Cutting out processed foods

fitOsaurus_Rex_we_changed
fitOsaurus_Rex_we_changed Posts: 132
in Health and Weight Loss
really thinking about cutting out processed junk but i dont know where to start! Any suggestions from people who have done this? please dont say something dumb like "dont eat anything prepackaged"...i'm looking for helpful suggestions or opinions from people who have done, or are doing this, and have been successful. Thanks!

Replies

  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    It may seem hard at first, but it's definitely worth it. Don't try to cut out everything at once or you might give up. Pick the things you depend on least and just don't get them next time you go to the store. If it's snacks that you start with, get some snack size veggies or buy lots of fruit. If it's side dishes, look for some recipes to replace what you normally eat. I still eat a few processed things, but most of what I eat is much cleaner than it used to be, and it has certainly helped me maintain.
  • sarski77
    sarski77 Posts: 79
    "don't eat anything prepackaged" is not a dumb thing to say, it's the easiest way to actually cut out processed foods.

    I don't eat anything processed 99% of the times (on my way to remove canned soup from my diet too as soon as I finish off the tins I have in the cupboard) and it's simply a matter of cooking every meal from scratch :)

    You don't necessarily have to spend ages in the kitchen but you will find that perhaps you need to spend more time planning in order to have everything you need ready. Batch cooking whenever you have time really helps for example. Just cook multiple portions of something, freeze the lot and de-frost if/when you need it!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    what kind of processed food do you already eat?? stop eating it. make your own versions. But what is your current aversion to processed foods? what constitutes a processed food? most food in your home goes through a process.

    personally, when i think processed food i tend to think of two things: junk food that comes in bags or wrappers such as candy and chips; and cold cuts. now i love me some junk food. i like peanut m&m's and tostitos. i have some once in a while, but they're not a daily treat, with a few exceptions. as for cold cuts, i tried to eliminate them from my diet, but i couldn't and didn't want to. i limit how much of it i eat, and try for the lower sodium options, but man, do i love me a ham and swiss sammich.

    having healthy options in your house, and cooking healthy things makes picking healthy food easier. for instance if you make your own burgers instead of buying the frozen pre-packed ones you can control what kind of ingredients you use and the cut of beef, etc etc. i love making my own burgers.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    I cut back on as much packaged as I can...but I do smartly.

    For example, I refuse to make my own pasta...that is just silly. So I buy the packaged stuff. And I still eat Kraft Mac and Cheese...why? Because it is freaking awesome!

    But don't do canned veggies. It is either frozen or fresh, and with frozen I still check the packaging to make sure all it has under the ingredients is the vegetable listed. I have started doing my own flavored rice and stuff, using fresh herbs and things of that matter instead of the preflavored ones. And I have started to venture into doing my own beans and not buying canned.

    It is really hard to go completely processed out. But just try to cut back as much as possible. Check ingredients. If there are any you can't pronounce that is usually a red flag. Another for me is if I can pronounce it but have no clue what it is, another red flag.
  • christiandjoel
    christiandjoel Posts: 28 Member
    I don't eat processed foods.....well, except noodles. :) Its tough to do....you can start with cleaning up 1 meal each day...whatever meal is the hardest (maybe breakfast is hard cuz u like cereal, or maybe lunch is hard cuz u like frozen entrees, etc). I wouldn't go hog wild & expect yourself to perform miracles. Just do 1 meal each day to start with. :) You're welcome to add me....I make some interesting, yet tasty recipes. :)
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    Whey protien supplements are proccesed.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Whey protien supplements are proccesed.

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  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    To cut down on "processed junk" the first thing I did (for about 2 years) was completely stop eating anything that contained "high fructose corn syrup" and "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" anything. When you pick up a food with a label or go to a fast food restaurant, check out the label. Read the ingredients. If it contains any of those words, put it back on the shelf and pick up a different one.

    Here's a tip: if it's in a grocery store and doesn't have an ingredients label at all, then it most likely doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup or anything hydrogenated.
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    To cut down on "processed junk" the first thing I did (for about 2 years) was completely stop eating anything that contained "high fructose corn syrup" and "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" anything. When you pick up a food with a label or go to a fast food restaurant, check out the label. Read the ingredients. If it contains any of those words, put it back on the shelf and pick up a different one.

    Here's a tip: if it's in a grocery store and doesn't have an ingredients label at all, then it most likely doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup or anything hydrogenated.

    This is great advice!
  • Health_Gal
    Health_Gal Posts: 715 Member
    One way you can look at it is to "add in" unprocessed food gradually. That way, you won't be as likely to feel like you are depriving yourself of processed foods you currently enjoy.
  • baileysmom4
    baileysmom4 Posts: 242 Member
    I eliminated anything with a high sodium content. That pretty much makes you go with nothing prepackaged. Canned foods would be where I would start and "tv" dinners. yuck!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,268 Member
    I cut back on as much packaged as I can...but I do smartly.

    For example, I refuse to make my own pasta...that is just silly. So I buy the packaged stuff. And I still eat Kraft Mac and Cheese...why? Because it is freaking awesome!

    Of course anyone that though mac and cheese was freaking awesome would think making homemade was silly, that's a given. :laugh: just kidding.
  • Casstevens133
    Casstevens133 Posts: 142 Member
    I eat clean 99% of the time. Please feel free to browse my diary - it's open for all to see. Good luck it's well worth it !
  • Dimples220
    Dimples220 Posts: 7 Member
    I was a junk food junkie, so I knew the first step in my weight loss journey was going to be a detox. For two weeks I only ate fresh fruits, whole grains, veggies, and lean protein. I started every morning with a green smoothie. It was extremely challenging! I got headaches, sweats, and was very irritable. My body was truly hooked on processed junk. After the two weeks the intense cravings stopped, and I felt reenergized.
  • chelseagirlfl
    chelseagirlfl Posts: 207 Member
    I just recently started to eat a Whole Food and super food diet and cutting back on dairy and meat. I read a few books for ideas and watched some documentaries on netflix about whole food and eat plant based. I then made alteration to how I wanted to fit it into my life style. Reading on plant based eating can be very helpful because they do not eat processed anything. I plan on cutting meat out eventually but, I don't want to sabotage myself by going cold turkey, just because I KNOW HOW I AM.

    best of luck, I have been at it for a week and feel the difference already.
  • MariaHammer750
    MariaHammer750 Posts: 86 Member
    To cut down on "processed junk" the first thing I did (for about 2 years) was completely stop eating anything that contained "high fructose corn syrup" and "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" anything. When you pick up a food with a label or go to a fast food restaurant, check out the label. Read the ingredients. If it contains any of those words, put it back on the shelf and pick up a different one.

    Here's a tip: if it's in a grocery store and doesn't have an ingredients label at all, then it most likely doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup or anything hydrogenated.


    Thanks for that tip. I'm trying to avoid HFCS as well as wondered if some things from the grocery store w/o a label contained it. It's hard because I am finding in things I wasn't expecting to find it in.
  • TrishLG
    TrishLG Posts: 173 Member
    Shopping: Add a lot of fresh vegetables first. Then brown rice. Dried beans. Meat that you want, but I have to limit the cheese because cheese is high calorie, high fat and impossible for me to resist.
    It is true that you shop the perimeter of the store and only dash down an asile to pick up a specific item.
    You can precook the rice and beans, and store them in baggies and freeze, so then if you want a quick meal, just take out a baggie and add fresh vegetables, spices you prefer, and whatever protein to the rice.
    I use Herb Ox boullion cubes because I do not like carrying the liquid stock and the other b cubes have MSG which is poison to me.

    Just begin working from scratch. For mac and cheese, use any pasta and sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Making pasta is silly? It doesn't take any longer to make a sheet of fresh pasta and cook it than it does to put on a pot of water to boil, wait for it to boil, and cook the dry pasta. In fact, it's probably faster, because you can make the pasta while the water comes to a boil, and fresh pasta cooks in a fraction of the time it takes to cook dry pasta. Freezes pretty well, too.

    Of course, the flour is processed, unless you mill your own... :grumble:

    Honestly, OP, the best way to cut back on processed foods is to learn how to cook. I still eat processed foods for the convenience factor (I work full time, raise a family, and I'm a full time college student,) but I also make quite a bit of the things I eat from scratch, everything from cookies, ice cream, meals, pasta, condiments (mustard, mayo, ketchup,) and breads.
  • chymerra
    chymerra Posts: 212
    i avoid things that come out of a box, can or bag. things like mac/cheese or lean cuisine dinners can be made quickly and easily. all you have to do is look at the foods you're eating that come out of a box and google "low calorie healthy [insert food here]" and you'll find a TON on the internet.

    the only exception is frozen veggies or fruit ... those are usually flash frozen so they're ok however, i still buy fresh.

    what i did is cut everything out cold turkey. i wasn't a processed food type of person but i did like my junk food so i just cut that out. it was hard for the first 2wks as i went through my "detox" but i ate healthy snacks as an alternative when i got the craving for the junk... things like fresh berry smoothies etc.

    with food, you have to just do it. remember that FOOD DOESN'T HAVE ANY POWER OVER YOU UNTIL YOU GIVE IT POWER.

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