I decided to go through the health and fitness books that I have read over the past couple of years and recommend some great books. I figured I would start with the more simplistic easy reads and then progress to the more in-depth and more serious. The first one that I am going to recommend is Food Rules An Eaters Manuel by Michael Pollan. Michael Pollan is the author of Omnivores's Dilemma, another great book in which Pollan takes a look into the way that American's arrive at the decision of "What's for dinner?". It is a book that I will also recommend but I will save for another time!
Food Rules is exactly what is sounds like. A manual to help all eaters make better decisions when it comes to choosing which foods to consume. It is a great start to diving into what is in our food, where it comes from, and what goes into making the food that we eat on a daily basis. If you have never thought about those questions before then now is the time to do so.
Rule number 3 in the book is: Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry. Start flipping around the items that you eat on a regular basis and checking out the nutrition information. If there are ingredients that sound more like chemicals than things like flour and water, then maybe it would be wise to search out a better option (Rule # 2 is: Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.).
Lets look at an example. I have been recommending to many in my life that white bread be replaced by wheat bread.
Point # 1: I know that white bread "tastes" better but that is because most are just giant loafs of sugar. As with any switch there is some level of trial and error. Keep trying different brands until you find one that you could see yourself eating on a regular basis.
Point # 2: Be careful of the packaging tricks. Just cause it says is 100% Whole Wheat does not mean that it is the best option. Here is the ingredient list from a "100% Whole Wheat Bread".
Rule number 3 in the book is: Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry. Start flipping around the items that you eat on a regular basis and checking out the nutrition information. If there are ingredients that sound more like chemicals than things like flour and water, then maybe it would be wise to search out a better option (Rule # 2 is: Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.).
Lets look at an example. I have been recommending to many in my life that white bread be replaced by wheat bread.
Point # 1: I know that white bread "tastes" better but that is because most are just giant loafs of sugar. As with any switch there is some level of trial and error. Keep trying different brands until you find one that you could see yourself eating on a regular basis.
Point # 2: Be careful of the packaging tricks. Just cause it says is 100% Whole Wheat does not mean that it is the best option. Here is the ingredient list from a "100% Whole Wheat Bread".
Notice the fourth ingredient, high fructose corn syrup. Food Rule # 4 recommends avoiding HFCS. Pollan states that this is not because it is really any worse for you than other sugars but because it, along with other unkown ingredients, like exothoxylated mono and diglycerides, are a sign of food that has been highly processed.
Unless you decide to make your own bread, it will be a little challenging to find a bread nutrition label without some of these scientific crazy ingredients. The point is to start looking and make yourself aware of what you are stuffing in your mouth, especially the foods that are a regular part of your diet. If you find that the "healthier" options are too expensive/out of your budget, then maybe you should just limit the frequency of this item from your diet. A little less bread is usually a good idea for most.
What if you are eating out on a regular basis so you can't see the labels? This should also be questioned because who knows what is going into the food in restaurants these days.
So that is your challenge, take a look at your food and make note of which need to be replaced. If you find something you like, post it for others to try. Maybe we can lessen the trial and error process on processed food, ha!
Unless you decide to make your own bread, it will be a little challenging to find a bread nutrition label without some of these scientific crazy ingredients. The point is to start looking and make yourself aware of what you are stuffing in your mouth, especially the foods that are a regular part of your diet. If you find that the "healthier" options are too expensive/out of your budget, then maybe you should just limit the frequency of this item from your diet. A little less bread is usually a good idea for most.
What if you are eating out on a regular basis so you can't see the labels? This should also be questioned because who knows what is going into the food in restaurants these days.
So that is your challenge, take a look at your food and make note of which need to be replaced. If you find something you like, post it for others to try. Maybe we can lessen the trial and error process on processed food, ha!