Does It Really Matter What I Eat? Processed Foods vs Whole Foods

Many people when walking into the grocery store go straight to the middle isles.

These are where the delicious cereals and boxed pastas are displayed until someone decides to take them home to enjoy.

While I am not against enjoying theses things from time to time it’s important to know why these are not the best choice when planning meals for your family.

Yes, I do understand they are more affordable. They save you time during the week when things are busy and distracting.

I have to ask you the question then, what is the health of your family worth?

Wouldn’t spending a little more money now save you from paying for doctor’s visits and medication in the long run? Wouldn’t being healthy give you a better quality of life and more energy to play with your children?

What if I told you that cleaning up your child’s diet could even help with their behavior? (Will do future blog on this topic)

The old phrase “you are what you eat” should not be taken lightly.

Processed Foods

These are the foods that are full of additives and preservatives making your food have longer shelf life. You may be surprised to know what you are eating and I encourage you to start looking at food labels. Even those things that are labeled as “healthy” may still contain these things.

Look for these additives listed in the ingredients portion of your box food:

Sodium nitrate, Monosodium glutamate, High fructose corn syrup, Yellow #5 & Yellow #6, Hydrolyzed vegetable oil, Blue #1 & Blue #2 and many more.

Try eliminating these from your diet.

Many processed foods are leading to under nourishment and obesity in our society. They are loaded with calories, sodium and sugar but add very little nutrient value to your body.

These companies that manufacture these products are not concerned about the health and well being of your family. Their top priority is mass production and making money.

Here are a few of the common processed foods that some of us consume these on a weekly and even daily basis in many cases:

Common breakfast cereals
Packaged bacon
Highly processed bread
Processed sugar
Flavored nuts
Margarine
Ketchup and other condiments

Do your due diligence before selecting your food from the shelves even if advertised as healthy. Read the labels and discover what type of chemicals you are putting into your body.

Whole Foods

These are the foods that come straight from the earth and are still in their natural state.

I believe the foods God provided us with that are not man made are what we should be mostly consuming.

Whole Foods were once alive whether walking around the earth or having roots in the ground. These are the foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals that our body depends on daily. They help protect us against disease and are considered to be nutrient dense. Our body benefits a lot from enjoying these whole foods.

In the grocery these are the things without a nutrition label and typically found in the produce section of the store.

Things such as apples, berries, asparagus, broccoli or any salad blend. Some other great choices are nuts such as walnut or pistachios are whole foods! Beans and legumes make fantastic sides for any dish.

When selecting meat its important to look for labeling such as wild caught salmon over farmed raised. Wild caught means they come from their natural habitat of streams and are healthy fish verse farmed raised. These were grown in small quarters without room to swim around with the propose of profit. The same goes for grass fed and organic meats verses the other options.