Can I Keep Some of It?!

Here’s what people are saying about why they eat processed food and some strategies for dealing with your processed food obsessions.

1. It Tastes Good

Of course it does. It’s what your taste buds have become accustomed to. Americans have a high satiety level for salt, fat and sugar. (And the 10,000 plus additives allowed in commercial foods today, not kidding!) It’s what the food industry has been feeding us and we’ve come expect it. Bland food is not exciting.

Okay, I get it. I also like foods with flavor, pizzazz! What can you do? Spice it up! Yep, naturally, with salsa, garlic, peppers, real salt and I don’t mean that chemical poison most people call salt. Himalayan pink salt. Sounds exotic, but all the stores carry it now. You need it, so go and get some. It’s delicious and has the minerals you’re probably starving for!

2. Healthy Food is Too Expensive

Healthy food restaurants maybe. Healthy food cooked at home in an overall meal is always less expensive. Junk food has many hidden costs. First and foremost, it ruins your health. You’re not just being poisoned; you’re slowly starving of malnutrition. Pay now or you'll pay later.

Here’s a government study for your perusal, “Are Healthy Foods Really More Expensive?” The authors find that healthy foods cost less than “less healthy foods” (defined for this study as foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar, and/or sodium, or that contribute little to meeting dietary recommendations).

Remember our story about the fast food Mexican restaurant and our shock and disbelief after paying $23 for virtually nothing? We could have gotten a lot of healthy food for that.

3. Healthy Habits Are Too Hard to Change

If that were true, no one would ever quit smoking or drinking alcohol. Or any other negative habit that undermines good health.

4. Life is Short, We’re Gonna Die Anyway, right?

True. But your chances of major suffering and an early death increase substantially if you don’t take care of your physical body. You may get some “quantity” to your life, but “quality,” not likely.

5. My Family Likes This Food

Well, of course they do. It’s all they know. Get a good cookbook like the ones at the end of this article. Watch the movies that inspire you to make positive health changes such as “Fed Up” and “Hungry for Change.” Start slow. Add 1-2 healthy meals a week, and slowly remove the chips, pop, cookies, etc. from your diet. Wean everyone off slowly. I hear junk food withdrawal is extremely challenging. But don’t let that discourage you. If you’ve ever quit smoking, it’s much the same. Your ego will argue with your common sense/conscience and attempt to persuade you to eat the addictive food. Take it one day, one bite at a time…

6. I’m Not Sure Which Foods are Healthy and How to Cook Them

Fortunately for you, the wheel has been invented. All you need do is accessorize it.

Check out the cookbooks below. Experiment with the recipes. These cookbooks not only provide recipes, but helpful tips and nutritional advice as well.

7. I Don’t Have Time and I Don’t Like to Cook

You’ve got to start telling yourself a different story!

Try this, “I am worth it. I can be healthy and I will MAKE time to cook!” Explore healthy recipes and one day you may be able to turn your “kitchen chores” into a gratitude. Who knows, you might even help someone else in your family.

Just a little of my story…

When my kids were at home I worked fulltime, had a hobby business and did major gardening. Meals were a priority because I wanted us to be healthy and happy. It was a time for us to get together and talk (bond).

I worked hard to prepare and plan meals ahead, freeze what I could, and if we ate last minute, try to get fresh fruits and vegetables in the meal.

I know, easy for me to say. But this I know for sure, everything is possible.

Hey, just take it one day at a time… It’s all you’ve got.

Food: The good, the bad, the ugly…