Questions/Tips on a low-processed food diet??

Make your own marinades so you can control (and simplify) the ingredients, especially sodium. Have toast with peanut butter for breakfast with fruit. Or kashi waffles, plain oatmeal, Greek yogurt with fruit and organic granola. Shredded wheat, puffed wheat or rice...

Lunch, make chicken salad or tuna salad. Turkey burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, steak on a salad. You can make your own salad dressings too! Have carrot sticks or fruit instead of chips, or make pita chips!

Bump

I got really really sick a few years ago from all the processed diet food and artificial sweeteners I was eating. I cut out as many as I could. We've got a great fruit stand/deli nearby. I'll go there and pick up fresh veggies: corn, zucchini, eggplant, salad fixings, berries, apples, oranges, potatos and use those in our meals. I try to use the butcher shop down the street and the fish market for our meats and fish. I got DH and DD used to eating brown rice from Trader Joe's. They're not a fan of couscous yet. For lunches I'll often bring a small meal leftover from the night before. Lots of veggies and a small piece of meat, etc. I grill my pork chops with just olive oil, sea salt, pepper and rosemary. Very yummy. We grill alot in the summertime. I do use the Near East rice pilaf or whole grain rice mixes to mix things up a bit. Yams are a great alternative to regular potatos too. If I buy frozen veggies I try to get the steamfresh ones with no extra sauce or anything in there. Amy's Organic makes great frozen meals that aren't as bad as some of the others. Those are my fall back items along with Campbell's soup bowls for lunch.

Great Info.. Thanks!

Another bump with one last question.. we buy Fruits and Veggies at Kroger (really only real grocery store around) and sometimes at target and the quality of the fruit and veggies doesnt seem to last that long, sinking the family budget into a lot of fruit and veggies how to get them to last the week to be still good? I can barely get a week out of apples and stuff for my snacks.. are the fruits and veggies at farmers markets etc better quality or will they last longer?

Trying to think of things i need to change. And i know i need to reduce the processed foods. Was hoping for some tips/hints on what you eat for breakfast/snacks/lunch/dinner. I know we eat a whole lot of processed foods

I have to admit that i have some food aversions that i just can't do....I don't eat eggs or any seafood.

Like for lunches now, we most of the time eat sandwiches with turkey or ham, bread and cheese with a side of chips.

For dinners, we have sometimes burgers, tacos, grilled chicken, pork chops with usally some type of marinade on them.

So we can hit our calories but the content of what we are eating is highly processed.

We are just trying to think of some ideas that we could try to do a little less processed foods.

Any ideas or suggestions would be welcomed

For breakfast you can do yogurts, cereal, fruit, even a few pieces of sausage since you are omni. Buy 0% Greek yogurt and add fresh fruit, granola, or whatever toppings your like. Keep in mind apples, orange & bananas while good for you are high in calories. Take advantage of the lower in calories summer berries and stone fruit.

For lunch branch instead of lunch meat cook chicken or turkey breast and slice them yourselves. You lose a lot of sodium this way. Experiment with wraps instead of bread, but if you eat bread go for whole grain (not multi-grain). Instead of chips try nuts likes almonds or walnuts. Remember a serving size is 1oz or 10-20 nuts. Add different types of lettuce to your sandwiches. Try different toppings instead of mayo like hummus, or homemade guacamole. (really just buy an avocado, add a bit of lime juice & smush) try lettuce wraps instead of bread 1 day a week.

For dinner make your own marinades and seasonings. Again you save on salt. Experiment with flavors you like, spices and herbs. Most marinades of just oils and acids. For example a citrus marinade, might be olive oil, orange juice, garlic, and maybe some parsley. Same with taco seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, n paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper. The bonus is you control the salt added and there are no chemical added in. Also make sure you get some green veg in for at least one meal a day. Either steamed or roasted with no sauce. As you learn to use spices and herbs you will enjoy the rel taste of veg.

Another option is a meatless day. You could eat beans and grains such as quinoa or make a stir fry of veg and brown rice one day a week. A meatless day is also very budget friendly.

Frozen veggies are good options when you want produce that isn't in season. Very cost-effective and is healthier than canned veggies. I'm starting to explore some more mediterranean/Middle Eastern foods which are heavy on the beans.

For breakfast I eat old fashioned oats (like $3.50 for a huge container that lasts weeks) with some almond milk and strawberries or other fruit. I'm usually not that good with lunch and grab a healthy choice/smart ones, but like PP said - you can do a lot with wraps.

Also, this site is great for "real" food ideas, and even has weeks of menu plans/grocery lists.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/