Comfort food often comes in the form of processed food. While potato chips, French fries, or packaged cookies can be delicious, they’re certainly not doing anything good for your overall health and wellbeing.
Processed foods are foods that never existed in nature and they’re usually packed full of salt, preservatives, or sugar. If you’re considering cutting out processed food from your regular routine, a general rule of thumb is to start by cutting foods that have ingredients in which you can’t pronounce. Instead, swap those foods for “whole” foods, such as lean proteins and vegetables. Here are some tips on how to cut out processed food from your diet.
#1: Check out frozen options
If fresh fruits and veggies aren’t always an option, check out the frozen section. If they have been frozen to preserve freshness and nothing has been added to them like sugar or salt, you’re clear to eat them. Fortunately, most frozen fruits and veggies retain as many nutrients as their fresh counterparts. Using frozen vegetables in a quick stir-fry for dinner will cut time while retaining nutrients and flavor.
#2: Eat whole foods
Deep-fried foods are out of the question with your new diet, as well as starchy grains like rice, breads, and pasta. Instead, swap these out for non-starchy counterparts like cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles i.e “zoodles”. The easy switch from pasta to zucchini noodles will provide a way to get the Italian food you love. You can even try this recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs.
#3: Start slow
Changing your diet requires dedication and time. Don’t expect to change everything in your diet overnight. So, start by cutting out the easy things first like sweetened cereal, soda, or lunch at your local fast food place. Instead, learn to cook some easy dishes, or start introducing new foods like greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, vegetables, and lean proteins.
A shift in eating habits is a huge step in the right direction to healthy living. If you’ve decided to make a change in your lifestyle by losing weight and eating well, we can help! Contact our team at Weight Wise today.