The Leake family of Charlotte, Lisa and Jason and their two daughters Sydney, 5 and Sienna, 3, are going 100 days eating only whole, nonprocessed foods. Their rules are relatively simple: You can eat fruits, vegetables, whole wheat and grains, seafood, dried fruits and nuts and locally grown meat. You can’t eat refine sugars, fast food, deep-fried foods or refined grains, Ideally, nothing has more than five ingredients.
The same idea has guided my own low-calorie, low-fat, low-salt diet during the past six months. I’ve tried to focus on eating good quality, nutritious foods that are good for me and taste good versus thinking about what I can’t eat. Somewhere along the way, junk food and other highly processed products lost much of their appeal. It helps that this approach to food is becoming more mainstreamed. Products that once could only be found in health food stores are showing up on supermarkets shelves in response to consumer demands. It’s not always easy, but the results can be dramatic – weights loss, better digestion, a more restful night’s sleep.
Here’s 10 tips for getting rid of processed foods from Lisa Leak:
1. Read the ingredient label before buying anything. If it has more than five ingredients and includes unfamiliar, unpronounceable items, reconsider before buying.
2. Eat more vegetables and fruits. Buy produce you usually don’t purchase, just to mix it up.
3. Go to a local bakery to request five-ingredient-or-less bread made from whole grains.
4. When buying pastas, cereals, rice and crackers, look for the words “whole grain” (ideally “100 percent”) within the first three ingredients.
5. Avoid foods where sugar is one of the first three ingredients.
6. Avoid the kids’ menu if it has pre-made chicken nuggets, fries and pasta (unless it’s whole-wheat pasta). Try to assemble a plate of healthy side items.
7. Shop at a farmers market. You’ll find food that is in season, a wide selection of pesticide-free produce and grass-fed meat.
8. Find simple recipes so the cooking isn’t too laborious. Good websites include epicurious.com and foodillusion.com.
9. Meat is often the budget-buster when grocery shopping. Think of meat as a side dish, rather than a meal centerpiece.
10. Consider Mediterranean, Indian and Italian dishes, which often include vegetables and whole grains.
After reading several posts on her blog 100daysofrealfood.com, I believe, I’m less strict, especially when eating out, than Lisa Leake is. But like Lisa, I find Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food to be helpful and I’ve mentioned his Food Rules in a previous cstreet post.
