Nutrition and Diet: What NOT To Eat (Health Blog Post #13)
Did you do your homework?
Yes, I remembered to check this time. ^-^ If you did, post what you decided to do in the comments!
And...Moving On...
So last week we went over micro and macronutrients. I also told you a few ways to get those nutrients. So, today, we're going to talk about the things you should avoid eating. And I'm going to be far more specific than 'junk food.'
There's a good reason I don't want to just say avoid junk food. First of all, the definition of junk food itself can vary from person to person. Second, not all junk food is apparent at first sight.
Now, I can make this complicated, or I can make it simple. I can tell you to avoid MSG, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, and a long list of other chemicals. And if that's what you're interested in, then by all means check out Eat This! Not That! They have a great list. :)
But if you want a few simple rules to follow:
Only buy foods that have been made with ingredients you have in your own kitchen.
Want chocolate chip cookies? Check the nutrition facts. Is there a ton of stuff in there you don't recognize? Don't buy them. Want a pre-made sandwich? Check the ingredients. Does it have anything in it besides bread, meat, cheese, lettuce, and whatever you enjoy on your sandwiches? If not, don't get it.
Obviously this can be a little more complicated with things like the cookies; the chocolate chips themselves might have several ingredients, and that can throw you off, but as far as general rules go, this is the best I can give you.
The closer you are to natural, the better it's likely to be for you.
In other words, the apple is better than the applesauce and the apple pie. If you want a meat sandwich, get actual beef or chicken, chunk it up, and put it on bread. That's much better than the processed lunch meat you'll find in most delis. They add nitrates, nitrites, sugar, caramel coloring, and salt. I'm pretty sure you don't want to eat anything that's not actual food.
Eat more fruits and veggies!
If you want to lose weight, this one alone can help you with that. Fruits and vegetables have fewer calories per serving than many other things you can eat. So you can fill up on fruits and vegetables, and get just as much food for fewer calories. Eat fewer calories, weigh less. :) Plus, fruits and veggies are great sources for those nutrients we talked about last week.
These aren't the only things you can do for your diet. There are many, many more. These are just some of the most far-reaching ones I could find.
HOMEWORK! :D
This week, your homework is to pick one of the following to do for as many meals this week as you can:
Eat smaller portions
Avoid unnecessary sugars
Eat less meat and more veggies
Get more natural foods
Go organic (keeping in mind that organic cookies are still cookies, and not necessarily good for you. xD)
If you can't do it for every meal that's fine. :) Just try! Any improvements are better than none. Let me know how you're doing by posting below. ^-^
Yes, I remembered to check this time. ^-^ If you did, post what you decided to do in the comments!
And...Moving On...
So last week we went over micro and macronutrients. I also told you a few ways to get those nutrients. So, today, we're going to talk about the things you should avoid eating. And I'm going to be far more specific than 'junk food.'
There's a good reason I don't want to just say avoid junk food. First of all, the definition of junk food itself can vary from person to person. Second, not all junk food is apparent at first sight.
Now, I can make this complicated, or I can make it simple. I can tell you to avoid MSG, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, and a long list of other chemicals. And if that's what you're interested in, then by all means check out Eat This! Not That! They have a great list. :)
But if you want a few simple rules to follow:
Only buy foods that have been made with ingredients you have in your own kitchen.
Want chocolate chip cookies? Check the nutrition facts. Is there a ton of stuff in there you don't recognize? Don't buy them. Want a pre-made sandwich? Check the ingredients. Does it have anything in it besides bread, meat, cheese, lettuce, and whatever you enjoy on your sandwiches? If not, don't get it.
Obviously this can be a little more complicated with things like the cookies; the chocolate chips themselves might have several ingredients, and that can throw you off, but as far as general rules go, this is the best I can give you.
The closer you are to natural, the better it's likely to be for you.
In other words, the apple is better than the applesauce and the apple pie. If you want a meat sandwich, get actual beef or chicken, chunk it up, and put it on bread. That's much better than the processed lunch meat you'll find in most delis. They add nitrates, nitrites, sugar, caramel coloring, and salt. I'm pretty sure you don't want to eat anything that's not actual food.
Eat more fruits and veggies!
If you want to lose weight, this one alone can help you with that. Fruits and vegetables have fewer calories per serving than many other things you can eat. So you can fill up on fruits and vegetables, and get just as much food for fewer calories. Eat fewer calories, weigh less. :) Plus, fruits and veggies are great sources for those nutrients we talked about last week.
These aren't the only things you can do for your diet. There are many, many more. These are just some of the most far-reaching ones I could find.
HOMEWORK! :D
This week, your homework is to pick one of the following to do for as many meals this week as you can:
Eat smaller portions
Avoid unnecessary sugars
Eat less meat and more veggies
Get more natural foods
Go organic (keeping in mind that organic cookies are still cookies, and not necessarily good for you. xD)
If you can't do it for every meal that's fine. :) Just try! Any improvements are better than none. Let me know how you're doing by posting below. ^-^
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