I was going to take a break from writing about food for this blog and instead focus on a totally different topic. But then thanks to one of our own Emerald comrades I was reminded of a topic that is so important, so common, and so misunderstood. So, here we are again. Lets talk about food.
If I was only allowed to stand in a grocery store with a speaker and kindly educate some of the very well intended costumers of the poor choices they are making, I think I would have saved more lives in one week in a grocery store than I did during the 2 years I worked in the emergency room. I do not blame the costumers. The food industry has done such a fantastic job of advertising unhealthy food as healthy that most of us don't have a chance. I was a victim myself until I had an awakening many moons ago. Now, I don't think any grocery store will allow me to do such a thing, after all, some of these unhealthy products are their most profitable items. And I am certainly not going to be one of those psychos that dresses in "save the world or peace and love" shirts and rushes the grocery aisles with a speaker. So, this post shall be enough to clear my conscious and hopefully reach a few of you.
Lets go over some of the unhealthy, unnatural processed foods out there that you think are healthy, you eat them to lose weight instead of real food, and it costs you more than it should.
My most favorite of all time:
Protein and energy bars: Please, stop spending money on these over priced artificial foods. And please, stop replacing your actual meals with protein bars. How can you compare a home made meal with veggies, healthy carbs and protein with a brick stick made with artificial sweeteners wrapped in a bag and stored on a shelf for days? Almost all protein bars you find in a grocery store are full of natural, or hidden unnatural sugars. Ever wondered how a protein bar that says "No sugar added" tastes so sweet? Well, I got news for you, it has sugar in it. Maybe not in the typical sense of table sugar, but there are other chemicals that the makers can add which turn into sugar in your body but are not "technically" called sugar. Here are some examples; Corn Syrup, Sucralose and Erythritol. In addition, many protein bars have unhealthy fats and preservatives in them. If you ever make your protein bar you will notice 2 things: One, they tend to melt if not kept in the fridge, and two, they go bad after a few days. So, how do you think all those protein bars are stored in trucks and grocery stores for days and weeks before you consume them? The only time you can even consider putting such garbage in your precious body is if you are driving through West Virginia, you are starving, and besides a gas station there is no other food source for hundreds of miles. If you are a long distance athlete, body builder or for whatever reason need extra calories and protein bars are a must, then make your own. Takes 20 minutes. But I will warn you that most have to be kept refrigerated and eaten within a week, because they don't have any preservatives. Here are couple of my favorite websites. And yes, I do use these for my snacks before or during my long runs.
Commercial Bottled Shakes: Lets cut to the chase, Just like most protein bars, these are the same low quality, ultra processed, full of artificial flavors, synthetic sugars and over priced products that have no place in your diet. You got all of that? They are awful. Together with protein bars they are a 4 billion dollar business. If you want to drink a shake, make your own, using fresh or frozen ingredients. I already included some recipes in my breakfast blog. Smoothies are a healthy option if you are in a hurry or just like them, I drink them myself for breakfast or after a long hard workout, but I only use natural fresh products like frozen fruits, fresh veggies, coconut water, Greek yogurt and flax seed.
"Healthy cereals": Now, that is an oxymoron. There is really no such thing as healthy cereal. Most cereals are processed simple grains with added sugar or artificial flavors. Most common cereals, yes even the ones at whole Foods, are processed carbs; devoid of protein and fiber and just empty calories that puts you at risk of obesity and diabetes, not to mention that you will be hungry again in a couple of hours. In addition most cereals have added sugar or artificial flavors. Basically anything that has a flavor has added artificial chemicals. Granola cereals are another example. I used to eat these myself thinking I am really cool and healthy, until I realized most have crap load of added sugar per serving. And lets face it, now adays most servings are so small (1/4 to 1/2 cup for most) that almost all of us eat more than a serving. So, when the granola cereals says 8 grams of added sugar per serving, but the serving size is half a cup, you most likely are eating more than a serving. Two healthy alternatives are rolled or steal cut oats and Muesli.
Fruit or Greek yogurts: I distinctly remember when Chobani Greek yogurts first came out. The picture of Olympians holding their Chobani, all looking thin, muscular and beautiful. I wanted in, so I started chowing down Chobani Greek Yogurts, Plus, so many options and they tasted delicious. And before you know it there were so many brands to choose from. Heavens. Then I got my A1C (blood sugar) back. Turns out those little cute looking yogurts were loaded with sugar, some as high as 12g per serving. Now I don't blame Chobani, in fact the Olympians with their hours of training do need the sugar with their exercise, but lets face it, none of us are Olympians. For us that is just recipe for health disaster. Unfortunately now days it is really hard to find the healthy plain Greek yogurt among so many flavored ones. Despite all my effort I still sometimes come home to find out I bought the Vanilla flavor by mistake. Greek yogurt is a great source of protein and Calcium. If like me you enjoy it with some fruit flavor, avoid the unhealthy store ones, instead get the plain yogurt and then simply add your own fresh, healthy fruit. Want it sweet? Crush a ripe banana and mix it in. Add some berries and you have yourself a healthy, nutritious snack or even breakfast. And lastly, this may not be necessarily an unhealthy food, but it certainly is a gimmick.
Organic bagged food: Talk about smart advertising. Organic is cool, hip and "healthy." And it costs more. So what do the food companies do? They find all sorts of ways to add Organic brand to things that are so processed, who cares if they are organic. I could not believe my eyes when I first saw Organic chips. What does that even mean? Was the potatoes that were originally used organic? The potato has gone through so much processing and artificial addition since then that who cares if it was organic in the first place. Its like over charging for a used car that is labeled "special edition" but it is 20 years old, has gone through many accidents and has never been serviced. There are so many products like this now, I don't even know if some of us know we are paying extra premium for something that is totally meaningless. Canned flavored Beans, ice cream, protein bars (but that is ok, because you will never buy another one again) and juice are just a few examples I have seen and bought by mistake. If you are buying a processed food, no reason to pay extra for the organic version. Just accept that this is your occasional unhealthy food and save your money.
Ok, that is all the common unhealthy foods I can think of for now. Remember, the healthiest, most cost efficient way to eat is to make your own food from raw, unflavored and unprocessed ingredients.
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