Processed Foods & Nutrition

lisas11222

So, I have been on MFP for over a year, and never really got into the discussions until recently. I read a lot of the "what I ate for lunch, breakfast, etc." posts and I see that an incredible amount of people fill their meals up with processed foods with questionable ingredients. I don't know whether people don't feel they have the time to make fresh food, or if they are just used to eating highly processed foods with unpronounceable ingredients? But I want to start (hopefully) starting to inspire people to lay off the processed. You may be loosing weight, but you're poisoning your bodies at the same time. And for all of you who spend months, years focusing on eating better, then take the time to cut out processed foods from your diet. All the time? Well that can get complicated. But most of the time, yes. You CAN do it. If you don't understand what's in it, don't eat it.

For me it all started with a juice feast (or fast) of eight days. I had, in that time, basically eliminated the toxins from my body. I never reintroduced gluten, dairy or meat back into my diet. Now, you don't have to be as exotic as to cut out what I have. It won't work for everyone. But, my life has changed immensely. I was in pain all day long before. I thought it was due to an ulcer I have had since I was 12. However, I found out it was food allergens. I have NO pain now. But I rarely, if ever, eat processed foods. And that, on top of the diet change, I am convinced has impacted my life in ways I never thought possible.

So try it. Get rid of that Crystal Light, Coco Crunch cereal, frozen lunches/dinners. I know you can.

BTW if anyone needs advice on going gluten, dairy or meat free. Feel free to contact me.

rdmchugh

Good job! I too avoid anything processed. I visit lots of farmer's markets and have cut my grocery bill in half, even buying organic as much as I can.

I too feel SOOOO much better! The pain in my joints is gone, my skin and hair are soft and my energy is way up. I have had to be gluten free all my life (diagnosed with Celiac at 7 months of age). I have given up eating mammals, but still eat fish and limited chicken. Real food is actually easy to cook and tastes so good. I know I will never go back.

Another inspiration for me was a movie that was recommended in these forums called "Food Matters"

lisas11222

Good job! I too avoid anything processed. I visit lots of farmer's markets and have cut my grocery bill in half, even buying organic as much as I can.

I too feel SOOOO much better! The pain in my joints is gone, my skin and hair are soft and my energy is way up. I have had to be gluten free all my life (diagnosed with Celiac at 7 months of age). I have given up eating mammals, but still eat fish and limited chicken. Real food is actually easy to cook and tastes so good. I know I will never go back.

Another inspiration for me was a movie that was recommended in these forums called "Food Matters"

That is awesome! It's always great to talk with people that have had the same positive outcome from cutting out processed junk. Everyone I have talked to that has, their health has improved, as yours and mine. And they tend to feel incredible. Maybe we can inspire more people here.

Thanks for the response. i haven't seen that movie. I will have to check it out!

kar74

I watched "Forks Over Knives" the other day and am planning to try out a plant-based diet for a month in April. I cleansed my body of coffee (and most caffeine) along with artificial sweeteners back in October. I would love to do the same with processed foods? I think it'll be worth a shot!

unmitigatedbadassery

I love being in the kitchen but I'm the first to admit that I look for convenience. I try to prep and cook everything I eat from whole ingredients though. Since following the Paleo lifestyle I've seen tremendous improvement in not just how I feel and look but in my attitude as well.

I still have my times of weakness when I want something bad for me and I want it NOW but fighting through those moments has become easier every time I give in I end up feeling like s*** because my body has gotten used to real food.

+1 for REAL food!

lisas11222

I watched "Forks Over Knives" the other day and am planning to try out a plant-based diet for a month in April. I cleansed my body of coffee (and most caffeine) along with artificial sweeteners back in October. I would love to do the same with processed foods? I think it'll be worth a shot!

You can do it! It will be worth any shot you give it Beans are going to be your best friend. And Tofu, however processed, is really helpful if you need a quick protein add to a vegetable based meal.

Acg67

Lol

"Juice fast"

processed foods are "poisoning" our bodies

Your message is on the right track (shoot for mostly minimally processed whole foods) but then you throw in a lot of nonsense that takes away from that message

killagb

In before the 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' reference.

lisas11222

Lol

"Juice fast"

processed foods are "poisoning" our bodies

Your message is on the right track (shoot for mostly minimally processed whole foods) but then you throw in a lot of nonsense that takes away from that message

It doesn't take a way for me. That is HOW I got off of processed foods. And I reiterated that not everyone should/can take the route that I did to get there. Everyone will get their in their own method. I'm not sure judging how they got there is beneficial or encouraging. There was NO Fat, sick and Nearly Dead reference. And I didn't do it because of that (i hadn't even seen it). I watch a friend transform his life through a small fast. And It inspired me to. It was extremely beneficial for me. Wow. And here, I thought, people were helpful to each-other and encouraging. Suppose not. Sorry, before I posted I suppose I should have checked that "things to say" outline teachers reference.

JenChis22

Awesome!! I recently made the lifestyle change as well. There are no more science experiments (processed foods) in our house. We eat a natural, organic diet free of gluton and dairy, with the exception of organic greek yogurt, organic cottage cheese and organic whole milk for my 3y/o son. We, however, can not live without our meat! LOL But, we travel and hour every weekend to get organic free-from meats. We do not drink any juices, sodas, coffee or anything other than water really. On occasion we will drink organic homemade coconut or almond milk and as stated above my son still has his organic whole milk. It's amazing how great a clean diet makes you feel physically and mentally!

UponThisRock

Isn't juice a processed food?

Acg67

Lol

"Juice fast"

processed foods are "poisoning" our bodies

Your message is on the right track (shoot for mostly minimally processed whole foods) but then you throw in a lot of nonsense that takes away from that message

It doesn't take a way for me. That is HOW I got off of processed foods. And I reiterated that not everyone should/can take the route that I did to get there. Everyone will get their in their own method. I'm not sure judging how they got there is beneficial or encouraging. There was NO Fat, sick and Nearly Dead reference. And I didn't do it because of that (i hadn't even seen it). I watch a friend transform his life through a small fast. And It inspired me to. It was extremely beneficial for me. Wow. And here, I thought, people were helpful to each-other and encouraging. Suppose not. Sorry, before I posted I suppose I should have checked that "things to say" outline teachers reference.

I think not eating processed foods has hurt your reading comprehension ability

lisas11222

Isn't juice a processed food?

No the juice was fresh fruits and vegetables juiced in a juicer.

UponThisRock

Isn't juice a processed food?

No the juice was fresh fruits and vegetables juiced in a juicer.

Using a mechanical device to alter the food from its original state sounds like processing to me.

lisas11222

Lol

"Juice fast"

processed foods are "poisoning" our bodies

Your message is on the right track (shoot for mostly minimally processed whole foods) but then you throw in a lot of nonsense that takes away from that message

It doesn't take a way for me. That is HOW I got off of processed foods. And I reiterated that not everyone should/can take the route that I did to get there. Everyone will get their in their own method. I'm not sure judging how they got there is beneficial or encouraging. There was NO Fat, sick and Nearly Dead reference. And I didn't do it because of that (i hadn't even seen it). I watch a friend transform his life through a small fast. And It inspired me to. It was extremely beneficial for me. Wow. And here, I thought, people were helpful to each-other and encouraging. Suppose not. Sorry, before I posted I suppose I should have checked that "things to say" outline teachers reference.

I think not eating processed foods has hurt your reading comprehension ability

Precisely the type of comment back I would have expected.

lisas11222

Isn't juice a processed food?

No the juice was fresh fruits and vegetables juiced in a juicer.

Using a mechanical device to alter the food from its original state sounds like processing to me.

Processing fresh fruits and vegetables by extracting their juiced nutrients, isn't comparable to me to eating Choco Puffs. But, if you want a pure precise cut and dry. Then yes, it is processing. But what I was referring to in this post was people eating processed junk straight from the Grocery shelves or freezer.

Acg67

Lol

"Juice fast"

processed foods are "poisoning" our bodies

Your message is on the right track (shoot for mostly minimally processed whole foods) but then you throw in a lot of nonsense that takes away from that message

It doesn't take a way for me. That is HOW I got off of processed foods. And I reiterated that not everyone should/can take the route that I did to get there. Everyone will get their in their own method. I'm not sure judging how they got there is beneficial or encouraging. There was NO Fat, sick and Nearly Dead reference. And I didn't do it because of that (i hadn't even seen it). I watch a friend transform his life through a small fast. And It inspired me to. It was extremely beneficial for me. Wow. And here, I thought, people were helpful to each-other and encouraging. Suppose not. Sorry, before I posted I suppose I should have checked that "things to say" outline teachers reference.

I think not eating processed foods has hurt your reading comprehension ability

Precisely the type of comment back I would have expected.

Why would you even mention Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead in response to me when I said nothing about it? And where was it said that it wasn't beneficial to you?

But since you made the claims, how did the juice fast cleanse your body of toxins and how do you know it did that? And could you please elaborate that processed foods are poisoning out bodies?

ccarre81

First I just want to say I don't eat much processed food... I love to experiment in the kitchen to much for that. But, be careful how you approach this subject. So processed food is not considered healthy, but neither is being 100lbs+ overweight. Some may be drinking the crystal light instead of the litre of pepsi. Some have replaced pizza and mcdonald's (or any takeout for that matter) for lean cuisine frozen lunches. Some may be so foreign to fresh foods, but they are doing the best they can with what they know and have. They may eventually learn to eat a cleaner diet, but for now they do the best they can with what they know and have. It is their journey afterall, they can do with it as they please.

You say you want to inspire but your post comes off very judgmental. You shared your success (which is admirable) but preceding it with remarks of how unhealthy some MFP people are or how they are poisoning their bodies is not very encouraging.

Just my .02 cents and not looking to argue... probably will not respond to negative comments.

UponThisRock

Isn't juice a processed food?

No the juice was fresh fruits and vegetables juiced in a juicer.

Using a mechanical device to alter the food from its original state sounds like processing to me.

Processing fresh fruits and vegetables by extracting their juiced nutrients, isn't comparable to me to eating Choco Puffs. But, if you want a pure precise cut and dry. Then yes, it is processing. But what I was referring to in this post was people eating processed junk straight from the Grocery shelves or freezer.

If the issue of processing is not "pure precise cut and dry," then it's a bit of a logical leap to label processed foods and "poison," eh?

3laine75

Isn't juice a processed food?

lol

killagb

Lol

"Juice fast"

processed foods are "poisoning" our bodies

Your message is on the right track (shoot for mostly minimally processed whole foods) but then you throw in a lot of nonsense that takes away from that message

It doesn't take a way for me. That is HOW I got off of processed foods. And I reiterated that not everyone should/can take the route that I did to get there. Everyone will get their in their own method. I'm not sure judging how they got there is beneficial or encouraging. There was NO Fat, sick and Nearly Dead reference. And I didn't do it because of that (i hadn't even seen it). I watch a friend transform his life through a small fast. And It inspired me to. It was extremely beneficial for me. Wow. And here, I thought, people were helpful to each-other and encouraging. Suppose not. Sorry, before I posted I suppose I should have checked that "things to say" outline teachers reference.

Holy reading comprehension fail. No, there wasn't a Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead reference....yet. Hence why I said "in before the...". Thanks for playing. :drinker: