Changing Food Habits
/It’s hard to change the foods we eat. Recently several articles about ultraprocessed food and the impact of our food choices on the environment have prompted me to evaluate what it eat…and decide on some changes I want to make. It’s going to be hard…many of the foods I am focused on are well-entrenched habits. This is only the beginning.
Diet Pepsi (and other soft drinks). They are not food – just liquid that has 0 nutritional value and may have negative impacts on health (jitters and hydration skew caused by caffeine, increasing craving for sugar). But I’ve been buying and drinking them for a very long time; they are a habit that is hard to change. Earlier this year, I changed from plastic bottles to aluminum cans when it became obvious that plastic bottles were not being recycled properly (whereas aluminum cans were)…but that is not enough. When scrutinized objectively – they are not worth anything positive…so why buy them at all.
Peppermint candy. Aargh! These come in big bins…I buy them when I travel then continue eating them after I get home. The lure of sugar and peppermint. I will stop buying them to avoid the temptation. Maybe I should start chewing fresh mint leaves from the garden to get the flavor but not the refined sugar!
Soy or Almond Milk. I’ve been drinking the non-dairy milk – to get calcium via my diet without the challenge of lactose intolerance. The change I am contemplating now is to transition to lactose free milk as a less processed alternative and get more protein too (9 grams vs 6 grams for soy milk). Also - all the non-dairy milks have supplemental calcium so they are almost like taking the supplement which is an ultimate in ultraprocessed ‘nutrition’!
Turkey sausage. Highly processed but a better choice than pork sausage in terms of calories from fat and also less environmental impact (poultry vs swine). It does have a lot of sodium. I won’t eat it more than once a week or so…but is a quick way to add protein to a meal.
Dark chocolate. Ultraprocessed…but I am choosing to still have it for my 1st breakfast (two squares of the Lindt 70% is my favorite). I like the kickstart it gives my day…enough calories to keep me going before I am ready to prepare my 2nd breakfast at mid-morning. But I am not going to eat more than that small amount very often.
Overall – I am pleased that I have so many fresh vegetables (and some fruits) in my diet. I enjoy the farmers market and the produce section….and finding new ways to prepare salads, smoothies, soups, stir fries – skewing toward raw and whole! I haven’t become a vegetarian – yet – but I am eating less meat that I was 5 years ago (almost no pork and less beef)…ramping up nuts.
