I heard about this from Dr. Oz probably 2 years ago, but it totally changed the way I eat. I used to have a lot of unhealthy snacks, quick frozen dinners, etc. etc. until I watched Oprah one afternoon and Dr. Oz was on. You should avoid eating anything with these ingredients:
1. Enriched flour
2. Bleached flour
3. Sugar
4. High Fructose Corn Syrup
5. Hyrdrogenated Oils
Now the frustrating thing is that if you go to the grocery store and look at ingredient lists, probably about 9 out of 10 foods have at least one of these things, if not all 5! Even those foods that claim to be "healthy," "good for you," or "whole wheat," often have these ingredients. It's gotten better in the last two years; when I started eating this way it was much more difficult to find healthy things. I remember standing in the bread aisle, looking at I swear 20 different types of bread, most of which said they were "whole wheat," when in reality they weren't! Also a lot of bread contains high fructose corn syrup. Another example is crackers. I was excited when Ritz came out with whole wheat crackers, until of course I checked the ingredients, and sure enough, it's enriched flour. Also things claim to be 100% whole grain on the front, yet when you look on the back it's enriched or bleached. So always, always check the ingredient list!
Now this can seem overwhelming, especially if you are like I was and never really paid attention to ingredients. I didn't think what I was eating was bad, or necessarily unhealthy, until I started paying more attention. Once you get used to checking ingredients and find replacements for the foods you eat often, it's not so bad. My husband lost about 10 pounds after we started eating this way.
Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional candy bar or treat every now and then, but for the most part the things I eat on a regular basis stick to these rules. I really encourage everyone to give it a try if you haven't already, I think you'll notice a difference! If you need ideas on certain foods, let me know!
Jo
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3 comments:
Thanks for this list, it really is amazing how so much of what we consume dose no good for our bodies.
I think it just became a standard for America to make the fast, cheap, tasty food. But not good for you. Everything is commercialized and people buy what they see ads for. It really is so smart to check the labels and know what is going into our bodies. Little change can make a big difference!
Once we form new habits it will be easier to find and eat the good stuff.
Jo, where can you get flour that isn't whole wheat (you can't use it for some recipes) and not enriched or bleached? I can't find it at the stores around me.
You said something to this effect on one of your comments. Then, the next time I went to the store, I was SHOCKED by how much I bought things with this in it. I tried to avoid it but it was almost impossible. I really want to get this habit down, but it will take me (and my family) awhile to ease into it. Seriously good advice.
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