I shared a post a few months ago about the importance of shopping the perimeter of a grocery store to ensure you're getting the healthiest, freshest, and essentially real-est food. Also known as 'whole foods'. You've probably heard that term for years, and if you are even a little like I used to be, you might be too embarrassed to ask what that actually means. Oxford Dictionary defines whole foods as "food that has been processed or refined as little as possible and is free from additives or other artificial substances." Examples of whole foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. You want to eat more of these types of foods, and less processed foods. Processed foods are any type of food item that has had a series of mechanical or chemical operations performed on it to change it or preserve it. These types of foods are typically found in a box or a bag. Examples of processed foods are breakfast cereals, low-fat foods, condiments, most breads that aren't from a local bakery. The idea is the closer your food comes to you from, the less it's been altered or preserved, and that is hands down healthier. This is one of the many reasons to shop local and why you should get to know your farmers. Not only are you helping to support and put more money back into your community, but you are also nourishing your body with the best possible foods. When looking at ingredient lists, beware of things like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, soy protein isolate, or aspartame. These are chemicals meant to make the food that comes from further away last longer. And here's something, if your body doesn't recognize an ingredient, it stores it as fat. So, quit trying to lose weight by eating low-fat foods. It's counteractive. A good rule is if you can make it yourself, make it yourself. If you can't, you can learn! YouTube has helped me learn to cook and prep foods like a pro. I worked in restaurants most of my adult life, so I really didn't have an opportunity to start shopping for myself and cooking at home until the Pandemic, believe it or not. Anyone who has ever worked in the restaurant industry knows you care less for yourself and more for everyone else. Why is that? Let's change it, huh? Another topic for another day. The point is that I only recently learned how to grocery shop. I didn't always know what foods to buy fresh, which foods to have on hand, which food was best for me of what was available, things like that. And that is a major reason why I, too, have struggled with my weight over the years. I simply didn't have the information to make a plan. And those are two of the most important keys to making any kind of change - knowing how to and setting yourself up for success to do so. Change is hard, so make it easy on yourself. With regards to your health, start absolutely anywhere, but start. Believe that food is not only fuel, but medicine. I will leave you with this quote by Heather Morgan, MS, NLC, that to me, says it all: "Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it."
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