Eat Lower on the Food Processing Chain
Small Changes Over Time
One of the challenges in functional nutrition is that there isn’t anything innately flashy or sexy about it. I am not promising “lose 30 pounds in 30 days.” In fact, did you know you can greatly improve your well-being and not see any change to your weight? I am not selling a miracle powder or premade meals that “guarantee” results of increased muscle or decreased belly fat, complete with scantily clad after pictures. What I am doing is teaching clients is how to make small methodical changes over time to develop new habits that better support a whole person, family, community, and world.
At the beginning of 2019 on social media I declared it the year of the tortoise in reference to the Aesop fable. I was encouraging people to make small, slow changes that add up with time. And I still stand by that style of habit change. Everyone wants to be the fast hare, but few people want to be the slow plodding tortoise, even though the tortoise finishes on top. Tortoises apparently aren’t as sexy as bunnies either, just ask Hugh Hefner.
Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods
In today’s decidedly unsexy bit of nutrition advice, I am encouraging you to eat lower on the food processing chain. Now the definition of processed food is sometimes up for debate. I have a food scientist friend (hi Kimberly!) who will argue any food you purchase is processed. She is not wrong, but the factual truth misses the purposeful message. We know that processed or ultra-processed food is higher in cheap commodity ingredients like soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup. These ingredients have been linked to increase inflammation which the root of chronic diseases like diabetes.
Experiment with less processed options
In today’s world few of us are growing, raising, or foraging for our food. That means we use grocery stores to get the bulk of our sustenance. According to FMI, the food industry association, grocery stores carry, on average, more than 33,000 items. That’s a heck of a lot of products to choose from on any given day and a lot of those items fall into the processed food category that is doing more to harm us than to help us. What if the next time you went grocery shopping you picked items that were lower on the food processing chain? What does that mean? Choose items that have fewer added ingredients or more resemble the food in its natural state.
Instead of refined pasta pick whole, intact grains like quinoa, farro or brown rice. Instead of fruit snacks choose no-sugar added fresh, frozen, or dried fruit. Instead of puffed veggie stix pick actual vegetables (fresh, frozen, heck – even canned). Instead of chicken nuggets grab a package of chicken thighs.
Sure, these examples go right to whole food sources and maybe that is a big step for you or a bunny hop if you will. You can always start smaller by picking just one item at a time. Maybe that is carrot sticks instead of puffed veggie stix but everything else stays the same. Or maybe it is bean or lentil pasta instead of refined white pasta. Maybe it is reading labels and picking up a marinara sauce made with olive oil instead of soybean oil. Try to take a step down the food processing chain with each trip to the grocery store until your cart, and your diet, has more whole foods and you find the ones you and your family enjoy most.
Even this simple suggestion is sometimes met with resistance. You like the ease of heating a premade meal in the microwave, or your spouse will protest and your kids will pout. In general, we like what we know. That means it takes trying things over and over again to really make them a permanent part of our diets. Vegetables don’t have a team of scientist working to make sure you can’t eat just one. I will talk more about learning to like new foods in an upcoming post about picking eat. But for now, just keep trying to work your way down the food processing chain, one baby tortoise step at a time.
Also one final question for you, does the typical functional nutrition advice of eating more vegetables and fruit get sexy bonus points if it uses eggplant and peach emojis? I am trying here people!
The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be medical advice or to diagnosis, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This information does not replace a one-on-one relationship with a physician or healthcare professional. Dietary changes and/or the taking of nutritional supplements may have differing effects on individuals.
To learn more about how working with a nutritionist could help you, schedule a free 15 minute call.