Discussion Topic:
Could you eliminate refined sugar, white flour and processed foods from your diet?
Background:
Today I went to see a new doctor to discus my migraines and a few other health concerns (check out Miles Hassell). He recommended that I eliminate sugar, white flour and processed foods from my diet. He wants me to eliminate it from my diet for the next 4-6 weeks and then after that eat it only on special occasions. YIKES!!! Can I really do it? I tried it once before about 8 years ago and it was SOOO HARD. I was so envious of people eating cookies, ice cream, even ketchup. I am committed to trying it to see if it is just what I need to help relieve me of my thorn in my side. I am going to slowly wean my kids off goldfish crackers, processed cookies and cereal. Wish me luck.
Thanks,
Sarah
P.S. – Please pass along the information for our new Talkin’ Tuesday blog to someone you know today.
January 26, 2010 at 7:07 am
Good points!
January 26, 2010 at 3:39 pm
I think I’m going to start living a life with less processed foods by making some simple changes:
Replacing the White Flour on the counter with Whole Wheat (it’s in the cupboard).
Attempting to stick to the outer aisles of the grocery store when shopping, avoiding the boxes entirely.
Bake muffins/bars instead of buying granola bars & the like
The piece that stumps me is crackers… my kids love crackers… they’re great in the car. What am I going to give them in front of the TV? (oh ya, eating in front of the tv=bad habit)!
Reserving sugar laden baking for birthdays and Christmastime
Seeking out recipes that feature Whole Foods (not the store, the actual foods).
I just bought food to last the next couple weeks+ this weekend. So this will be gradual in our home for sure.
Even if I can’t get 100% there, something is certainly better than nothing. Because the way we’re eating can’t be right.
January 26, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Azure has a great ketchup, all natural wheat thins and Ritz type crackers and a ton of other healthy stuff. Costco has Annie’s snack bunnies (grahams, cheddar, chocolate chip, and chocolate) made from whole wheat flour, no sugar and very healthy for kids!! We can do this, it may cost a little more but it is all about health right??!!
January 26, 2010 at 6:56 pm
I’ve been doing a lot of reading on eating differently/better. I want to make some changes too. But baby steps are the way to go, I think.
Here are some blogs/sites that I read to get ideas and education on healthy eating:
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com has great ideas for changing your eating and cooking habits, with easy baby steps.
http://www.gnowflins.com
http://www.nourishedkitchen.com
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com
I am reading “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” right now, which encourages cooking from scratch and eating fresh, local food. Next, I want to read “Nourishing Traditions”.
So, some of the things I’ve changed lately are: using coconut oil, making chicken stock from scratch, not buying packaged stuff as much, I made my own granola last week-yum! I’m trying not to buy stuff with HFCS. I want to get away from canned foods, too. That will be interesting! I really need to get rid of white sugar! I use it way too much: coffee, tea, on cereal baking…
As for using white flour, I’ve been reading about other flours like coconut and spelt. There are so many choices out there, time to experiment. I’ll bet you could find a homemade cracker recipe, Sally. We should keep eachother up to date on our blogs-what we are trying, what’s working, etc…
Sarah, I hope you can find something to help with your migraines. I just heard someone at MOPS saying she does accupunture and it really helps. Have you tried that?
January 26, 2010 at 8:24 pm
For me personally, totally eliminating all of these things isn’t realistic. Especially after already eliminating anything with nuts due to my sons allergy. That was hard enough. But I would like to eat less processed foods. I have really started to focus on eating more whole wheat things: whole wheat crackers, bread and tortillas. I also use whole wheat pastry flour for baking. Am not sure if it is as healthy as whole wheat flour but it tastes a lot better to me for baked goods and honestly can’t tell the difference in a lot of stuff.
I would like to find alternatives to using processed sugar especially in my baking and try to bake more stuff at home.
Last summer we bought most of our produce locally and froze a bunch of stuff that we are still using. I would like to do that with eggs and beef as well.
I would like to try making more things from scratch: homemade mixes for things like taco seasoning or sloppy joes to eliminate preservatives and cut out high fructose corn syrup and extra sodium.
All of these things have to be in baby steps for me or it is too overwhelming. I am glad to say my kids don’t like white bread at least and they eat whole wheat ritz without complaint (unlike my husband).
Oh and Sarah, I have a friend who has recently cut sugar from her diet completely and in a matter of 1 1/2 weeks lost 3 1/2 pounds without doing anything else like exercising. So that can be a good motivator I guess.
January 26, 2010 at 9:27 pm
We try to eat as healthy and natural as we can. That is except for our son who eats only a few things. A few years ago I began experimenting with recipes to reduce sugar and use alternatives in my baking like whole wheat pastry flour and adding in flax seed. For the most part my recipes are edible. I agree that eating as few processed foods as possible is the way to go, but I will not eliminate everything from my diet or my kids’ diet. I think that leads to deprivation and can cause them to over-eat foods that they have not been allowed to have. I know too many people who go too far to one extreme and end up going on a major binge. It’s a fine line. Of course I just ate a sugar cookie after lunch…
January 27, 2010 at 12:58 am
I’d love to go on a “sugar fast” for a little while to lower whatever addiction I have to the stuff. I HAVE done it in the past, and it is really easy to live that way after your body is accustomed to it. Of course, I wasn’t doing it for a medical reason, so I allowed myself little treats when I wanted to, but mostly I just didn’t have the desire anymore.
I have recently rediscovered my bread machine, and I am itching to go out and buy some whole grains and whole wheat flour. But, that is more of a hobby thing. The boys love it, and I could quickly go overboard with the carbs!!
January 28, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Yikes that seems really hard. There seem to be lots of new products (which might mean processed?)out there that promise to ne unrefined And whole grain. Maybe you should focus on just weaning yourself, and let the kids slide.
For myself, I’d miss rice and flour tortillas. And I couldn’t give up sugar, unless it were REALLY serious. I can’t stand the fake stuff.
January 29, 2010 at 5:01 am
I LOVE food! I truly enjoy eating. With that said, I’ve noticed the more I appreciate fine eating the less likely I am to eat “nasty and unhealthy” foods. Food has become my friend. I REFUSE to count calories, fat grams, etc etc. I do believe it’s possible to start eliminating processed foods.
These are some of the things that allow us to eat a little healthier:
1. I learned to cook. I also learned to appreciate food and not view it as an enemy. Europeans do this very well. They take time to enjoy their meals. I make simple meals but I venture into different ethnic varieties so we don’t get bored. I don’t worry about fat content but I try to use fresh foods. I also make most things from scratch. I have to balance work/home but I still try to find time to make things like salsa, tortillas, sauces, beans, soups from scratch.
2. I simply don’t buy the following: Juices (including 100% juice), sodas, Ice-cream, chocolate syrups, cookies, chips, crackers, canned soups (I use them once in a while on recipes), any “easy to make” pastas, rice, beans etc. Frozen foods. I have a bag of chicken nuggets in my freezer that I will soon need to throw away cause it will expired We snack on fruit, edamame, nuts and cheese. I’m not saying we never eat these things, we do once in a while but their not in my weekly grocery list.
3. I read books on this topic so I can get inspired to make changes!
4. I don’t bake often. I rarely make cakes or muffins and when I do we savor every bite!
5. I never say “I will not eat ____________” This always sets me up for failure.
6. I take it a day at a time. I have amazing days and bad ones. I just get over the “bad” days quickly.
7. I absolutely AVOID any low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free foods. Anything that claims to be “healthy” is probably not. I figured real healthy food doesn’t need health claims and a marketing campaign.
January 29, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I think it’s a healthy goal to reduce processed food and white flour (I just don’t think I want to eliminate sugar!) I don’t use a lot of prepackaged meals, although mac and cheese is a mainstay, and my husband loves his hamburger helper (on my day off cooking). I’ve gone to whole grain mac and cheese and I’ll sometimes make a homemade version of hamburger helper(so much tastier).
What really keeps me on track is planning my weekly menu (thank you rachelraymag.com) and cooking dinner every night. I also add flax seed to my baking, including the box brownies I can’t give up.
Fruit is more difficult for us in the winter-my kids get bored with bananas and oranges. And canned fruit in juice is hard to find.
Mostly I take it a day at a time, but the goal is there.