It’s so important to eat healthy! You need to change your diet! Don’t eat this! Eat that overpriced substitute instead!
Trying to change a diet filled with processed foods, to a healthier diet is hard. It really is. Here are four little (but super important) steps to help you forge ahead to a healthier diet.
Get Rid of Trans Fats Trans fats were created 50-ish years ago in a laboratory through a process called hydrogenation. Liquid oils were changed into solids (think Crisco) by moving atoms around. The food industry loved the new hydrogenated oil because of its long shelf life. It took a few decades and a lot of bad cholesterol for our government to realize trans-fats are bad.
Our bodies don’t know how to process trans-fats and so store them as fat. If that wasn’t bad enough, trans-fats also cause diabetes, clog arteries, raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, and cause insulin resistance.
The FDA recommends that our trans-fat consumption be ‘as low as possible’. My recommendation: Don’t eat it at all! Toss the margarine and use butter instead! But unfortunately it’s not that simple. Trans-fats show up in a lot of processed foods. When shopping, avoid foods with the words hydrogenated, partially-hydrogenated, and shortening in ingredient lists. Use healthy oils such as olive and coconut. Your arteries will thank you.
Visit www.BanTransFats.com for more information on trans-fats.
Drink Raw Milk Despite the FDA’s ‘raw milk will kill you’ hype, raw milk actually contains anti-microbial components that kill pathogens. Raw milk from healthy cows that is produced under sanitary conditions is safe. I fact, raw milk is much better for you than pasteurized milk and easier to digest.
For more information on raw milk visit www.RealMilk.com.
Eat Less Wheat Yes, even if you’re not gluten intolerant you will benefit from eating less wheat. Modern wheat has been so dramatically altered through genetic modification, that it is no longer the same wheat grown in the beginning of the 20th century. This modified wheat contains super high levels of gluten, the agent that causes bread to be fluffy.
Wheat is a staple in our American diet, but many doctors are discovering that the modified wheat causes increased appetite, higher-than-usual blood sugar, and bone and immune system damage. American’s are 50 to 100 pounds fatter than in the beginning of the 20th century, and many doctors believe it’s due to our new wheat.
We’ve been told by every cereal manufacturer out there to eat our heart-healthy whole grains. And of course they’re referring to whole wheat cereal. We’ve been trained for the last few decades to consume large amounts of wheat breads, wheat cereals, and to accept its presence in everything from salad dressing to olives (I’m not kidding, go look).
You would benefit greatly (and probably shed a few pounds) by reducing or eliminating wheat from your diet. Eat more rice instead of pasta. Or you can shell out a few extra bucks for rice pasta. Try making your own bread from rice or coconut flour. And keep your eye out for snacks labeled gluten-free. It’s do-able.
Read ‘Wheat Belly’ by William Davis M.D. for more information on modified wheat and its effects on our heath. It’s my source for the above info.
Eat Less Refined Sugar I’m not going to get into the corn syrup versus granulated sugar fight. Instead I’d like to suggest you replace them with natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Or even better, eat less sugar all-together! It’s just empty calories (with the exception of honey). Commit to removing sugar from one area of your diet. Perhaps sugary breakfast cereals, or eat more fresh fruit dessert.
Feel free to email me at throughmykitchenwindow@gmail.com if you want to talk about anything I’ve discussed here. I’m not a doctor or health professional of any sort, but I would love to talk about what I’m learning and hear your insights and questions.
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