Recently, my friend Clarissa watched a movie called Forks Over Knives. Immediately after watching it, she decided to cut out all processed foods and all animal products from her diet. It was a shock to her how difficult it can be to locate unprocessed food in a modern supermarket. She started asking questions on Facebook, asking people how to find whole foods and eat healthfully. Her struggles in adapting to a whole food vegan diet started me thinking.
Eating whole foods is the foundation of good health. No reputable diet book or researcher that I have ever heard of would dispute that simple fact. But despite the ease by which we can access an enormous variety of foods in modern times, our food selections have become more and more processed, even in the produce section. Who buys a head of lettuce to make salad anymore? We buy a pre-washed bag of salad which comes with ready-made toppings. Do you want some fruit? Here’s a pre-cut tray or a single-serving pack that will stay good for a week or two. Food producers will process and package anything that they can get us to buy.
Clarissa’s movie isn't the only media that touches on this topic. I recently viewed Food, Inc. which gives remarkable insights as to how the food industry operates. Similar films abound: Super-Size Me and Fat, Sick and Almost Dead are all good examples of this genre of expository film. Add to that the plethora of literature which delves into deeper depths (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, The Face on Your Plate, and The End of Overeating) and it is very hard to deny that a radical change has taken place in our food supply over the last 30-50 years.
One of the simplest things you can do to improve your health (and drop some weight) is to avoid processed foods. What are processed foods? How do you recognize a processed food? It’s simple.
· It is usually packaged in a box, a can, a carton or a bottle.
· It has added ingredients (seasoning, sugar, vitamins, flavorings or artificial sweeteners.)
· A natural ingredient has been removed (reduced-fat, low-carb, sugar-free.)
· There are ingredients listed on the label that sound like gobblety-gook to a normal cook.
What is wrong with eating these things? First of all, in the very act of processing the food, vitamins and minerals are lost. Digestion-protecting fiber is lost. Processed food often contains High Fructose Corn syrup (HFC), which is sweeter than sugar and damaging to your insulin sensitivity. Processed foods rely on industrial farming, which uses genetically modified corn and soy products. (Note: HFC’s are also made with genetically modified corn – something to consider before consuming.) And processed foods are often higher calorie foods which deliver less nutrition and fullness than their whole food counterparts. They are also very frequently high in sodium, because salt helps accentuate flavors and make food tastier.
The End of Overeating made clear to me one of the biggest reasons to avoid processed foods. Food scientists design their food, quite specifically, to reach as close to our “bliss point” as possible. The “bliss point” is the point at which we derive the greatest pleasure from fat, sugar and salt. They are designed to overcome our fullness receptors and make food become irresistible, despite the fact that we have already eaten enough. Processed food is designed to manipulate us into eating more.
So we’ll skip the Hungry Man meal and go out to eat, right? Unfortunately, restaurant food is usually engineered, processed food, especially at chains. If you chose to eat at a chain restaurant, whether it’s Denny’s, Chili's or The Cheesecake Factory, anticipate that most of what is served there is highly processed and may be even more intensely engineered toward your “bliss point.” Chain restaurants value standardization; a burger or pasta dish in Tucson should taste exactly the same as one in Tuscaloosa. Most of what is served is processed (pre-seasoned, injected with flavoring, etc.) to some degree or another. And who wants to be engineered into eating more cheesecake? (Don’t answer that.) Smaller, local restaurants are more likely to make their food from scratch, but that doesn’t guarantee they do. Ask before ordering, if you want to know.
So how do we avoid all the processing? How do we eat without being manipulated by food scientists?
· Unpackaged fruit and vegetables.
· Dry grains (unprepared – no Minute Rice.)
· Dry beans (soak and sprout them yourself; leave the gloppy canned stuff alone!)
· Fresh, wild-caught fish (if available.)
· Grass-fed beef.
· Organic, pastured chicken and pork.
· Pastured eggs (if you can find them) or free-range organic eggs.
· Local, fresh, full-fat dairy. If you can find a raw dairy supplier, that may be better yet.
· If you’re not up to baking your own bread, then opt for the sprouted whole-grain versions.
Where do you find all this stuff? That was Clarissa’s question. If you’re lucky, you will find all of this at your local grocery store. Be sure to check the health-food section and the bulk-food bins – they are a great place to find dry beans, raw nuts and whole grains with which to cook.) But there are other sources:
1. Local farmer’s markets and fruit stands. These are a great way to eat fresh and local. They connect you to your local farmers, and give you a chance to learn about them, what is in season and what is available locally. A big perk: the produce is usually MUCH cheaper than a retail grocery store.
2. Join a co-op or a CSA. These are usually membership or subscription driven groups, which provide organic, whole foods to members. A CSA will usually offer a weekly box of fruits and vegetables, which is a fun way to eat well while trying out new produce. In my experience, the absolute best fruits and veggies will come from a CSA. A co-op will usually require some degree of participation from its members.
3. Find a local farmer for meat, dairy and eggs. A great way to find local farmers is to check the website: www.slowfoodusa.org. There you can locate your local chapter, which should be able to direct you to farmers who meet your needs.
4. Okay, none of these work for me. I have to shop at a regular grocery store like normal people. There’s still hope! If you’re lucky enough to have a Whole Foods nearby, I would suggest you shop there first – hands-down, they have the best variety. Whole Foods is expensive, however. Trader Joe’s often has good selections too, and it is less expensive, but nearly all of their produce is packaged in some manner. So in your Safeway, Kroeger or WalMart, stick to the outside perimeter of the store and follow the below hierarchy of recommendations:
a. Select organic whole foods first.
b. Select non-organic, whole foods second.
c. Select packaged whole foods over any processed foods.
d. If you buy frozen, buy whole foods (i.e., not flavored with butter or pre-made meals.)
In all truth, in real life, we’re all going to eat some processed foods. I’m not about to stop using my Worcestershire sauce or refuse the occasional hot dog to my son. We eat at chain restaurants sometimes. I want to live my life, not become a prisoner of food (healthy or otherwise). But I do stay aware of the processed and manipulated foods I eat, and I try to be mindful of how much I consume. Less is better.
Clarissa gave up the attempt at whole-food veganism after a week or two. Even in that short time, she did lose weight, but she gained it back almost immediately after she reverted back to eating meat and processed foods. The switch to exclusively whole-foods was a big change for her and very difficult to implement all at once. I wouldn’t recommend this approach.
Go incremental. Make just one change at a time. Chop up your fruits and veggies instead of buying the pre-cut. Switch to whole-grains instead of the refined stuff. Avoid foods with long lists of incomprehensible ingredients. Drop HFC-products from your pantry. Do it in whatever order best suits you, but every little counts towards making a big investment in your long-term health and wellness. Make processed food the occasional meal, not the stuff of daily life.
If you are local to Solano County, these links may be useful:
(Note: If you do chose to read The End of Overeating (I listened to the audiobook), be warned. I GAINED weight listening to the book because he talked so extensively about food that I began to crave all the bad food choices he was talking about. You may learn a great deal, but you may also battle your own processed food demons as a result.)
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