refrigerator "staple." Look at the ingredient label of shredded cheese, and you'll see additives to keep the cheese from sticking together, called an "anti-caking agent/blend." What it doesn't share is what is *in* the blend. The blend includes an additive called calcium sulfate. The primary use of calcium sulfate is to produce plaster of Paris and stucco. Ew. Also, shredded cheese is expensive.
Instead of bags of shredded cheese, we opt for block cheese, ideally from the deli area of the grocery store. I buy blocks of cheddar and shred it for pizza, toppings for tacos, mac and cheese, and more. I got a quality shredder from Williams Sonoma and an electric shredder that I use when I food prep at the beginning of each week.
Yes, it takes extra elbow grease - for real, only about two minutes - and it's worth it! Not only are you not eating an agent used to make concrete, but it also tastes SO MUCH BETTER! Nothing beats freshly shredded cheese, so shred that block for a few minutes. You can also get a tricep workout if you do it long enough and save a few bucks - wins on wins!
3. Salad Dressing
Yay, you're eating vegetables and want to top it with a tasty dressing! So often, people negate the benefits of a salad by what they dress it with. Whatever your store-bought dressing, look at the back, and you'll find a likely ingredient, xantham gum (among others). It's a food additive that can improve many foods' texture, consistency, flavor, shelf life, and appearance. While it's approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) as safe for consumption, it's also used in industrial products like fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. Other fun places to find xantham gum include:
Tile, grout, oven, and toilet bowl cleaners
Paints
Fluids used in oil drilling
Adhesives like wallpaper glue (TASTY!)
Just as easy, less expensive, and way better for you is to make your own salad dressing. Do an internet search for easy salad dressings, and you'll have more than you know what to do with. Or start with a simple recipe using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, lemon, and salt, and go from there! It's a fun way to use fresh ingredients and keep those pesky food additives out of your body.
I encourage you to think about and create your own food philosophy to help guide you when aalllll the food options are in front of you. It'll help keep you focused and feeling better about your food choices, whatever they might be.
Do you have a food philosophy? Share in the comments below!