Why is it so hard for me to cut out processed food?

cwolfman13

1. Advertising
2. Easy and widely available
3. Addicting ingredients like high fructose corn syrup that give you highs and lows, just like crack
4. Drugs like MSG that expand your taste buds and fool you into thinking something has a lot of flavor
5. Cultural identity with food, like white pasta or white rice
6. Emotional attachment to foods

What the hell are you talking about?

Hells yeah...I was wondering where the **** you were...

OP....I eat a lot of good, nutrient dense, whole foods. I try to get as much nutrition as possible in my diet, but I still have some processed foods. For me, it is largely unavoidable...I have a toddler and infant at home...I work long hours and I also find time to workout...sometimes a can of this or a frozen patty of that is just going to be dinner. I do prefer making my meals from scratch, because I like to cook...but sometimes it just isn't practical.

Last night for example, I had a frozen salmon burger from Trident...it is minimally processed, but processed none-the-less. There is nothing wrong with it and it makes for a quick dinner after I get home late from the gym. I'll often have one of those and throw in some mixed frozen veggies into a sauce pan with olive oil and make some roasted potatoes.

Also...ice cream is yummy....

Bottom line, you can have processed foods and still be a healthy individual getting her nutrition and fitness on...despite what cavemen think.

Capt_Apollo

i completely agree.

it's your parents fault.

astrampe

Stop blaming your parents - you are an adult now...

Buy a "clean eating"cookbook and start prepping your own meals - if you can read you can cook simple and healthy dishes....
Make food in batches and freeze in individual portions so you can take it out and eat...

Buy bags of already cut up lettuce, baby spinach and grape tomatoes, and throw in your lunchbox with a home made frozen dinner....Or grill a big pack of chicken drumsticks and eat that with sald or fruit...
Not rocket science and won't take more than a couple of hours on weekends....

cwolfman13

I also agree with others...can't blame other people, you have to take responsibility.

Also, the more nutritious food you eat, the less crap you'll crave...at least that's been my experience.

magerum

Hells yeah...I was wondering where the **** you were...

OP....I eat a lot of good, nutrient dense, whole foods. I try to get as much nutrition as possible in my diet, but I still have some processed foods. For me, it is largely unavoidable...I have a toddler and infant at home...I work long hours and I also find time to workout...sometimes a can of this or a frozen patty of that is just going to be dinner. I do prefer making my meals from scratch, because I like to cook...but sometimes it just isn't practical.

Last night for example, I had a frozen salmon burger from Trident...it is minimally processed, but processed none-the-less. There is nothing wrong with it and it makes for a quick dinner after I get home late from the gym. I'll often have one of those and throw in some mixed frozen veggies into a sauce pan with olive oil and make some roasted potatoes.

Also...ice cream is yummy....

Bottom line, you can have processed foods and still be a healthy individual getting her nutrition and fitness on...despite what cavemen think.

This was well said.

deksgrl

Because it is convenient.

I have cut out a lot of it, but I eat with my mother 3x a week and she still has processed food. Most of the time when I am cooking myself I do not get processed. You can change your habits with some planning. You don't have to make all the changes at once, if you are not the sort of person who can do that easily.

greentart

Everyone is going to have their own opinion on processed food. If you want to stop eating them, you have to do just that. Learn how to cook by getting recipes offline. Find what you like and don't like. I work full-time, go to school, have an hour commute, and still cook everynight. I've cut out most processed foods, and am currently trying to cut out more. I plan the month ahead of time (start with just a week at a time if a month is too much for you) and that gives me my menu to go by. I make sure that I have my protein, my veggies, and my fiber/grains for each meal.

Once you learn about cooking, it's really not as hard as you might think it is.

Good luck!

usmcmp

3. Addicting ingredients like high fructose corn syrup that give you highs and lows, just like crack

Yep, lost my family and house because I'm addicted to HFCS. Started selling my body for it.

oceanmistcali

I have the same problem myself.

you might want to check out 100 days of real food

they have a 10 day mini pledge and also a 14 week mini pledge to transition away from processed food. I need to do the same

Capt_Apollo

3. Addicting ingredients like high fructose corn syrup that give you highs and lows, just like crack

Yep, lost my family and house because I'm addicted to HFCS. Started selling my body for it.

cwolfman13

3. Addicting ingredients like high fructose corn syrup that give you highs and lows, just like crack

Yep, lost my family and house because I'm addicted to HFCS. Started selling my body for it.

Hmmm....you too huh? It's an epidemic.

happythermia

It's hard because they are EVERYWHERE! LOL don't be so hard on yourself. I eat fresh foods when I can, but you better believe that there are more than a few frozen meals in my freezer :-)

hmg90

I don't agree with "blame your parents" in the sense that you should make excuses for yourself. But I agree with it to the extent that people have been brought up differently.

My mum never got fast food or ordered in or bought a pre-made meal - ever. We had a microwave but never used it. Now that I live on my own, I don't own one. I don't buy ready-made meals and I have never tasted any of those pop-in-the-microwave-dinners. The best way is to not arrange for it at all.

A good start is basically to buy natural foods and always have them in your house, even if they are frozen. So that when you come home, the only way is to prepare something. I have lean minced pork in my fridge, I throw it in the frying pan with some chopped onions, cherry tomatoes, peppers, an egg and some salt and pepper. It takes no time at all. It's probably around the time it would take for a ready made meal to defrost.

It's really about planning and discipline, as dieting in general.

barnzey901

I started out in the same boat, eating pre packed and fast foods way too much! I never had vegetables or anything that required much preparation really.

When I started my journey I cut down the amount I was eating of those foods and now about 7 months later there are no pre packed foods in my house at all. Fast foods are pretty much out maybe 1 in 2 months and I'm cooking every day! And I just keeping adding to the list of things I can cook...

Took a while but I'm there!

acpgranberg

I was raised on processed food too so I was unhealthy right out of the gate. I hated to cook and didn't have much skill.

Now every Sunday I pick a few meals [eating paleo right now] and I make them in advance. I put them in two-cup glass freezer containers and freeze them for grab and go stuff. I also crockpot. How easy is that and it makes about six meals that you can freeze.

Now I can't even look at microwave meals at the grocery store. The stuff I make tastes so good that the packaged stuff tastes like plastic and salt in comparison. I'm currently eating spaghetti squash and meatballs or a butternut lasagna. So delish.

Good luck to you, I know you can do it, you just need a plan. I eat badly when I skip my Sunday prep.

Francl27

There's processed food and processed food. I'm not making pasta, bread, tortillas etc from scratch. But I'm not buying boxed meals either. I hate cooking, but throwing some meat/fish in the pan and frozen veggies in the microwave doesn't take much skill either.

stardancer7

Because a company profits by selling its product and has spent a lot of time and money researching how to get us to buy and eat it!

Sometimes it's about 'perceived exertion'--if you are tired from a long day's work, home cooking feels like a big effort. When I step back and look at the 'convenience' of take-out or frozen dinners, though, they can take longer to get to the plate than broiling a piece of salmon or washing a head of lettuce and peeling a potato. But aside from the nutritional value per penny, when I look at the over-packaging and the price, the 'processed' food is usually not worth it. One convenience food I won't give up, though, is coleslaw in a bag. That's worth it to me.

shannashannabobana

We had a microwave but never used it. Now that I live on my own, I don't own one.

Ok, I have a question for the 'i've never had a microwave' folks. Do you eat leftovers? Do you just...cook them on the stove again? I don't cook in the microwave but I sure as heck reheat things there.

I generally cook stuff rather than buying processed foods, but sometimes it is convenient. I mean, I don't make my own cheese from scratch or anything. If I'm buying something in a package, I just try to look for minimal ingredients and as close to real food as possible...

Last night I cooked chicken thighs in the oven. Just put them on a cookie sheet in the oven for 25 minutes. During that 25 minutes I sat on my *kitten* and watched Cheers on Netflix. When they were done, I put them on a plate and ate them.

Yep. Cooking can be complicated or it can be really, really easy.

Espressocycle

Unless you have high blood pressure and need to cut sodium, why worry about processed food? After all, once you cook your own food from scratch, you just processed it.