Life Stuff...: Keep it Simple

One week into the New Year and almost 25 percent of people have already given up on their resolutions to either eat better or lose weight. Why? It is so complicated. But, is it really?

When it comes to eating, many of our behaviors are simply habit. Ask yourself--do you really need that sugar in your morning coffee, the snack after school, the popcorn when watching a movie? Or is it just mindless habitual eating? Eating habits are a big piece of the puzzle when it comes to weight management. They are easy to form and yet so hard to break.

This is also the time of the year when we are bombarded with diet advice, including from the new USDA 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines. Wading through the information and politics of it all can be confusing and frustrating. Look for current research, read it, ask questions, and then make a plan.

I believe in keeping it simple.

1) Learn how to cook (Prioritize time to cook)

2) Eat fresh, minimally processed food

3) Eliminate simple sugar and highly processed foods

These three rules can be used to modify your diet and to develop positive food habits that may potentially have a tremendous impact on your health.

One thing that I have realized over the years is that it easier to achieve the results you are after by changing your mind set. Use a positive approach.

When it comes to nutrition, focus on what you should eat rather than what you shouldn’t.

That is why learning how to cook, (and or making the

time to cook a priority,) is so effective when trying to improve your diet. By cooking meals from scratch (using fresh foods and ingredients,) you have control over what you are putting into your body and the nutritional content of the foods you consume.

Preparing nutritious food that looks and tastes good makes it easy to develop eating habits and behaviors that lead to positive results.

The hidden benefit is that you are limiting or eliminating substances that are not necessary or potentially harmful to your health. These include highly processed foods, hydrogenated fats, added sugar, and additives such as preservatives, flavorings and coloring.

Keep reading for more tips on these three easy rules and additional resources.

Learn how to COOK!

Learn the basics of cooking. By preparing meals at home, you can take control over the quality of the ingredients, the amount of additives and preservatives added, the preparation method, and the overall nutritional content of the food you eat.

The Internet is loaded with good websites, YouTube videos and cooking shows that will demonstrate almost everything you need to know. So dump the frozen meals, and prepackaged mixes and get started cooking from “scratch” using wholesome ingredients.

To make it easy, plan meals, pack snacks and lunches, and keep your pantry and freezer stocked with wholesome ingredients. Making your own lunch each day can make a significant difference in your overall nutrition. Think about it, by making that one change you could be improving the quality of a third of food you consume each day!

And keep it simple, you don’t have to become a gourmet cook. A hamburger made at home from freshly ground meat (especially if it is grass fed and free of antibiotics and hormones,) is generally much healthier than one from most fast food restaurants. Add some fresh or roasted vegetables and you have a quick wholesome meal.

If you commit to preparing just one home cooked meal a week, you are headed in the right direction.

Eat fresh or minimally processed foods

Foods with the shortest time from harvest to table will provide the greatest amount of nutrients. So buy fresh from local markets or grow it yourself.

The surest way to assure freshness and high quality is to grow it yourself. Growing your own food provides control over what fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics that are used in production, and ultimately what you are consuming.

You don’t have to live in a rural area to grow your own food. Sprinkle in a few lettuce and spinach seeds in a container to grow your own salad greens in a window, or start a roof top garden in containers. Patio planters are great for growing tomatoes, peppers and herbs outside on the deck or mix a few vegetables into your flower gardens. Some subdivisions actually allow residents to raise their own chickens, providing fresh eggs daily!

When purchasing fresh food—make sure it is fresh. Buy local! Get to know the vendors at local farm stands and markets. Look for the local vendors who grow all of their own products and are not re-sellers of products produced in other areas, states or countries. Many grow organically and you can get products from stands at their farms throughout the growing season.

I encourage you to try buying in bulk and preserving fruits, vegetables, and even meats yourself. Canning and freezing are two skills that are easy to learn and can provide good quality product outside of the growing season.

Food held at improper temperatures or stored for a long time
may lose many of their nutrients. I must admit, sometimes
my vegetable bin looks more like my compost pile.
In many situations fresh frozen is the better choice. Also try
to avoid cans, (unless marked BPA free) processors often line the inside of the cans with substances containing harmful chemicals.

Purchase organic foods (foods produced using natural fertilizers and pesticides) if and when possible. In the US, foods labeled as organic have to follow strict USDA guidelines. But what about imported foods? Selecting antibiotic, hormone and pesticide free foods are good healthy choices.

By eating fresh it is easy to avoid foods with too many additives. Read the nutrition fact labels and the ingredient lists on packaged foods. A little salt or natural vanilla flavoring is one thing, but highly processed ingredients, engineered fats, coloring, flavoring, conditioners, stabilizers and preservatives are unnecessary and potentially harmful.

Some nutritionists suggest that you should stick to the rule of five. No more than five ingredients on a label. After all, bread can be made from as little as three ingredients (flour, yeast and water,) so why are there twenty five or more listed on some commercial products?

When reading a label if I don’t know what an ingredient is, or if I can’t pronounce it---I won’t eat it.

Eliminate simple sugar and highly processed carbohydrates.

Eliminating simple sugar and highly processed carbohydrates are one of the most important changes you can make to improve your health. There are numerous studies on the pros and cons of sugar, how it is metabolized and stored in our bodies, and its potential negative impact on health (cavies, heart disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.)

Cut back on adding table sugar, honey, agave, and even artificial sweeteners to food and beverages and avoid foods that are obviously high in sugar like soda, sweetened tea and coffee, energy drinks, desserts and candy.

Be careful of processed foods that are marketed as healthy. Yogurt, wheat bread, smoothies, natural fruit juice blends, cereal bars, muffins, protein drinks and bars, milk substitutes, breakfast pastries are foods that are often laden with sugar. Look for the healthiest brands. Condiments such as catsup, barbecue sauce, dressings and Asian sauces are big culprits too.

Therefore, carefully read the labels and looks for products made with simple, wholesome ingredients (i.e.: organic, whole grain, natural fruit.) Avoid products made with added sugar, hydrogenated fat, and refined flour such as crackers, pretzels, and bagels.

When reading food labels be aware that some sugars occur naturally in foods such as fruit and milk.

The sugars you want to limit or eliminate are the added sugars; those words on the ingredient list that end in ose (i.e.: sucrose, fructose, lactose.) Manufacturers may use three or more types of sugars in one product including concentrated apple or pear juice, or high fructose corn syrup.

Are you ready? Start small, choose at least one thing to start your journey to becoming a healthier happier you.

Resources and Additional Reading

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/executive-summary/#figure-es-1

http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/regions/sweden/en/

http://www.vox.com/2015/11/24/9782098/dietary-fat-saturated-fat-good-or-bad

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/30/9070255/dorito-effect

http://www.vox.com/2015/12/16/10227456/michael-pollan-interview

http://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/Brazilian-Dietary-Guidelines-2014.pdf

http://www.vox.com/2015/12/15/10220358/food-guidelines-around-the-world

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/

Sugary Drinks and Obesity Fact Sheet

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/