If I had known about this weight loss secret the food industry doesn’t want you to know about – I would have saved myself a ton of heartache, frustration and yo-yo dieting. It makes me incredibly sad that people out there are doing whatever it takes to get healthy, thin and look their best – but instead are facing an uphill battle because of what the food industry has done to our food and the way they are marketing it to us.
We’ve all seen the 100-calorie portion sized snacks at the grocery store, and packaged diet foods and drinks labeled as “low-calorie”, “light”, and “zero” line the shelves. I personally know many people that crack open a Diet Coke in the morning (and again, and again throughout the day) and think that because it is “zero calorie” it’s the same as drinking water. Well – I’m here to tell you it’s not.
Many people believe that it really doesn’t matter where your calories come from, as long as you don’t eat too many of them you’re on the right track. However, I see things differently. When planning a meal, the thought “how many calories does this contain?” rarely crosses my mind anymore. I don’t count calories on a regular basis and you shouldn’t have to either if you start reading ingredient lists!
Not all calories are equal.
For example, I can eat one Twinkie loaded with GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, polysorbate 60, partially hydrogenated oil – and it will be 135 calories. On the other hand, I can choose to eat a large pear full of fiber, phytonutrients, copper, vitamins C and K, and still ingest about 135 calories. Which would you choose? For me it’s an easy choice!
Your body treats calories differently, depending on the source.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a medical doctor and epidemiologist, has studied how different types of foods are digested by the body and their association with weight gain. He says that although calories release the same amount of energy in a laboratory, the human body is much more complex. According to Dr. Mozaffarian in the New York Times, “the evidence is very clear that not all calories are created equal as far as weight gain and obesity. If you’re focusing on calories, you can easily be misguided”. This belief is echoed by Dr. Mark Hyman:
“It is true that, in a vacuum, all calories are the same. A thousand calories of Coke and a thousand calories of broccoli burned in a laboratory will release the same amount of energy. But all bets are off when you eat the Coke or the broccoli. These foods have to be processed by your metabolism (not a closed system). Coke and broccoli trigger very different biochemical responses in the body—different hormones, neurotransmitters and immune messengers. The Coke will spike blood sugar and insulin and disrupt neurotransmitters, leading to increased hunger and fat storage, while the thousand calories of broccoli will balance blood sugar and make you feel full, cut your appetite and increase fat burning. Same calories—profoundly different effects on your body”.
So many of us have been misled, and the Food Industry doesn’t want you to know the truth.
When I realized that junk food companies were teaching and catering to health professionals I was horrified (and some responsible dietitians are horrified as well). There’s a long list of companies and industry associations that are accredited to teach continuing education courses to registered dietitians, including General Mills, Kraft, and Pepsico. On Coca-Cola’s educational website – BeverageInstitute.org – they provide free accredited educational programs on GMOs, low-calorie sweeteners, and weight loss to “nurses, dietitians, health educators, and other health professionals”.
If that isn’t a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is!
Coca-Cola recently stated, “In 2014 alone, the number of courses completed by RNs, RDs, pharmacists and other HPs exceeded 300,000, and today more than 40,000 nurses know more about the safety and benefits of low-calorie sweeteners as a direct result of these programs”. Their courses advocate the use of low-calorie artificial sweeteners and indicate that cutting calories is the key to managing your weight – regardless of where those calories come from. They obviously hope that their “educational programs” will encourage health professionals to recommend their low-calorie foods to future patients who are trying to lose weight – it’s great advertising for these junk food companies – and it works. Some registered dieticians are now telling people it’s okay to eat Hostess cupcakes if they are in a “100 calorie” pack and to go ahead and eat at Taco Bell if it’s “fresco-style”. This would be funny if it wasn’t true.
The research behind these programs are largely funded (sponsored) by the junk food companies themselves and non-profit industry groups such as the International Food Information Council (IFIC), the International Life Sciences Institute and the Calorie Control Council. All the while, independent research is suppressed. It has been shown that industry-funded nutrition research is often biased “with implications to public health”. As put by Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor and author:
“Sponsorship almost invariably predicts the results of research… results are highly likely to favor the sponsor’s interest. The companies are not buying the results, although it sometimes seems that way. Instead, it seems to me that researchers who are willing to accept grants from food companies tend to be less critical about the way they design their studies. I often notice that sponsored studies lack appropriately rigorous controls… As a rule, corporate funding discourages critical thinking – or promotes uncritical thinking – about the importance of individual foods or nutrients in healthful diets. Sponsored studies have only one purpose – to establish a basis for marketing claims. They are not carried out to promote public health”.
Going down the rabbit hole of the Calorie Control Council.
Many of the dollars being used to promote the belief that “all calories are equal” come from the Calorie Control Council. This is just a non-profit group of junk food and chemical companies that have banded together to sponsor research to provide “evidence-based claims” that their low-calorie processed food is good for you. They also offer free accredited educational courses to help drive their point home. Their members include Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Co, McNeil Nutritionals (Splenda), Nutrinova (Ace-K) and Ajinomoto USA (Aspartame) and they own several propaganda websites – including Aspartame.org and CaloriesCount.com.
These new food inventions are ruining your health.
While cutting calories might help you lose weight in the short-term, it can be horrible for your long-term health. This is because the ingredients that the industry is packaging up for us are designed to increase their profits while expanding our addiction to their “food-like” concoctions – which eventually expands our waistlines too. Many packaged low-calorie diet foods contain ingredients that can rob us of our health, some cause us to eat more than we should and most of which you would never cook with at home:
- Artificial sweeteners
- Sugar
- Refined Flour
- Preservatives
- GMOs (soybean oil, canola, corn, corn syrup, etc)
- Trans-fats
- Partially Hydrogenated Oils
- MSG
- Hidden MSG
- Artificial Colors
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
For example, a Weight Watchers “Smart Ones” Lemon Herb Chicken Piccata meal rings in at just 250 calories, yet it contains a shocking number of harmful additives including sodium phosphate, partially hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring and a lot of hidden MSG. None of the ingredients are organic or non-GMO verified and it’s full of sugar and corn-derived ingredients. You’d think that “Chicken” would be the main ingredient, but “Cooked White Meat Chicken” is near the very bottom of the ingredient list. I could go on. I truly find it sad that anyone considers this healthy food!
Speaking of healthy, I checked out the ingredients on a container of Healthy Choice Country Vegetable Soup, which only has 100 calories. What could possibly be unhealthy about veggie soup? It turns out a lot. Their soup contains soybean oil, sugar, and hidden MSG. They can get away with the term “Healthy” on their label only because they meet the FDA definition of healthy – but definitely not mine. Try this Mexican Lentil Soup recipe instead.
Who doesn’t love ice cream? I know I do. When I found out there was a “skinny” ice cream on the market, I admit I was a little excited. That was until I read the box on Skinny Cow Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches and found a complete freak show of artificial colors (blue 1, yellow 5, caramel), and carrageenan on the ingredient label. Try this Coconut Milk Ice Cream recipe instead.
Many “diet” processed foods contain artificial chemical sweeteners because they’re low-calorie, such as in Yoplait 100-Calorie Greek Yogurt, sweetened with Splenda (linked to leukemia) and Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K), which is processed with the carcinogen methylene chloride. Even the FDA admits that methylene chloride is used in the processing of Ace-K, but deemed it safe nonetheless: “where an additive has not been shown to cause cancer, even though it contains a carcinogenic impurity, the additive is not subject to the legal effect of the Delaney clause”. Not to mention that Yoplait also includes “sugar” that may be from GMO sugar beets and the milk likely comes from cows fed a GMO grain diet – there is nothing healthy about Yoplait! Try this Chia Fruit Salad Pudding instead.
When I began investigating packaged low-calorie foods I was outraged with what I found.
This upset me because I know that most people are really trying to eat right. Many of you are trying to choose healthy food and believe that these packaged low-calorie foods are a good choice. I also know that many of you are ticked off about what’s happening in the food industry and upon reading my investigations and finding out the truth, you say:
“Tell me what I can eat!”
“That’s my favorite brand – oh no!”
“I was addicted to that!?”
“I just fed that <insert product> to my child this morning – what am I suppose to do now?”
I’ve heard your concerns. It comes down to getting back into our kitchen and cooking real food at home, using the least processed ingredients as possible. When you eat whole foods – especially plant based foods that are low in sugar such as leafy greens, vegetables, and fermented foods, you optimize your gut bacteria (sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Recent research tells us that healthy gut bacteria is key to a healthy weight, and scientists are continuing to discover this phenomenon (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Similar to how antibiotics (which destroy gut bacteria) are used to fatten up farm animals, it only makes sense that an unhealthy gut could fatten us up too.
There’s mounting evidence that artificial sweeteners, preservatives, pesticides, food packaging materials, high fructose corn syrup, colors and other food additives contribute to obesity (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). The effects are complex – some of these chemicals increase the number of fat cells, others expand the size of fat cells, and still others influence appetite, cravings, fullness, and how well the body burns calories.
When you eat crappy chemicals, your body becomes a fat, toxic waste dump.
Yale researches recently conducted a scientific review comparing popular diets and found that it’s best to just eat unprocessed food! They concluded that “A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention….The case that we should, indeed, eat true food, mostly plants, is all but incontrovertible”. This seems so logical, yet it’s a radical idea. One thing is for sure, they are discovering what I’ve known all along – simply eating real food is where it’s at and I’m never turning back.
Can you imagine if all of us simply stopped buying processed food full of additives? We would change the world!
I know that many of you don’t know where to start, or even how to cook (believe me, I’ve been there). I’ve figured out how to navigate this over-processed food world and I’m going to show you how to do it with ease, peace of mind and an easy to follow plan.
My #1 best selling book The Food Babe Way will help you do that and opt out of this broken system and finally break free from the grips of the food industry. We can’t control what they are doing to our food, but we can control what we put in our mouths everyday. The habits you will learn in The Food Babe Way will take the guesswork out of that – I created it for myself, my family and friends – and all of you!
In my 2nd book, Feeding You Lies, I blow the lid off of the lies we’ve been fed about the food we eat – lies about its nutrient value, effects on our health, label information, and even the very science we base our food choices on.
And, my first cookbook, Food Babe Kitchen, contains over 100 mouthwatering recipes from Baja Fish Tacos and Grapefruit Goddess Salad to Rainbow French Fries and an 8-Minute Candy Bar to show you how delicious and simple it is to eat healthy, easy, real food.
Do you know someone who is still counting calories? Please share this post with them! It’s time we get the truth out to everyone!
Xo,
Vani
This is one of the most well written and comprehensive articles covering everything wrong with our current way of eating and the sad state of our food supply. Thank you for posting and sharing this valuable info! I am passing it along to my family and friends.
Oh, well written, you say? All of the grammatical errors and cherry-picked data?
Have fun with that.
Vani, fire your editor or take a course at a community college that covers basic composition.
So, which company do you work for? Campbell’s, the Dairy Association?
Where did you get your degree as ‘know it all?’ I would love to know.. my gas station attendant needs to know…. pronto.
You don’t have to have a degree or be a perfect writer to get the message. I think she does a fabulous job of food label interpretation based on what exists. I’d rather read anything she writes than most of the crap that comes out of corporate America. I know countless people now who are paying attention and getting well based on people like Vani and other “non-professional” health coaches and alternative therapy “know-it-alls”. Somehow people like me who follow people like her tend to be healthier for it.
Really? This is what you want to contribute?! Geez!
Haleigh,
Is this all you’re getting from this blog? Composition and grammatical errors? Why so glum, chum. It’s getting a lot of us to think and perhaps start questioning what we’re eating. Cherry-picked data? Any one who was ever on a debate team or has written research papers understands the importance of using data (qualitative or quantitative) that support your argument. What, she’s going to choose data that undermines her message for healthy eating? It’s called research methodology, which, my dear, is also offered in courses at community colleges.
What a nasty troll you are Haleigh.
How rude!!!
H.L. when will you do what Food Babe is doing ?
Just keep on mouthing off like the simpleton you are ???
See what a diet coke and a Twinkie for breakfast does.
Hey Haleigh……Eat what you want! If you think chemicals are ok to consume then that is your business and it will be seen in your health. In the end the consumers will let the companies know that they are sick of their lying and deceiving advertisements. When their sales start to plummet then they will change.
Well, Haleigh…maybe you need to apply for the job of editor. Maybe that would make you a happier person. I doubt if there is an article written anywhere online that does not have errors. That does not mean that the information is wrong. And if you have information that disputes what is being said, why not post that?
“All of the grammatical errors and cherry-picked data?” What kind of a sentence is that?
I lose 20 pounds and still going bless you vana
Re MSG, ugh, every time I accidentally eat it I feel speedy and not well. My mother’s doctor sent a nurse to her house to get that and other unhealthy things out of there.
We need more doctors like that hey, your mom is so lucky to have a caregiver that actually cares.
I appreciate the passion and commitment you bring.
No need for nasty, small minded remarks people.
If you don’t like it, find another website!
I agree. I don’t understand why people are so hateful. What is wrong with advising people they should be eating whole fruits, vegetables and other foods found in nature instead of packaged junk food? Really people have a problem with that advice?
I appreciate your work, Vani! In my own experience real food has solved health problems for me. I had to read and search it out as even Drs are taught Very little about nutrition and it’s healing effects on the body! Label reading is key…(we need honest labels) as even supposedly healthy food stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes still have plenty of food that has unhealthy ingredients! It’s a choice though for each of us. I have nothing nasty to say to those who choose to eat either way! Thank you again for helping us with this valuable info!
MSG is in parmesan cheese
Call the companies and PROTEST out the wazoo! Tell them you and your family and friends WILL NOT be purchasing their FAKE cheese, polluted with a toxic chemical combination! Too many people are sensitive or dangerously allergic to MSG.
Careful there. MSG is found in a lot of foods naturally too. My friend can’t eat too much of certain fruits/veggies because of this (even organic GMO free ones.)
Balth, Thank you for bringing that to everyone’s attention. Good job. Yes, I’m the same way as your friend. However, MSG does not occur in the quantities naturally in foods as it does when it’s added in as the concentrated and chemically synthesized MSG on the market. I feel it’s best to by the hard block of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself. They’ve got some great graters out there that do it with ease. This verses the Krafts or other brands of processed Parmesan. 🙂
Whether the cheese is in a block, or pre-grated, MSG occurs in cheeses naturally, in very large amounts in some cases. Tomatoes are another source. Whether it’s made by nature, or made in a lab, it’s the same thing. A molecule is a molecule is a molecule.
If you disagree, then consider the water that you drink, the very water molecules that you’re drinking were drunk by other people, animals, dinausaurs, etc… I’m sure there are people out there with an MSG intolerance, but for over 99% of people, msg has no effect…but people love to think that they are the exception. To those people, it may be worth examining your total diet and exercise regimen.
Gary, 99%, REALLY? And how did you come up with that number?
It depends on the brand. Buy higher end brands and there is no msg. I am highly allergic to msg (I have to carry and epi pen). It is in EVERYTHING!! I shop the outer walls of the supermarket and spend a lot of time in my kitchen cooking from scratch. Not only is msg killing our bodies but all the other unhealthy ingredients are too. Very informative article. We need to band together as a society and protest to the food and drug administration! And we wonder why everyone is dying from cancers, IT’s the food people!!
My doctor told me not to eat anything from a box, bottle or can. I no longer need to read food labels. Plus, my food packaging waste has gone way down!
Right on Vani-your message is so valuable to us all! The movie made by Katie Couric called “Fed Up” tells the same story. A must see for all concerned parents bee are being duped!
Luv ya girl, press- on!
First I’d like to say I am a huge fan of the Food Babe (Vani) and all she does! I have shared either via FB, email or thru conversation, her hard work. To ALL the people who by personality, need to argue, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH! Food Babe (and others) at the very least open up discussions & get the wheels turning especially for people that feel they just don’t know where to start.
On that note, I know Vani has mentioned she was “fat” prior to her mission in her past articles; had she ever posted a pic of herself? I’m not sure if I’ve missed it.
Yes, she has photos of her fat self on these boards, what a difference now… As for. Gary I suppose you have a PHD in chemistry… You should not show your ignorance in public like this, a molecule in your tomato is not equal to a molecule synthetically made in a lab, shame on you !!! Go back to school …
The WeightWatcher program is one of the worst for pushing processed foods. Their “points” program is great and easy to follow and they do promote healthy eating with lots of fresh food. BUT, at every meeting, they push processed food – low-calorie, low-fat everything: snack bars, ice cream bars, candy, frozen meals, instant drink powders. All of the products are loaded with artificial sweeteners and other chemicals! The shame of it is, WW has food scientists who know the dangers and the uselessness of these products for long-term weight loss, so they have absolutely no excuse for their greed.
Hi Elena, I totally agree with you. I tried WW years ago and the reason they push points and processed foods is so they can sell their own brand of junk. I found it anything but simple. Simplicity is just eating whole foods that come from nature, not a lab!
Thank you again Vani, we appreciate all your hard work to keep us healthy.
What a comprehensive and well-documented article. Thank you for this. This is a must read for everyone interested in taking back control of their health. We have posted this on our Healthy Changes Now group Facebook page and we will be including a link in our next newsletter. We are working on bringing people’s attention to exactly this sort of manipulation by the food industry. There just can’t be enough of us exposing this truth to our fellow citizens. Thanks again for this great article.
–Kathleen
I would just like to comment as a Registered Dietitian. We generally teach people to eat as close to the natural resource as possible. Its quite offenssive implying that I’ve been paid off by food companies when I never recommend any specific product or brand. We give recommendations for health. If weight loss is the first step that is what we focus on first. Small steps make big changes and its unrealistic for someone (especially when working with lower income families) to cut out everything at once. I appreciate the idea of cutting out processed foods. But you’re speaking to a very small population who can acheive that after reading 1 blog.
Sorry lynn, but your comments prove you ate a brainwashed dietician. It is very possible, for everyone to do this. It just takes time, planning and the desire to do it. Most of us are lazy, we want health and nutrition to be easy. If not its too hard. That’s why fast food drive in are so popular….please open your eyes or choose another profession.
AMEN AMEN, Lorraine…
If more Dieticians taught real healthy eating, and didn’t assume that low income people can’t make changes it would be a step in the right direction. Too many people with diabetes for instance are NEVER told the link to Glucose Fructose. They use coffee creamer and such. Yes, you as a dietician should be ashamed at the host chemicals that are in foods you condone. No wonder those trying to lose weight never actually learn how to eat healthy. Instead they’re brainwashed into eating low fat versions of real foods.
Hogwash. If anyone should know better it’s a dietition. Over ninety percent of the time there’s nothing stopping a low income family or even one living under a bridge from eating actual food rather than counterfeits developed by ‘food scientists’. If people in third world countries and Army rangers can live on grasshoppers and worms and be healthy and strong enough to survive and even fight back, then so can you.
So the reality is that it comes down to inclination, determination, willpower. Do you want to be strong and healthy? Do you want to have a heart attack instead? Are you willing to do what it takes(change the way you live) in order to have a better life? I hate to burst your bubble but as a dietition you’re not doing anyone any favors by not asking those questions. You’re not helping them by re-enforcing their excuses to not eat right and instead settle for “healthy choice’ TV ‘dinners’.
When you do that you encourage them to make excuses and point to scapegoats to avoid that responsibility and pass it off on some heart-bypass surgeon(and those that foot the medical bill). Such behavior is disgraceful as it allows and encourages this problem to continue.
Often it comes down to people simply having been conditioned like Pavlov’s dog, to enjoy being assaulted things like a twinkie rather than being nourished by something like a pear or a bowl of beans. Along with that, they feel deprived without that twinkie.
Understand and fight that conditioning, and you might be surprised how easy it is for those with a low income to eat healthy once they break free of the mental block that they can’t.
I think that living in poverty shouldn’t be used as an “excuse” to eat whatever junk you want. However, many children who are a part of the free lunch program will eat breakfast and lunch at school (and even sometimes an afternoon snack) and I’m not sure if its the same all across the country, but where I live the options are HORRID. Since when is a “fortified” donut a good way for my child to start his day. To make matters worse, these same children often receive a bag full of food for weekends and holidays, and its more processed crap.
So, its not always because someone is lazy. We have got to stop the government from being so easily bought by these large food corporations that they are ruining the health of our youth as well.
A patient explained to me when you are poor you eat to fill up. Grass hoppers and worms might work if that is all that is out there. But someone who is poor will not care as much about eating an apple or greens as they want to fill up not knowing when the next meal will come.
Folks who say it is easy for poor to eat healthy have likely not been poor or worked with the poor closely. When you see under weight teens living in tents, working, going to school, starving ready to pass out… any dietician worth her salt is not going to lecture the child or family to only eat whole foods. As whole foods are not always available. They have to eat what they can find.
Lynn sounds like she is in the treaches helping people few care about or see. I would challenge anyone here to criticizes Lynn to find a low income struggling family and ask if you can help them. Find a homeless person and spend some time talking to them before you criticize them.
All that said Food Babe rocks. I am noticing some organic farms donating to shelters and food shelves. Soup kitchens are working to incorporate better quality fresh foods to serve. Is anyone here helping do this? A worthy cause!
@June
My grandmother picked cotton as a child in the depression and my family ate squirrel and fish we caught ourselves. Most people aren’t eating twinkies because they’re poor but because no dietition told them otherwise. They don’t eat twinkies because they can’t afford to catch a fish with their bare hands or eat beans or a pear or make a slingshot and fry up and eat a squirrel like some of us have. They do it because they >think< they can't afford something better, largely because they're used to having to stuff their face just to get enough nutrients to keep from passing out.
You articulated the problem yourself, but apparently coddle it rather than realizing it's a misconception:
"But someone who is poor will not care as much about eating an apple or greens as they want to fill up not knowing when the next meal will come. "
Aside from there being 'food deserts' this is the main problem. Any nutritionist that is actually doing their job would tell these people that if they eat to fill themselves rather than nourish themselves they will fill up on empty low-nutrient calories and be fat but malnourished. American Indians didn't know when their next meal would come either- so they feasted on nutrient dense food like buffalo- not soybeans. Any decent nutritionist will tell you if you buy quantity over quality you pay more for it and stay tired and hungry. Try to burn the fat off and you just run yourself ragged and feel tired and hungry some more. If you have kids you may as well let them fill up on wads of paper with shortening and sugar on it with a few fintstones vitamins and see if your kid can get a A+ eating that.
But guess what? Same amount of energy(135 calories) in a twinkie as in a pear. You wanna know a little secret- I can tell you for a fact, a pear will fill you up more(fiber is a good thing) than a GMO soy and corn twinkie. They might cost a bit more but the nutrients you get from that pear will keep you and your kids going strong while you fast, rather than sluggish and slow and passing out 30min later.
I know people that think I have a more money to spend on organic just because that's what I do. I don't. I just know what a budget is. They get two or three burgers etc. from a fast food joint,($8) and spend more than I do having an incredibly delicious all non-gmo organic buffalo burger($3-$4), and they get less nutrition. They spend more on pop tarts than I do even when I'm having pasture raised eggs and goat cheese and grass fed milk etc. for breakfast. What's more is those people that think I eat "rabbit food" can't keep up. They're about to pass out after not eating for 4hrs and I can go all day because when I do eat, I make sure to eat the most nutrient dense wholesome food I can.
But then I also don't eat those eggs and goat cheese to fill up- I have a few eggs and about one serving of goat cheese(Just got a pound of it for under $7 as it was half price as it expired today) and I budget that out so I have enough food until I have can get to the store again. Also, if I feel did feel the need to fill up I could have some chia seeds(31 servings cost me $7-10) and water and that would also provide some good nutrition.
People are programmed by marketing campaigns that somehow they're more satisfied or full on $8 of dimethylsiloxane 'bread' and corn fed beef etc. than $3 of organic, non-GMO hazelnut and oat bread, with a grass fed buffalo burger.
Any nutritionist that doesn't try to break through that programmed disconnect with reality is just sleeping on the job in my view.
I have an old gas guzzler and a fixed income(well under 20K/yr) and still I manage go to the store 30mi away twice a month to get out of the food desert even when gas was $4/gal. I budget and plan and it's not easy in and of itself but it's not any easier than traveling that same 30mi(as my relatives do every week) to waste your life and money at Wal-Mart for their groceries on top of eating junk from some fast food joint every day. It's surprisingly easy; easier than people tend to think especially if you have discipline.
Most poor who live in inner cities are not going to hunt squirrels or fish, its illegal in city parks. For those who live in the country hunting /fishing permits cost money but many do supplement their diet with game. But fish & game must be taken in season. The poor who rely on food stamps (many of them working poor) simply try to get the most food for their money. 4.99@lb for grapes that kids is 2 snacks for a family but $5 will buy 5 big bags of cookies. That may last as snacks for a month. Try living under a bridge or in a car with 3 kids & cooking a meal from scratch! Many of the poor rely on food pantries to have enough food since food stamps are only a supplement to provide 1/2 a families food needs ( most families can not provide the other 1/2 because wages & fs allotments are stagnant while housing costs have tripled in the last decade). Food pantries only accept canned & boxed foods so that is what the poor eat. You act as though poor folks are sitting in nutrition classes regularly! As a social worker & as a young widow (injured in the accident that killed my husband) with kids I know one simply fills the hole in the belly any way possiable. For my kids a soda or twinke was a rare treat but so was fresh fruit & beg. I was educated but had no resources
@MariaBee
Grapes and cookies are mostly sugar so if you want snacks that actually go far you want something with fiber. Economically and nutritionally speaking it’s not far from getting a bag of sugar for your kids and doling out lumps of sugar as “snacks” for the month. Part of the reason people aim to simply “fill up” is because it’s this type of low-nutrient calories they focus on.
A good snack would be something like puffed barley and yogurt etc. and the nutrition you get would go far past that of grapes or cookies. Anybody that can read a label can figure this stuff out and I find that for the general public it’s not poverty but a lack of self responsibility that makes people avoid reading labels and paying attention etc. and buying real food. If you can afford $5 for cookies you could certainly afford to instead buy a loaf of real bread and have the energy and nutrition to not need a snack. But that takes discipline many do not have.
My point was that 90% of everybody I encounter in daily life, making these ridiculous claims about them not being able to afford to eat well are more equipped to eat well than they are to eat from McDonalds or whatever they do now. They aren’t poor- they pay as much or more on Netflix and other non-essentials as I spend on food and I don’t settle for junk.
These are people that could hunt squirrel for food on their own property (not for recreation which is where you need a license) or could buy a bag of beans and some peppers or something instead of soy based “processed cheese food” and yet they fool themselves into thinking that junk and filler is a better buy than food.
These are people that say they don’t have the time or energy or money to cook real food when they spend $5 on corn syrup thinking they’re cookies, 20min in a drive through, and hours watching TV instead of actually taking the responsibility to take care of themselves.
Hi Vani,
As registered dietitians with a combined 17 years of nutrition education and professional experience in the field, we appreciate your passion for nutrition and wish everyone would take such an interest in what they eat. However, we do take issue with creating fear surrounding foods that have not been proven to be a detriment to health (ie. artificially sweetened, store-bought yogurt). We also aren’t entirely sure what secret you have revealed in your post. As nutrition professionals, we agree all calories are not created equal, and the body is a complex metabolic system; however, vilifying a broad range of convenient, healthy foods only serves to create a sense of guilt surrounding food choices for those who cannot afford (or do not have the time) to make your homemade versions as described above. We remain strongly against the fear mongering tactics you utilize in your posts. We encourage everyone to think critically about nutrition research and trends. This includes both the big food industry and nutrition investigators such as yourself.
Tara & Lauren, RDs
See my above post. You are duped and perpetuating the lies. And have been doing so for 17 years. Are you truly ignorant about the harm from artificial sweetners. That’s aweful. Wake up!!!!
Again, I say, AMEN Lorraine… It’s people like those who think they are so educated and smart that keeps the food industry going…
I don’t trust dieticians anymore. My oldest son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 19 – the “nutritional training” he went through was the most upside down/backward thing I had ever seen. They were pushing carbs/grains from bread, rolls, cereals, crackers , oh and not from whole grain, sprouted or the more healthful choice but “if you like white bread it’s fine”- and I’m thinking what the hell?! I get the idea of a balanced diet and we all need GOOD carbs – the better fuel he provides for his body the less insulin he must inject – the prospective from these dieticians were far different than that – basically the message he received was, eat more fruits and veggies than you have and adjust you insulin levels to compensate for the other crap you ingest…..its was horrifying – needless to say he has not been back for the “nutritional guidance”.
There’s a difference between creating fear and creating awareness. If the fact the yogurt you’re eating isn’t REAL YOGURT makes you fearful of it, then congrats- you’re a coward. If that fact doesn’t make you want REAL YOGURT then congrats- you’re ok with eating counterfeit junk labeled as food so long as nobody immediately drops dead and the FDA then labels it as “GRAS”.
Enjoy telling your customers they can’t afford real food and eating counterfeits and those of us that are aware of what we put in our mouths will just eat actual food. After all, it’s not my pancreas.
Good day to you Vani, Tara and Lauren.
It was close to two years past, that Dr. Mercola wrote an extensive article revealing his concern over the complications of the educational integrity of such seminars provided by the Food Industry(ies). It was disheartening to read how massive the food industry really is and the infrastructure that it takes to run it. Look collectively and critically at the president, the FDA and monsanto. See what they have been doing or not doing over the past few years. During Oregon’s last elections the amount of mis-information given was no doubt intentional. In the last few months, I have read several articles revealing that American Companies are creating and selling Organic products over in Europe but not here in our own country; double standard anybody? Can anyone please tell me where artificial sweetners show up in Organic food. Where are they in a God created apple? While currently writing a cookbook on eating organic, one big fact that I can share is that it is not expensive. Just like Vani says and has always said, it does take work and effort to eat right Eating right is no accident. . . . it is a art. It is an acquired skill. Educate yourself::Period. Start creating your health library; buy used books. I tell people to buy two or three books per year. In two years, you are on your way. Two good books to get started:: ‘Eat 4 Your Type,’ and ‘Water: for Health, for Healing, for Life.” I believe you can go online and download your blood type portion from the website.. It has been translated into Spanish as well. If you have to , go borrow the book from your neighbor I can tell you that most folks tell me somewhere between six to eight weeks, they began noticing changes for the good..One lady told me it took over a year to turn the corner towards good health… Wow! Sometimes it takes some second effort to get things done the right way. Buying bulk foods is the only way to fly. It’s the only way out of this mess. Period. God’s Given Gifts.. Bottom line, I have over the past five years, talked with hundreds and hundreds of people either at my office, on the street and or at farmer’s markets who have changed their entire life by following that one book. They were sick, the medical intervention(s) were not working, their health was not improving, the drug interactions were getting worse, they were overweight and usually in chronic pain. They read the book and never looked back. These individuals all said the same things,” they lost weight, get their energy back and see their doctor once a year.. I would see them each, husband and wife, walk by my booth at the market carrying two bags of bulk food. They all say the same thing. The answer now for them is very clear.
A few more facts:: research collected within PubMeb, from around the world clearly shows the chemicals and pesticides used on our foods ends up in us. Another way of saying it is if it’s in the food chain, and you are part of that food chain, then it is in you too! All the big five killers of Americans are still rising even after all the medical and pharmo advancements. Anyone that eats according to the American Inflammatory Diet is bound to create chronic inflammation. Chronic Inflammation leads to chronic disease. Period. The food industry is not going change what they are doing because they are making too much money…drag their feet at your expense.. . .there’s no faith, trust, integrity . .. just the bottom line.
Fight back by not buying their political propaganda or their product(s).
More Facts:: Eat bulk foods(fruits vegetables…nuts, healthy fats and grass fed…). Stay away from processed foods/drinks….and fast foods!!! If God didn’t make it…don’t buy it. . !
It may take some time but buying organic is the smart way. Perhaps get a group of people to buy large bulk in quantity items to save money((Azure Standard)). Possible to grow some of your own. . . maybe? Talk with your friends,. .. do some brain storming. . see what you come up with. check out vertical gardening!! . . If their is a will…there is a way..
Please know that the books I mention, are not perfect for everyone but they are indeed a great place to start. Do the time, four to six weeks, and see for yourself. In time you will know the truth. Remember this… you may lose a battle or two, but stay firm on winning the war. Your prize is getting your life and health back!
Remember, I am not telling you to be perfect. . it’s a one day-at-a- time dance. . .and you lead the dance…NOT THEM!!! When I started the ‘Eat 4 Your Type,’ I lost 20+ pounds in three weeks or less. . Never missed a meal…never went hungry. just got better, more energy …
Lastly, I always tell anyone and everyone to please take everything that I say with a grain of salt Go look it up and ask questions. Beware of the naysayers!!!
Check out ‘The Wellness Journal,’ published out of Carson City, Nevada,
Check out Hallelujah Diet at 800-915-9355…myhdiet.com. . .I don’t agree with them completely, but I am running with their major theme.
I hope and pray that this finds fertile ground in your hearts and minds…God Bless you and God Bless America!!!
o’eran’out
p.s. Vani, no doubts ’bout it . . . you are a modern day Goliath slayer . .!! Get Em!!
Great advice Jonpatrick , The greatest sites to learn from is Dr Mercola, Green Med Info and of course FOOD BABE..All of these have many medical specialists associated with them, those who are not brain dead from their Medical/ Pharmaceutical training…
She is not spreading fear..but spreading information. You mention foods haven’t been proven…yes they have. And in the meantime, I choose not to be the lab rat in this experiment. You can always find a scientist to agree or disagree with you, so in that way, nothing can ever be proven. You go with your gut instinct. I tell my kids, if a man in a lab coat made it, it’s not good for you. And yes, if you are feeding your unsuspecting children garbage, you should feel guilt. Money is not an issue, most of the best foods are cheap (bulk whole grain rice and lentils and oats). Soups and beans are very cheap and healthy. Frozen vegetables last long. Most people (including myself) are just either lazy or used to habits. We need to change our habits. Our health depends on it.
Well done Tara and Lauren.
I totally agree and love all you do! My consistent issue is that my kids, husband, and myself are such picky, picky eaters!! We’ve been trained by our parents to eat all of this processed stuff rather than fresh, homemade and now teaching our bodies to actually enjoy good vegetables (we love fruit) is a very hard task. I usually just cook the best I can, very plain stuff because my family is so picky. And we try to juice veggies because none of us like them! We add some apples to sweeten it a touch and drink up. But I would love more than anything to eat a salad!! Or try some of these recipes that are undoubtedly amazing. But the minute the lettuce, spinach, carrot, whatever, hits my tongue I hate it!! It’s so very frustrating!! If I could get my family and myself to eat vegetables it would be life changing!
Hello Whit… I know that taste buds can and do change with time. Just give it time . . One of my favorite salad dressings is ::: ((all organic ingredients))
3::1 ratio between Organic Olive Oil/ Balsamic Vinegar… 1;;1 ratio between OJ and red wine. The final salad dressing when mixed together ends up half the 3::1 ratio and half 1::1 ratio…in other words. . .50/50. . Fine chop your herbs of choice . . add to the dressing … Other tricks is to chop up nuts and toss them… or add organic cheese grated. . . Many meals I actually combine the meat with the salad. . . great results. . Another trick my grandmother used to do, generally during winter months w/ her salad greens, was to add a little sugar. OJ works great. . even better, fresh squeezed. . . Let me know how it works. . to your health!!
Whit, what is the source of your vegetables? It could be that you need to seek out fresher produce rather than relying on what you get from a grocery store. Often, those foods were harvested before their prime and/or have been sitting in storage as they were shipped in. Find your local growers and support them–their food tastes much better.
absolutely, vani! thank you for all you are doing to teach the truth about foods being pushed on americans by coporate food producers. as a health educator since the 80’s i can verify that many, many, MANY health professionals were deceived and brainwashed by the big name food producers about what is healthy for americans. it is criminal! you are a god send. keep a strong heart – i know it isn’t easy when you are attacked for the awareness you spread. soon, more americans are going to understand how many illnesses are directly related to our food and water supply because europeans are indeed leading the way by demanding gmo free and unadulterated foods.
I agree that diet foods are not healthy and that real good is the way to go. My only complaint about this particular article is the email you sent about it – I think you probably could have chosen a more tactful subject line than “I used to be fat.”
Would you rather be TACTFUL & FAT or frisky and healthy ???
Very well written, really enjoyed reading it. Keep up the good work and it sure is eye opener to all of us.
Good job Vani!! I stumbled across your site by accident a few weeks ago and love it. I too am in belief that everything that is being put in food and how it is modified is awful. I just within the past year became a convert, as I say, because I too feel that a lot of people are so unaware of what is in the food they eat. So thank you for your hard work and supporting what you believe in.
Ihave been gaining weight ever since I became a Security Analyst for a large corporation. I have trie about everything to drop some of my tonage, get my diabetes under control and do something about my Arthritic feeling in my hands. My wife and I decided to start eating more healthy. We are now using the Paleo diet using organic/GMO free food. In just 30 day, my wife and I have dropped weight, y blood glucose reading have dropped by more than half ad the Artritic feeling in my hads have all deminished. Pay attention to Vani she has very good points concerning the poisons being placed in our food supply.
Thomas and family. . . .
Go…Go. Go… You are on your way. . . I recommend reading several health/diet/lifestyle books every year. . . Paleo is a great spot to start. . . As you learn more, you can customize your food to maximize your health… Water is critical as well. . Drink enough daily. . . . In a few days, you will feel the difference… Stay away from tap water. . . Spend some time on water purification. . . . There is a lot of info out there on cleaning water. Figure out what works for you. IT does take time. . .. to get you started::: ‘Water, for Health, for Healing, for Life,’ by F. Batmangheligj, ‘The Hidden Messages IN Water,’ by Marsaru Emoto….. Best of health and God Bless you and your Family!!!
Can you please explain exactly what happens in the body, or in the ingredients themselves, that make GMOs bad for you? If I eat GMO corn or soy or whatever, what happens inside me that makes it bad? You list it consistently as a “bad” ingredient, but there’s never any corroborative evidence showing how or why. With, say, cigarettes, there’s clear research showing how and why it causes harm. Can you provide similar evidence for GMOs, please?
Consider a couple things. GMO foods have added additional proteins to them. Generally, it’s to kill off bugs that eat the plants or to resist monsantos round up chemical. This means besides getting more of these foreign proteins in our food supply, we also get food that can be full of herbicides and other chemicals. Finally, we just don’t know enough as a species to understand if this is safe in the long term. They can’t genetically sequence each seed, so blasting virus coated gold dust upon plant cells, could end up something very bad. The USA should not be a country of guinea pigs, there is plenty of food in the world. There’s no shortages, just shortages of money and water.
I didn’t even mention the huge increases in food allergies, just where are they all coming from? GMO corn has been around a while.
When I eat non-organic salad dressing, it burns the layer of skin around my lips.
I am a medical physician , and have researched food and what we are eating for the last few years, as I have never seen so much pathology in the last 3 years as I have in over 20 years of practice. I just read this article and she is absolutely correct. Monsanto increased pesticides in GMO food another 3,000 % in March of 2014 which is causing the increase in MS, cancer, Parkinson’s , brain tumors, infertility , etc. Agent organge is in the pesticides. And now it’s in the food you are eating . It’s common knowledge in Europe as to what we are eating , we just don’t hear about it because of politics . Dr Oz just posted a video , also check out Dr Mercola. Being informed will change your life, and just might save it.
I know this is a passionate subject but everyone here should be entitled to their opinion without nasty remarks.
Even though I agree with the article, I understand how others have a hard time understanding the benefits of a healthy, real food diet because I was once one of them. In reality, people don’t always know how unhealthy and sick they are until they’ve made the shift and experience first hand what healthy and well feels like. Beating someone up because they disagree only makes them dig their heels in deeper.
Changing one’s lifestyle takes dedication, patience and understanding and it’s not easy for everyone.
For me, now that I’ve been there and done that, fresh, healthy food is the only way to go. I’ve lost weight, sleep better, think clearer and enjoy my life so much more, but I’ll never forget how I once thought that if it’s on a store shelf it must be okay to eat.
Teri, I love your compassionate comment and you’re absolutely right. I’m working with a woman right now who is borderline diabetic to educate her about the dangers of all the soda -Coke- etc. she drinks and she said, “I just don’t know how I’m going to quit it.” Dr. Roisen (SP?) was on Dr. Oz today with lessons on how to come off diet soda. The Grocery Manufacturers Assoc. admits to adding addictive agents to foods and sugar is one of the MOST addictive. Like quitting cigarettes, one just doesn’t know how badly they’re walking around feeling until they clean themselves out. Only continued education will help. I know diabetics who think they can eat anything they want and just take a pill. I find the medical profession by in large is failing their patients by not educating them on guarding their health by proper diet…. or maybe they’re just tired of trying because people won’t listen?
Dede, I’m just beginning my 87th journey around “ole” Sol and,
though I haven’t been exposed to but few MD’s I have yet to ever have one of them mention one word about food… All they about is synthetic chemicals which your own body doesn’t know what to do with… You have a Electro/Chemical body which must have Electro/Chemical food to survive and that food only comes from the Earth, not from a lab !!! When it’s contaminated with
synthetic chemicals it becomes worthless and even dangerous
when you eat it !!!
Can you please advise on which type of oil is best for cooking? Thank you.
Is there anybody who has lost weight or improved their health by following the Food Babe and her recommendations? Your positive reviews and testimonials are needed on goodreads.com. Can you please help me? Thank you so much! XO https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1104520364?comment=113695079#comment_113695079
Maria maybe you should get off goodreads .com and check out people who
know what they’re talking about like Dr Mercola.com, Greenmeds Info.com…
You won’t live long enough to read all they have to offer and they are associated
with every branch of medicine and health practitioners you can name !!!
Vani,
So appreciate your work! I read every food label and am so glad that someone is out there challenging the status quo! One great resource I found is http://www.shoporganic.com There products are mostly organic and Non-GMO!
Thanks.
very interestinginformation thank you
Americans are forced to tow the corporate line while Big Business pushes consumerism down the throat. Kinda like how the French fatten a goose to make foie gras, except replace the food with money and the goose with a Fat American.
Food Babe’s philosophy angers these rich business interests that bow before the Gods of $$$. They push food for profit. Humans are just the mouths that feed them.
They will use the usual devices to discredit her; ignoring, marginalization, citing false research, name calling, intimidation….or worse.
We must crush these purveyors of poison. Quit purchasing Franken-foods created by real monsters.
Found on http://www.lifespa.com:
Hidden names for MSG and free glutamic acid:
Names of ingredients that always contain processed free glutamic acid (7):
Glutamic Acid (E 620)2
Glutamate (E 620)
Monosodium Glutamate (E 621)
Monopotassium Glutamate (E 622)
Calcium Glutamate (E 623)
Monoammonium Glutamate (E 624)
Magnesium Glutamate (E 625)
Natrium Glutamate
Yeast Extract
Anything hydrolyzed
Any hydrolyzed protein
Calcium Caseinate
Sodium Caseinate
Yeast Food
Yeast Nutrient
Autolyzed Yeast
Gelatin
Textured Protein
Soy Protein
Soy Protein Concentrate
Soy Protein Isolate
Whey Protein
Whey Protein Concentrate
Whey Protein Isolate
Anything: protein
Vetsin
Ajinomoto
Names of ingredients that often contain or produce processed free glutamic acid (7):
Carrageenan (E 407)
Bouillon and broth
Stock
Any flavors or flavoring
Maltodextrin
Citric acid, Citrate (E 330)
Anything ultra-pasteurized
Barley malt
Pectin (E 440)
Protease
Anything enzyme modified
Anything containing enzymes
Malt extract
Soy sauce
Soy sauce extract
Anything protein fortified
Anything fermented
Seasonings
Glutamic acid found in unadulterated “whole food” protein does not cause adverse reactions. To cause adverse reactions, the glutamic acid must have been processed/manufactured or come from protein that has been fermented (1).
The following are ingredients suspected of containing or creating sufficient processed free glutamic acid to serve as MSG-reaction triggers in HIGHLY SENSITIVE people (7):
Corn starch
Corn syrup
Modified food starch
Lipolyzed butter fat
Dextrose
Rice syrup
Brown rice syrup
Milk powder
Reduced fat milk (skim; 1%; 2%)
Most things labeled Low Fat or No Fat
Anything labeled Enriched
Anything labeled Vitamin Enriched
THIS IS GOOD TO KNOW
Do you Eat to Live or do you LIVE to EAT?
From what I observe around me, in the grocery stores, the packed lineups of cars and people at fast food death dealers, and within those big box super-stores where you can get Mega sized every things… People are 24/7/365 grazing like hippopotamus’ submerged in the waterways….only coming up for an occasional draw of breath and then back at it. I see the over all girth of kids and adults and I wonder where they get pants that huge? I don’t even want to think about the under garments questions…. Is there really a reason to wonder why toilet paper is sold in 48 roll packages? Those toilets have never been more occupied and busier than the last 25 years of hippo’s purging their guts daily!
There is something radically wrong with the national discussion that talks and blathers on about getting fit and eating right, while the opposite happens. People are NOT trimming down or changing their ways- they continue to buy 64 oz. drinks, eat salty, greasy, sugary, high carb foods, frankenstein GMO products, zombie carcasses or dead meat, fast foods, national chain restaurant meals, and charred black meats smothered in high fructose corn syrup based BBQ sauces full colorants and preservatives. – and then think that by running 5 miles or in place on a tread mill for 30 minutes makes it all good… Or that by merely popping the latest miracle weight loss pills will somehow magically get rid of 150 pounds of blubber in six weeks, just in time for Spring Break and thong bikinis looking like rubber bands about to snap! Just how stupid is everyone? Even the first Lady who is touting a healthy school meal program, is a wide-assed swamp-cow herself who eats gourmet chef prepared meals everyday…what hypocrisy.
Don’t even get me started on Runway Fashion Models or the emaciated corpse’s that pan for duck faced photo op’s in Hollywood!
At 65, I am wondering if I can still turn my health around. I have been “Weight Watchering” my whole life and have wandered far from my heritage (both parents from Greece) and the home cooking I grew up on. I have gotten to “goal weight”, lost my health in the process and am now afraid of food instead of delighting in it. Don’t mean to sound so down – but I am willing to put the effort into it – if it is not too late….
Good evening Joan L. ,
It’s never too late to change. Bottom line; eat bulk foods. . . and make sure it is organic. ‘Eat 4 Your Type’, is a great book to get started with; you need to know your blood type. Buy the book used. It is a great place to start. I am actually writing a cook book on eating organic. If you read all of these comments, so many problems begin because folks are eating processed foods. Think about this question::: which food is better for you to eat?
a). processed foods with all of the additives, dyes, fillers, colorings, chemicals, pesticides . . . . . . and of course monsanto’s abominational gmos at the expense of people’s health and the environment.
b). A simple and divinely made apple or any fruit, vegetable, nut and or root.
I have talked with so many people that got their health back by changing their diet to organics. Go buy a healthy cook book such as the one Vani’s Food Babe has put together. I believe there are recipes available. Read Emoto’s book, ‘Hidden Messages In Water.’ A good book on drinking water is ‘Water for Health, for Healing, for Life,’ written by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. Eat fresh foods throughout the day. LEarn how to make good fruit and vegetable smoothies. It takes effort and time but you will figure it out. Ask questions and read. God Bless!!!
p.s. I made a simple soup last night. 35 minutes in the making::: 1/2 yam, 1/2 carrot, 3 small broccoli florets and stems. Once water boils, slice and steam 5 minutes and remove
from heat. Fill small bullet blender with::: 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup OJ, 1 inch square of ginger root sliced, 1 handful of parsley; chopped, 1/2 clove of garlic; blend 30 seconds. Set aside. Chop 1/4 red bell pepper, 1 1/4 thick slice of yellow onion; set aside. Once steamed veggies cool down add to blender. Blend 30 seconds only. Pour contents into pan and reheat. Note:: Do Not Boil. Just warm it up. IF you boil your soup you will destroy all of the nutrients. Add freshly chopped veggies into soup the last minute or so. You are done. Before serving, add your favorite seasoning(s). I like cayenne and curry!! Serve and enjoy. If you wish, add plain normal yogurt to bowl just before pouring soup. Hope this helps!!!
I, too, stopped eating processed foods years ago. Not in an effort to lose weight, but for the sake of my long-term health. It’s very exciting to witness the popularity of Vani’s message because it rings true on so many major health fronts: fresh, seasonal, and lovingly prepared foods are always best, which, coincidentally, is also a major tenet of Ayurveda (a sister science to Yoga). It’s what the executives behind the desks of all of these major food corporations already know and practice themselves. Don’t be seduced by the convenience they sell.
This is so true! I am sue the executives themselves will not eat their own food! tsk tsk!
You can make many healthy meals in the slow cooker. Soups, broths, main meals vegetarian, and organic chicken, beef, or fish. There are many great meals to cook without adding junk like canned soup to them. Dinner is cooking while you’re away.
Also the best defense is to know what’s in the food you eat, and learning to cook. It’s much better to prepare a healthy and simple meal than to eat junk!
Soups, stews and one pot dishes are one of the most foolproof foods one can make. So long as it cooks long enough, and doesn’t burn, you have a LOT of range in what to make. I am making soup daily at work. I get my veggies that way.
Vanni, your awesome! I have always researched my food ingredients and tried to decipher the good from the bad and what exactly they were made of but after a while it can all get a bit overwhelming! Thanks to you it is less so! Love your blogs and research! It saves this new mommy a ton of time and I learn so much! Love your straight forward, down to earth and honest approach! Keep up the GREAT WORK!!
Could you please give a sample of what a daily menu might look like with the macros you are suggesting and including grains for the carbs. thank you.
I started doing Keto diet. I ended up shifting more to avoiding eating sweet tasting food, and eating more bitter. I watch pointless carbs and do try to get fiber from Flax seed and elsewhere. I am astonished how much processed food is sweetened to get people to try to eat it. For me, even normal food is sweet enough now, and I have had a sweet tooth. I have lost a bunch of weight.
I am currently seeking out foods I normally don’t eat, add boring and “yucky” food to the mix, along with interesting. And also bitter, lots and lots of bitter. It helps digestion and reduces hunger.
In reality, given the plethora of misformation we as a society are constantly being bombarded with in this present day and age pertaining to diet, exercise, and natural cures for everything under the sun, etc.. (the internet merely serves to compound the situation) not to mention deceitful marketing and advertising in the food industry and elsewhere, we desperately need more individuals like Vani who are concerned enough to take the time to inform those who remain clueless as to what’s been going on and continues to take place in the food industry. For those who posted the derogatory comments soon after this post was provided, all I can add is the individuals are either affiliated with the food industry in some manner, shape or form, are clueless as to the many changes (not for the better) that have taken place in the food industry over the past 50 years, or both. As a baby boomer who was born in 1949, apart from being very discriminating in regard to what I eat, I could fill your ear as to what I’ve seen evolve over the last 40 to 50 year in regard to health issues, the likes I never experienced personally or vicariously when I was growing up during the 50’s and 60’s. If you take a moment and reflect about what I just stated, there’s definitely a correlation between what we eat and the many health issues we have today. You are what you eat has never rung more true. Excuse the rant, but it appears that those who have made the derogatory remarks in the early ongoing really need to educate themselves and pay more attention to the world around them. All I can add is that the information provided by Vani is well substantiated from data and studies (not just anecdotally) conducted over the years and is definitely right on. Oh, as a college graduate of Purdue University many years ago, the vernacular used was better than most but then again who cares, this post wasn’t intended to garner points for English. Trust me in that an A+ for content is well deserved!