Transitioning Off Processed Foods
These days, different ways of eating are treated like religion. There’s camps and dogmas for ketosis, Paleo, veganism, carnivory… you name it — and they all have their points of contention with one another. Get two folks with different health philosophies in the same room and you might want to hastily walk out.
These philosophies are so important to them because, overall, it’s much more than just different ways of eating; for many, it’s a lifestyle change — someone finds what kind of diet works for them, and suddenly they have the energy to exercise again, they begin sleeping better at night, and eventually regulate their hormones to soothe their anxiety. All aspects of life shift.
Those kinds of results are the driving force behind the zeal, and because we’re all so different, what gets each of us there will also be different. (And if history has taught us anything, it’s that our differences are what polarize us. Maybe we should add diet philosophy to the list of topics to avoid at family holidays.)
Labels and dogma aside, there’s one thing most of these starkly opposing sides of the fence can agree on: processed food has no healthful place in anyone’s diet. While there’s no “one-size-fits-all” way to eat healthfully, most diet and lifestyle approaches have at least that in common.
Unprecedented Times
I’ve seen posts about how processed foods are back in full swing during the pandemic. I gotta say, folks, this scares me. During a time when we need our bodies and immune systems to be stronger than ever, many are intentionally weakening themselves to fill a void left behind by physical isolation, job loss, and new family dynamics.
I’m not downplaying the whiplash we all felt as these executive orders were put into place, but junk food is not the answer. We become easier to infect, easier to dominate, and ultimately easier to kill by putting this stuff in our mouths. It pains me to see full shelves of produce at the grocery store, and empty shelves where Ramen noodles and Oreos used to be.
I urge you all to reconsider picking up that bag of Skittles as you head out to restock your pantries. There’s never been a better time — seeing as time itself is all we have — to sharpen your cooking skills, try new recipes, and spend time in the kitchen with your loved ones. Cooking is therapeutic for stress and is a skill that will keep you alive if worse ever came to worst.
Choosing to pass on processed garbage full of crap ingredients doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing choice, either. You can pass on the Doritos and buy organic, non-GMO corn tortilla chips instead. You can choose Larabars over Chewy bars. There are decent alternative options out there. For tips about ways to swap these things out, keep reading.
The Decision
If you ask anyone what their top three health concerns are, I’d almost guarantee one of those will involve weight. Understandably so, as we have a strong diet culture in this country with a comparable prevalence of chronic disease. People either want to look good naked or they want to live a long life (I’d hope more often than not, that it’s both, and not just the former).
Regardless of the reason(s) for wanting to change your habits, it has to be something that truly means something to you — some line in the sand that resonates in your heart. Nobody can force you into eating better and it’s nobody’s responsibility but your own to see the change all the way through, so the reason has to come from within.
What drives you? What is your ultimate goal?
A knee-jerk reaction might be to say that you’ve wanted to lose 20 pounds for years. Or you’d do anything to fit into some article of clothing again.
I’d ask you to dig deeper, because if you’ve wanted to lose 20 pounds for years, that would have been enough motivation to get it done. Seeing as you’re still in that place… What’s really going to motivate you?
Do you want to be able to keep up with your kids or grandkids?
Do you want to remain physically independent as you age?
Do you want to take preventive measures to stave off the dementia or cancer that runs in your family?
Discovering your “why” and making the decision to embark on this journey is important and you should be proud to take it. When you’ve found your true motivations, the decision to start is easy.
Identifying Your Vices
To start this journey, connecting with your intuition and body signaling makes the most sense, and seems to work best based upon feedback from my clients.
Ask yourself…
What foods do you typically crave?
What foods, regardless of diet plan or willpower, seem to always throw you off course?
What are the specific physical and mental outcomes of consuming these foods?
Take note of these signals for a few days. Drafting a Food & Mood Journal, like the one I provide in my nutritional therapy practice, is a great way to do this. Sometimes we’re affected by foods and have no idea, simply because we’ve never paid attention to it before. (If you’re interested in trying this and want a template, contact me!)
Once you have those things identified, it’s time to pitch them from your living space. It’s not a forever-goodbye, but while you figure out which whole, unprocessed foods work best for you, the processed stuff can’t be around to tempt you.
I realize this is challenging if you live with others who aren’t on the same plan. My best suggestion in that scenario is to come to a compromise and do some real estate assessments: maybe the processed food cherished by your significant other can be in one specific cabinet or side of the fridge, to leave clear room for the shifts you’re trying to make for yourself. And who knows — those not on board might change their minds once they realize how your results are speaking for themselves.
Processed Food & Addiction
Making a dietary transition as big as removing processed food can be really challenging, for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, processed foods are designed with special chemical messengers that make the food hyperpalatable.
What does this mean exactly? Large food manufacturers want you to continue buying their product, especially over their competitors’ products. They do so by reviewing research about what kinds of flavors or additives generally spike dopamine release or extra cravings in most people.
For context: dopamine is a feel-good reward chemical that can be secreted in response to these extra flavorful foods (or any enjoyable experience) — and when that dopamine is eventually cleared from your system, cravings ensue, similar to other substance addiction pathways. Your body is essentially signaling to you to get as much as possible of whatever that was!
As you consume more and more processed food(s), the craving and reward responses grow and your taste buds change — if your next meal is steamed broccoli with melted butter and salt, you might find the taste absolutely abhorrent and lose all touch with natural foods and nutrients. This is how we lose touch with knowing what’s inherently healthy for our bodies.
You end up requiring more and more hyperpalatable food input to achieve the same feel-good response. On and on it goes until things like obesity and heart disease start to develop, due to the mismatch in the nature between processed foods and our genetic expectation of nutrition.
Seek Help, if Needed
Once you begin returning to your roots of whole foods, getting past the cravings for junk and the perceived (emphasis on perceived — I promise this will change) blandness of natural flavors can be difficult if you’re tackling this journey alone. Not all folks have issues with this, though, so it’s not a requirement to seek the help of a nutrition professional.
But don’t feel bad if you do. That’s why we’re here.
To be sure, monitor yourself for distorted thoughts around food or disordered eating tendencies. Be honest with yourself, too: if you know you need guidance right away, seeking professional help with this is totally normal — this is one big aspect of my nutritional therapy practice and something that all my past and current clients have utilized my help for.
Also, accept the possibility of detoxification symptoms. Sometimes this looks like a headache, a stomach ache, fatigue, etc. As you choose more and more whole foods and remove processed ones, your body begins to rid itself of the less-than raw materials its been harboring. The release of these substances (such as rancid fats, pesticides, or excess sugars from processed foods) may cause these minor symptoms at first, but just know that they are temporary, and not everyone experiences them. I can help you work through these, should they arise.
If nutritional therapy isn’t for you, there’s tons of other nutrition professionals that have experience in these arenas, too.
Brainstorm Alternatives
This is the more fun part of the journey. Removing processed food doesn’t mean you completely rid your life of “snacks.” It’s 2020, y’all. There are tons of companies out there on a mission to bring you real food in the form of convenient, delectable munchies.
Disclaimer: I will always recommend choosing whole foods over the packaged varieties, however — we’re only human. Shit hits the fan sometimes — there’s nothing wrong with grabbing quick, convenient foods when you need to (or even when the shit remains where it should). Just be sure to read the nutrition labels, specifically the ingredients section, to ensure you’re not unknowingly consuming tons of sugar, sugar replacements, sneaky forms of gluten or other gut irritants like industrial seed oils. More info on reading nutrition labels to come in future posts.
Really think about what foods you’re removing and how you can meet your cravings halfway:
Are you a crunchy chips guy? As I mentioned above, you can forego the Doritos and choose organic, non-GMO corn chips that only have a few ingredients.
Does corn irritate your body? They now sell dehydrated sweet potato, turnip, parsnip, etc. chips or those made from cassava flour.
Tip: your biggest hurdle — if this matters to you (and I hope it does) — will be to find chips not made with shitty oils like canola. But, if you eat these things sparingly, they’re not going to kill you, and at the end of the day they’re still light-years better than Fritos or Pringles. Just don’t make half a bag of any chips a daily habit. (And all of these can be found at big chain grocers like Kroger or Meijer, so you don’t need any special subscriptions to get your hands on them!)
Do you love “bars” (protein bars, fruit and nut bars, etc.)? Many companies now make these same bar-type foods but without the shitty oils and gluten that accompany other brands. Recognizing that at this day and age, many of us have food sensitivities, a lot of brands have emerged to suit our various needs. There are brands that use dates to keep the bar “together,” brands that use soy and/or pea protein (if you tolerate these foods), and brands that use grass-fed collagen protein to strengthen your hair, skin, nails, and joints. There’s a flavor for everyone.
Are you someone with a sweet tooth? There are now companies making baked goods using almond, coconut, cassava, arrowroot, and hazelnut flours to remove the gluten exposure. Are you low-carb? These options can work great for you too, given that there aren’t added sweeteners. You can even try dark chocolate with over 80% cacao content — this is low-sugar, high-healthy fat and comes in vegan or dairy varieties to suit anyone’s needs.
Sensitive to eggs? There are brands out there using applesauce as an egg replacement. If you’re looking for egg-free snack foods, check for “AIP compliant” designations on the packaging.
Best Ways to Get Started
I really do encourage you to track your progress and keep this record visible — whether that’s most convenient for you on your phone, on the fridge, or taped to your bathroom mirror:
Encourage yourself by listing reminders as to why you wanted to give up processed food.
Remove all processed foods from your pantry and refrigerator and make a long list of healthy swaps for these tiems for your next online order or grocery store trip.
Identify areas in each meal where you can incorporate more fruits and/or vegetables.
Start playing around with the different spices in your cabinet or spice rack and make new flavor combinations at each meal.
Try to choose a protein, carbohydrate, and fat for each meal. (This could look like bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs grilled with rosemary and thyme [see what I did with the spices there?], a kale salad topped with tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado in olive oil-based dressing, and a handful of berries on the side.)
Focus on an abundance mindset instead of a fixed mindset — nothing has to be permanent, and your possibilities for exploring new foods are endless — you are NOT, by any means, depriving yourself.
If you have cravings for junk food, drink eight ounces of lightly-salted (sea salt, not the regular table variety) water and wait five to ten minutes. If the hunger persists, and an apple doesn’t sound tasty, you can fight through this craving — make a cup of herbal tea with honey or have one of those snack swaps.
Give yourself some grace. You will likely, at some point, have a moment of weakness — this is the experience of being human. Don’t play the blame game. Instead, acknowledge the choice, keep an eye out for any changes in how you feel, and move on. Just focus on doing the next best thing for your health.
The Takeaway
Your health will improve with every step you take toward listening to and honoring your body. If that means just removing chips for now, take that leap. If it means clearing out the entire house, do it. Everyone will be at a different stage of readiness, have different reasons for embarking on this journey, and find that they have varying energetic requirements. If this is all new to you and you want assistance, read up on some health blogs, order some books, or get in touch with a professional who can guide you. In this pandemic age, virtual consultations are all the rage and, quite honestly, way more efficient and convenient for affecting real lifestyle change — nutritional therapy has never been easier to practice.
As always, comment, question, ponder… let me know how this hits you below and subscribe!
