So, I feel like many of my friends would already know what I'm about to post.
But I have been in the dark about eating healthy for such a long time, I thought it would be nice to share what I have learned just in case ;)
My whole entire life, I have always eaten unhealthy food.
My mom cooked healthy food, of course, pertaining to our Korean culture: Rice and multiple side dishes ranging from various vegetables prepared differently, different sources of protein and sometimes soup.
Out of all my options, what did I eat? Rice and whatever meat I liked. Sometimes, I only ate my bowl of rice because I didn't like anything she made (I know, I was so ungrateful >.<)
I was very picky and never liked vegetables... I still don't.
I ate junkie snacks like Hot Cheetos and Pringles all the time, too.
In Middle School all the way through high school, it was pizza for lunch all day, everyday, 2-3 slices or the occasional fast food run when I got my car.
Yuck.
So, when I had kids, my world was filled with questions:
How do I protect them? When can I enroll them in extracurricular activities? How many diapers am I supposed to change a day?
WHAT DO I FEED THEM?!
Over the last few years, I have learned a few tricks.
Here are the 5 tips I use every time I go grocery shopping.
1. Avoid advertisements that read: LOW FAT! Reduced SUGAR! 100% NATURAL!
Chances are, there are other "hidden" processed ingredients to make up for it or to sell the product.
And yes, even the 100% Natural advertisements are probably not so natural.
Not healthy.
To see if it's natural, check the ingredient label, which leads me to number two.
2. Ingredients to look out for:
I'm not a nutritionist and nor am I a die hard eat clean guru.
But through my journey of eating healthy, I have learned to avoid certain foods that contain these ingredients:
High Fructose Corn Syrup (any type of added fructose, actually)
Maltodextrin
Dextrose
Dextrin
Enriched bleached flour
Aspartame
Sucrose
artificial flavoring/sweeteners
a note that says "used as preservative"
dyes for food coloring
I tried to think up as many as I can ^^"
When I looked at the food in my pantry and fridge, I was shocked to see so many of these ingredients in the food I eat daily.
Needless to say, I tried to finish whatever was in my fridge so I can buy cleaner versions of them (because we don't waste food here! Haha).
Definitely a little more expensive, but my body...our bodies, deserve the best!
3. An ingredient list tidbit:
a. When looking at the list of ingredients, if it is filled with words you're not sure of, stay clear!
I mean, referring to my number two, what is maltodextrin? What in the world is aspartame?
Yeah... No thanks (for the record, in simple terms, they are man made form of sugar and your body doesn't need that much sugar.. that's why sweets are at the top of the pyramid!)
b. When an ingredient list is long, avoid it. It is probably filled with unnecessary, processed things.
A general rule of thumb I use is, if it has more than 5 ingredients, don't use it.
BUT, there are healthy, packaged foods out there that have more than five.
I was looking up a recipe, and the author posted a picture of the ingredients label of a pasta sauce she was using. It was fairly long, perhaps 10 were listed, but they were all words and foods I knew.
It contained things like... I don't know.. pureed tomatoes, pureed garlic, salt, pepper...you get the idea.
All real ingredients.
4. Shop on the OUTSIDE edge of the grocery store
You have your produce, meat, dairy, and grains like bread (sometimes) on the edges of the store.
Have you ever walked inside a grocery store and have the vegetables and fruits in the center of the store?
I haven't...
But whatever the case, the realest, cleanest foods are on the outside.
Packaged, processed foods are on the inside on shelves.
5. When buying grain/pasta, opt for whole grain:
I personally do not think there is anything "bad" about white grains/wheat/pasta/whatever.. haha
My opinion on white grains is that it isn't bad but it's hardly nutritional. Whole wheat on the other hand, is nutritional.
Now, I don't know if the number of calories are the same between white and brown rice/wheat/grain, but let's say a cup of each is both 50 calories. Wouldn't you eat the same amount of calories with more nutritional value than the one without? I sure would. But I love my white rice, I don't eat rice that often, but when I do, you can bet it's white.
Eating clean was a difficult transition for me.
When I was doing my research, I was bombarded with information and I didn't know what to do with all of it.
I like to keep things simple and I took bit and pieces of information that I believed I can do and have written it down.
As I have started this journey, I have learned to remember which brands of snacks, meats like bacon, pasta, etc, I liked and which to avoid, and some, I'm still exploring and learning.
I hope this was helpful!
Remember to take it one step at a time and be patient!
Exercising is important but fueling and nourishing your body with good, healthy food is even more important!
As always, thanks for reading!! Keep warm! Here in CO, there's snow!
Yeon :)
P.S. How is everyone doing on the ab and thigh challenges!! I have definitely missed a few days, I'm human too and mess up! But it's ok! I just gotta keep going! :)
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