Processed Food

I love processed food! Who doesn't?! Here's the deal though. How do we know what's good for us and what isn't? Yes, fresh fruits and veggies are awesome and we should all eat more of them. But, lets get real, we're not going to stop buying processed food. What is processed food? From what I understand, processed food is all food that isn't fresh and is prepackaged at the supermarket.


Well, not unlike most people, I have processed food all over my house. I love Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, and the like. I'm not going to stop buying them because they're some of my favorites. I don't understand what all the fuss is about though. Isn't NutriSystem prepackaged? What about Jenny Craig and South Beach Diet? All of these are supposed to be healthier alternatives to the average, everyday processed foods, right?  What about olive oil? That's supposed to be a healthier alternative to vegetable oil. I don't know about you, but I don't have an olive press so I don't make my own oil, I buy it. Does that make it unhealthy?

Here's how I look at all of this. We're going to each processed foods - that's a fact. The trick is to eat better. Don't make all of our meals out of processed foods and completely forego the chips, cookies, cakes, pies, etc. If you think about it, I'm sure someone can find something unhealthy about every single piece of food on the planet. It's all just too much.

Choose healthier options. If you have a doughnut and an apple, choose the apple. Or, if you have chips and peanuts, choose the peanuts. The Lean Cuisines I eat for lunch are far better for me than Velveeta Shells and Cheese or leftover Hamburger Helper. I think that's all that really matters. Making healthier choices is going to have a profound impact on your health, diet, and weight loss progress.

I'm tired of people preaching about clean eating. I wash all my food before I eat it. Does that mean I eat clean? Clean eating is eating fresh instead of packaged. I have to wonder how many of these people have cookies stashed away somewhere. Dieting is hard enough without adding tighter restrictions to your food. This isn't a bash about anyone who eats clean; I just want to express my thoughts on this.

Everyone is different and different things work for different people. Do what's best for you. That's all you can do. It's important to make healthier choices in every situation. Oh, speaking of processed food, if anyone knows of any good caramel frappe recipes, please pass them along.

Time for me to get going. Have a wonderful Saturday and get active!