While the world seems to be getting busier and busier, it is easy to start letting some things slide in the name of convenience. For me the thing that always starts to slide is eating. As much as I try to meal prep and plan for the week there will be weeks I slip into convenience food and pre-packed meals. While the concept isn't bad in and of itself, a lot of these foods are overly processed and can end up sabotaging our health and fitness goals with secret salt and sugar and other ingredients that can be harmful. But not all pre-packaged foods are created equal! There are many healthy alternatives for convenience food and snacking nowadays if you know how to look for them! To help aid in this process we have made a list of ways to identify healthy and unhealthy convenience foods and how to break the habit of processed food.
1 - Not all processed food is the same
First thing, what even is processed food? “Processed” is one of those words that we throw around a lot with little understanding of what it means, just that it is “bad.” Of course not all processed food is created equal. Processed simply means the food has gone through some sort of method in order to make it stay fresher longer. This includes salting, drying, freezing, canning or adding preservatives to the food. Minimally processed food will still have most of the food's nutrition intact which is what we are looking for. Frozen whole fruits and vegetables and canned tuna, tomatoes and beans are all minimally processed and still hold most of the nutrition as the fresh counterparts. Crackers, cookies, canned soups and so on are filled with trans fats, salt and preservatives to keep them fresher longer.
2 - Become a label reader
When making your decisions on convenience foods, always start with the label. There are several things you are looking for but most notably, ingredients list and sodium levels. I also look at calories and portion size to see if the item will fit into my daily diet. I try to avoid snack items over 150 calories and meal items over 400 calories but your requirements will be uniquely yours. If the item matches my calorie and portion ideals I then look at fat, protein and sugar content. I don't want any item giving me a lot of fat or sugar as an everyday item and if it is a meal replacement, then I want there to be at least 20 grams of protein in the serving. Again your requirements will be based on your lifestyle. Next, we are going to look at the levels of processing, look at sodium content and vitamins and read the ingredients list. Ideally you want to avoid high fructose corn syrup, palm oil and too many preservatives. If all these sections look good, then you likely found a minimally processed food!
3 - Replace your favorite items with homemade alternatives
Of course it is easy to grab some cookies or something sweet as a convenience food, but unless it is a specialized item, it will likely be full of processed ingredients. Instead, opt for making your favorite sweets at home. Not only will they taste better, in the end they will be healthier for you. Of course a chocolate chip cookie is never “healthy” but the indulgence is much better to have none of the added fats and salts and other unnecessary ingredients
4 - Support your local bakery
A lot of processing happens in prepackaged bread! When you think of it, it is rather obvious. How on earth does pre-packaged bread last for weeks when bread from a bakery only lasts a few days? If you enjoy your cakes and breads and other baked goods and want to have the convenience of buying them, start going to your local bakery for these items instead. You will be guaranteed that the items are made fresh and with minimal ingredients and you will also be supporting your local business.
With these four tips you can start to greatly minimize the amount of processed food you consume while still supplementing your busy lifestyle with convenience foods that are healthier for you. Have any comments or questions? Reach out to us at info@bullionite.com and visit our blog at https://www.bullionite.com/blog-index with other lifestyle and health tips!