Is there anything more discouraging than thinking you are doing the right thing only to learn later that you are not?
Nowhere is this more true than with nutrition.
Most of us know what good nutrition is right?
Well…you would think so, but food manufacturers are really good at making you think that you are eating healthy when in reality they are feeding you some of the most toxic substances on planet earth.
In this brief article I want to give you a few example’s of how you are likely being duped into THINKING that you are eating healthy, and how you can quickly correct your efforts so that they are not in vain!
Let’s break these down into a few different scenario’s shall we?
Scenario #1: “Yes, I eat out a lot but I always make sure that I am eating healthy”
This is by far one of the most common situations that I get and it breaks my heart when I have to disclose to my clients that their good intentions have been sabotaged by cheap ingredients that MOST restaurants resort to so that they can procure a positive ROI on their raw food purchases.
Lets say that you want to make a “healthy choice” so you go for the safe route and you order a salad with balsamic vinegar.
“How could this possibly be unhealthy?” you think to yourself?
Well, the sad truth is that most salad dressings have been processed with soybean oil, which is one of the “hateful 8” that I wrote about previously. This one oil can raise inflammation for over 48 hours in your body and wreak havoc on your metabolism.
So much for good intentions right? Your best recourse here is to bring your own salad dressing so that you don’t risk anything.
Or let’s say that you order a chicken sandwich on a whole grain bun. Sounds reasonably healthy right? In reality the chicken is likely breaded and has added sugar with it and is most likely cooked in sunflower or other toxic seed oil. Same goes for the whole grain bun.
The reality is that unless you are eating at a restaurant that advertises that they do not use any processed oils or add sugar to their foods, they are likely infested with them. To put this in perspective, there are less than half a dozen restaurants that I know of in Utah that do not use these oils in just about every food that they serve. It is beyond discouranging.
Scenario #2: “Oh no worries, I eat healthy because I shop at Whole Foods”
This one is equally tragic because most people that shop at more healthy stores are sincerely trying to eat healthy foods but they get duped by fancy marketing strategies.
Let’s say that you so into a Whole Foods Market and you are super excited because you are reading labels on “healthy cookies”, or a protein bar that is “vegan based”, so again you think to yourself, “what could possibly go wrong here?”
Well, those cookies are still packed with sugar and more than likely to have soybean, safflower, sunflower, rice bran, grapeseed extract, corn, canola, or cottonseed oil in them. In fact your chances are likely 90% or greater which is discouraging because when you read the box it is advertised as “vegan based” or “organic” or “non-gmo”.
Unfortunately these foods are still PROCESSED and most of them still use unhealthy ingredients that somehow make their way into the “health food store”. Afterall, how can sunflower oil be bad right? Doesn’t it just come from a sunflower?
I truly wish that it did, but unfortunately it is a toxic soup that does no favors to your bodies physiology. If you want to learn more about what processed oils do to your body you can read more about it here: https://www.llfit.com/weight-loss-and-inflammation/
The sad reality is that most “healthy” protein bars and packaged foods are just that…processed packaged foods that have additives, preservatives, processed oils and added/refined sugar in them…not to mention refined flour.
So If I Cannot Eat Out or Eat The “Healthy” Processed Foods, What Am I to Do?
This one might sting a little bit, but I have to give it to you straight.
Your best bet is to commit to a nutritional lifestyle of WHOLE FOODS (no I am not talking about the store) that will require a regular routine of food prep.
I typically advise my clients to eat a Paleo Diet which promotes real non-processed foods and guarantee’s that you are not eating processed sugars, refined flours, additive, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, seed oils, or any other human-made “food” that is detrimental to your health.
The cool thing about the Paleo Diet is that it is loaded with amazing food selection and choices so you will never get bored. The only thing that you have to commit to is the fact that you will have to set some time aside for food preparation. If you are not willing to invest time into your food preparation I guarantee it will not last long and you will once again be beholden to the Standard American Diet to bail you out which it never truly does.
Simply do a Google search for “Paleo recipes” and that will get you started.
In short you want to eat REAL foods or whole foods that do not cause inflammation in your body. Even some whole foods cause inflammation like, grains, and legumes which are not included in a Paleo Diet.
I know this seems like a lot to change and to be fair it is!
But your health and happiness is worth the time and it will actually save you time in the long run when you get your system in place, not to mention the added time that you will gain on this planet because you live longer 😉
Life is Good!
