How do you know what is healthy and what is unhealthy?
It is so hard these days with all of the different marketing strategies used to advertise foods. A lot of companies are actually using marketing strategies to make their products look healthy, even though they aren’t. That makes it really difficult for you, a consumer that is advocating for their health.
We will be discussing food labels in this membership in the upcoming months, but for now, I want to start you off on the right track by addressing some of the most commonly used food products.
We are going to address 8 food products.
For each product we will review how this product negatively impacts your health, and what you can have instead.
Avoiding 8 commonly used food products is a lot, and it can be overwhelming. Therefore, I recommend implementing these changes 1 week at a time. Start with number 1 and progress each week. We will address four of them in this article and the last four in October's article, to ensure you don't get overwhelmed.
Habits take time to break, so ensure you are dedicating enough time to eliminating the unhealthy product and finding an alternative you enjoy.
Food Products #1
Canada is in the lead unfortunately, when it comes to what country consumes the most ketchup per person. It is by far one of the most commonly used food products. This is likely because...
“Ketchup can make anything taste good.”
Have you heard that before? Or maybe you have even said that before.
Have you ever wondered why?
Because it is loaded with sugar.
1 tablespoon of ketchup has 4 grams of sugar in it.
That is equal to 1 tsp of sugar for every 1 tablespoon.
Yes, some of that sugar is naturally occurring sugar from the tomatoes, but only a very small percentage. The majority of it comes from “high fructose corn syrup” and “corn syrup”, which is connected to a plethora of health issues.
Sugar can be destructive to our health in so many ways. You will learn more about this as you progress through the 4 stages. Eliminating ketchup is such an easy way to limit your sugar intake and support your health.
Ketchup is also very high in sodium. With 170 mg of sodium per 1 tablespoon. Sodium contributes to illnesses such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and heart attack.
Here is what I suggest using instead:
Salsa
- Majority of salsas have no added sugar. The only sugar is from the naturally occurring sugar in the tomatoes.
- *Caution* check the amount of sodium on the food label. Some salsas have a very high amount of sodium (300mg+/ ¼ cup). Look for salsas closer to 150mg / ¼ cup.
Date Ketchup
- These ketchups contain 1g/Tbsp of sugar and it comes from the naturally occurring sugar in dates, and only 65 mg of sodium per tablespoon.
Food Products #2
Box cereals are another product that is found in a lot of kitchens.
Think about how big the cereal section is in your local grocery store. Are there any other single food products that occupy that much of the grocery store? That should tell you how widely consumed they are.
They are convenient, they are delicious (due to all the sugar) and their marketing is amazing at getting us to think that they are actually good for us.
But let me tell you a little bit about cereal.
They are made up of refined carbohydrates, which we have discussed before, but here is a little refresher.
Refined = highly processed food. With the majority of nutrients and fiber being removed as a result of the processing..
Carbohydrates = food that comes from the earth in the form of sugar, starch or cellulose (examples: grains, fruits, vegetables).
Refined carbohydrates = Are foods such as wheat, corn, bran, rye that are highly refined. With the majority of their nutritional value being removed/destroyed and therefore leaving a simple sugar that is going to do the opposite of nourishing you.
Refined carbs cause spikes in blood sugar levels, contribute to weight gain, deplete the nutrients in your body, negatively impact mood, sleep, energy levels and compromise the health of your entire body.
And that is just the base of the cereal. I’m not even going to touch the amount of sugar that is added to them.
Even the cereals that are advertising how great they are due to the amount of fiber they have, their high protein, their low cholesterol levels, or how little fat it contains, ignore it.
Carbohydrates don’t even contain cholesterol, but consuming refined carbohydrates like cereal can actually increase your blood cholesterol levels.
The big picture is that companies are not making cereals to support your health, they are simply doing what they can to sell their product, regardless of the effects they have on your health.
When you eat, you want to eat wholesome, nourishing foods that are going to help stabilize your energy, cravings, mood, hunger, and support your body.
Cereal is such an important food to eliminate from your diet and never go back to.
Here are some foods that I recommend replacing cereal with:
- Steel cut oats
- Millet
- Large flake oats (not the oatmeal packets)
- Quinoa
- Smoothie
- Smoothie bowl
- Amaranth
- Chia seed pudding
- Chia seed cereal
- Yogurt bowl
- Recipes for each of these suggestions are in your membership portal.
Food Product #3
78% of Canadians consume pop regularly.
61% of Canadians have increased health risk due to being overweight.
Pop is extremely high in sugar and some are also high in caffeine. We discussed sugar a bit in products #1, so you already know that it is destructive to our health.
Pop contains either sugar or artificial sugar. When we consume sugar our blood sugar spikes, our body works hard to regulate those levels, and as a result:
- Our body systems become strained.
- Our ability to balance our blood sugar is strained and therefore increasing our risk of developing diabetes.
- Sugar is stored as fat, and our weight goes up, further increasing our risk of diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.
- We experience sugar highs and lows which interfere with your energy levels, mood, sleep patterns, hunger, cravings.
Sugar is like a drug:
When we consume sugar our body releases dopamine (the feel good hormone). Our body recognizes that pop makes us feel good and that means it is going to want more.
This is where addiction comes from; food, sugar, drugs. This form of addiction is actually VERY similar to that of drug addiction.
Try replacing pop with these:
Carbonated water (such as bubble, perrier)
Water with lemon or lime squeezed into it
Kombucha or Jun (fermented beverage with beneficial bacteria)
Water or carbonated water mixed with a splash or two of juice
You may be wondering why I am grouping juice with pop...
I am not putting them side-by-side here, but I do want to caution you. Juice is very high in sugar, some is added sugar, most is naturally occurring sugar from the fruit. Yes, naturally occurring sugar is a better form of sugar, however, it is still sugar.
When fruits are juiced, the fiber and cellulose that slow down its digestion is removed. Left behind is liquid sugar that is very easily and quickly digested by us. This causes the same effects on our blood sugar levels, mood, energy, etc., that was discussed above.
Therefore I recommend eating a fruit whole, as opposed to juiced, to reduce the strain that the concentrated sugar causes.
Switch it out for:
Try eating a whole fruit instead of drinking juice, or reach for one of the beverages recommended below for replacing pop.
Food Product #4
White bread is made with flour that has been highly processed to the point where the nutritious parts have been removed. This pretty much just leaves you with a sugar that is going to disrupt your blood sugar levels, increase weight gain, increase cholesterol and deplete nutrients in your body.
Enriched flour is commonly the first ingredient in many bread products. Enriched flour has been so highly processed, that the nutrients have been stripped from it. So much so, that the companies have had to add back in some of the nutrients that have been stripped.
The problem with this is that the nutrients that are naturally in flour are a perfect cocktail that our body readily and happily accepts. The nutrients added to the flour is not always accepted by our body, therefore we aren’t able to utilize the nutrients as well. With high consumption of enriched flour, it can even pull nutrients out of our bodies and deplete the nutrients we have stored in our body.
Whole wheat breads are made up of flour that has been less processed and still contains some of the beneficial nutrient, germ and bran from the whole grain.
When you are looking for bread, look for ones that say “100% whole grain” or “100% whole wheat” on it somewhere, NOT “100% wheat bread”. Some “whole wheat” breads may only have a small percentage of whole wheat in them, that is why we are looking for “100%”.
If you, your partner or kids only like white bread, stop buying it! It is easiest to just not have it in the house. You/they will either have to find something else to eat or learn to love whole wheat breads. I am telling you, it is worth the fight. This includes buns, wraps, etc.
I do still caution you on how much whole wheat bread you eat. It is still quite processed, and can cause strain on your blood sugar levels, increase cholesterol, and contribute to weight gain. Limiting your bread intake is strongly recommended.
Let’s switch out white bread for of one these options that will support your health:
100% whole grain/whole wheat bread.
Wrap it up raw (veggie wraps that are actually delicious).
Sweet potato toast.
Skip the bun when eating burgers, focus on the toppings.
Make larger dinners so you can have leftovers for lunches instead of sandwiches.
Pair your sandwich ingredients with a bed of greens and turn it into a salad.
Eliminating these unhealthy food products and replacing them with alternatives that will support your health is HUGE! Take the next 2 months to really solidify these changes. You will be well prepared from the remaining four food products in October.
Great job making these changes. I encourage you to put a reminder in your phone to come back to this article in 3-4 months. It is always important to go back and review why you have made certain changes to your diet, help to reinforce the good habit, and check-in to see if you are still on the wagon.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, you will have an opportunity to ask questions this month during one of the two video chats. Otherwise, please feel free to comment on the chat board, the coinciding Instagram post or contact me directly via email or Instagram.