Cutting Out Processed Foods
Most people today know that processed foods aren’t good for them. Cutting out processed foods, however, isn’t very easy. Processed foods taste good, they are very convenient, they are often very affordable and many experts believe they are actually addictive. If you’re looking to cut out processed foods from your diet, you’ll need to make sure you give yourself the tools and information to be successful. The following advice can help you to successfully reduce or even eliminate processed foods from your diet. It won’t be easy, but this will help give you the best chance at successfully transitioning into a healthier, more natural diet.
Find Natural Foods you Love
One of the worst things you can do when dieting is to eat only foods that taste terrible. If you hate everything you eat, you’ll have a moment of weakness where you break the diet and it is all downhill from there. If you’re cutting out processed foods, you will need to replace them with healthy alternatives. Fortunately, there are lots of natural foods that are healthy and delicious. Finding the ones you love the most may take some trial & error but it will be worth the effort. When doing this, make sure you find natural foods you enjoy that will be able to satisfy all your cravings. Find some salty foods, some sweet foods, some savory foods and anything else you might be craving. When the urge to break the diet strikes, these foods can help you stay on track.
Watch Your Nutrients
While processed foods are typically lower in most nutrients than natural foods, you still need to make sure you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals you need. Whenever adjusting your diet, make sure you are getting enough of the essential nutrients to stay healthy. If your new diet is lacking in a specific nutrient it can cause cravings and even cause health issues. It is, of course, easier to get all your nutrients with natural foods but you still need to make sure you’re keeping track and eating a variety of different foods.
Don’t be a Purist
Some people who want to cut out processed foods become strict purists and don’t eat anything that isn’t exactly as it can be found in nature. While this may sound good at first, it can also make the diet unnecessarily difficult (and even unhealthy). For example, cheese is a processed food but when processed properly it is still very healthy. Cooked vegetables are also processed, but if you enjoy them they can still be healthy. When working on cutting out processed foods you want to think rationally and only eliminate those that are actually bad for your health.
Finding what Works for You
One last thing to keep in mind is that most people have better success cutting out processed foods when they adjust over time. Eliminating the
worst processed foods up front is important, but there are some that aren’t really too bad. Many people find it helpful to leave things like sugar-free dried fruit, for example, in their diet for a time until they get used to the other changes. The bottom line is you need to find a diet that works for you which contains as few processed foods as possible.
