10 Proven Ways To Reduce Processed Eating Habits, Read Below..
1. Always have healthful snacks on hand.
If you’re short on time, it could be tempting to grab a pre-packaged snack on your way out the door.
Keeping your kitchen stocked with a variety of portable, nutritious snacks, on the other hand, can make making healthy choices on the move much easier.
Fresh fruit, mixed nuts, edamame, and veggies with hummus are some of my favorite healthy snacks.
You can also prepare some basic snacks ahead of time if you have spare time. Hard-boiled eggs, turkey roll-ups, homemade kale chips, and overnight oats are just a few of the quick and easy snacks you may make.
2. Substitute whole grains for processed grains.
Starting to substitute healthier whole foods for processed meals is one of the simplest strategies to lower your intake of processed foods.
Whole grain alternatives, such as brown rice and whole grain pasta, bread, and tortillas, can be substituted for refined grains like white pasta, rice, bread, and tortillas.
Whole grains have been demonstrated to protect against heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, in addition to being higher in vital nutrients like fiber (1Trusted Source).
3. Experiment in the kitchen
If you’re feeling brave, recreate your favorite processed meals in your kitchen to make them healthier. This allows you complete control over what goes on your plate while also allowing you to try out new ingredients.
To make veggie chips, mix potato, zucchini, turnip, or carrot slices with olive oil and salt, then bake until crisp.
Chia pudding, air-popped popcorn, granola bars, and fruit leather are some other healthy alternatives to processed foods that you may make at home.
Instead of ordering takeaway, I enjoy trying to recreate dishes from my favorite restaurants at home. This not only saves money, but it also makes it easy to eat more whole foods by stocking up on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
4. Increase your water intake.
Sodas, sweet tea, fruit juice, and sports drinks are high in sugar and calories but poor in critical nutrients.
Swapping these drinks for water throughout the day is a terrific strategy to reduce your processed food intake and enhance the quality of your diet.
If plain water isn’t your thing, sparkling or flavored water are fantastic alternatives. Alternatively, for an extra taste boost, consider infusing water with fresh fruit or herbs.
5. Consider meal preparation.
When you prepare meals in large amounts once or twice a week, you’ll always have healthful meals on hand, even if you’re too busy to cook.
It can also make it less appealing to stop at a drive-through on the way home or rely on frozen convenience dinners when you’re short on time.
To get started, choose a few recipes to make each week and schedule your meal preparation time
I also like to find a few recipes with similar ingredients so that I may rotate through various dinners throughout the week and prevent monotony.
6. Increase your veggie consumption.
Include at least one serving of veggies in your home-cooked meals to increase your consumption of healthful, unprocessed foods.
Adding spinach to scrambled eggs, sautéing broccoli for a simple side dish, or putting carrots or cauliflower into soups or casseroles are all examples of this.
Vegetables are nutrient-dense and high in fiber, which keeps you feeling full between meals, reducing your appetite and curbing cravings (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
Also Read: Ikaria Lean Belly Juice Review
7. Change up your buying habits
When you don’t have any processed foods on hand, it’s much easier to limit your intake.
Fill your grocery cart with healthy, less processed foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes the next time you go shopping.
You can also stick to the store’s perimeter and avoid the central aisles, which are often where processed snacks and junk foods are found.
When you’re out shopping, read the labels on your favorite foods. Avoid foods high in sodium, trans fat, or added sugar as much as possible.
8. Experiment with some easy food swaps.
There are numerous healthful alternatives to many processed foods. Here are some of my personal favorites:
Substitute a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit for your sweet breakfast cereal.
Instead of using the microwave, make your own popcorn on the stove.
Toss salads with a homemade vinaigrette made with olive oil and vinegar instead of manufactured dressings.
To make a nutritious alternative to store-bought trail mix, combine nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.
Instead of croutons, add nuts or seeds to your salads.
9. Limit your intake of processed meat.
Bacon, sausage, lunch meat, and hot dogs are processed meats that have been linked to a number of health problems and have even been labeled as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (4).
You’ll be relieved to learn that reducing processed meat consumption is simple.
For starters, you can simply replace these dishes with less processed meats like fresh chicken, fish, or turkey. Other sandwich contents, such as tuna salad, chicken breast, or hard-boiled eggs, can be substituted for packed lunch meats.
You can also eat more plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, and tempeh.
10. Make gradual modifications.
It’s not necessary to eliminate all processed foods from your diet at once.
In reality, making gradual improvements is generally more effective and long-term sustainable. According to some study, little lifestyle modifications can help create long-term habits and make challenging tasks more simpler over time (5Trusted Source).
Experiment with one or two of the tactics described above each week, then gradually add more.
Remember that as part of a healthy, balanced diet, you can still enjoy dining out or eating processed foods in moderation.
Also Read: GlucoTrust Review
Conclusion
Any food that has been cooked, canned, frozen, or packed is considered processed.
Although many processed foods can be included in a healthy diet, those that are heavy in sodium, sugar, chemicals, and preservatives should be avoided.
Try a few of the suggestions in this article to see what works best for you, and remember to make gradual changes for optimum results.
