What to Eat
I was a Snackwell’s girl, way back in the early 1990s–one of those gullible Americans who bought into the idea that if it was “nonfat” I could eat it with abandon and not gain a pound!
When I eventually went into the field of nutrition, I learned how misled the American public had been by the geniuses in advertising at the major snack manufacturers within our country.
Sugar contains calories–not as many as fat, but over-consumption of any food can cause weight gain, and more importantly, over-consumption of non-nutritive foods can lead to health issues. It seems now that the research in the late 80s and 90s was terribly wrong and fat is not the demon it was once made out to be. Sugar, and more importantly, processed sugar in packaged foods, is the newest pariah.
The truth is, no food is “bad” for you in moderation. Moderation and listening to your body’s wants and needs is always the goal, but having succumbed to food marketing myself (many times!), it’s often hard to decipher the messages and to look beyond the packaging. Here are my simple, simple tips for eating well and avoiding processed sugar, at least most of the time!
If it’s in a package and it takes more than a twist tie to open, limit consumption.
If it has more than 5 ingredients, limit consumption.
If the food is a color you’ve never seen in nature, avoid it completely.
If you can’t pronounce the ingredients in the ingredient list, limit consumption.
If you can pick it up and handle it- in essence if you could eat it right in the market- it’s a whole food and you should increase consumption!
If you can tolerate dairy (and here’s where the packaging gets a bit more challenging) and it doesn’t have “sugar, beet sugar, cane juice, high fructose corn syrup” or another obviously sugar-based product in the first three ingredients, you can eat in moderation.
*Let’s keep in mind that dairy foods-yogurt, milk and cheese are a staple for many cultures. Children, pregnant and lactating women need calcium, and Vitamin D. In fact, we all need Vitamin D and calcium. Greek yogurt (non-flavored in particular) is a great source of protein, calcium and Vitamin D. Don’t shy away from low-fat dairy if you love it and you can digest it. If you are lactose intolerant, you can probably still eat some yogurt and cheese.If they sell it in a gas station, don’t eat it every day.
If they sell it in a movie theater, don’t eat it every day.
If you can purchase it at a Farmer’s Market- eat it!
If you can make it yourself and it takes time, chopping, cooking and care- eat it!