I am recognizing that it takes a long time to change my desire for some specific fake foods. Some of these convenience foods have been so far ingrained in my head as healthy or a worthy splurge that I find it hard to break free of those thoughts.
So far I think I am pretty happy with the changes I have made in reducing my fake food intake. I am much less reliant on packaged foods. Overall, I am getting less additives and less sodium from these sources.
I think I am weakest on the weekends. Even though my weeks are busy I still enjoy doing all my cooking then. This was the case when I worked outside the home too. I am the type of person that likes to do absolutely nothing on the weekends. (No I don’t have kids yet.) Sometimes I will bake, but this hasn’t happened too often lately.
These are the times when it is easy to run to the market and pick up some chips or crackers, a frozen pizza or some packaged cookies.
While I am a long time advocate of everything in moderation, I am still trying to break that feeling of occasionally needing these things to fulfill a craving.
For me, it is the need to train my brain to want real food, even if that is something like a big brownie or cheesy lasagna.
I still buy some packaged foods, but I am always questioning the fact of whether I should really have it. I mean, it is not food. It may have started as a food, but has been manufactured in such a way that nutritionally it barely resembles the initial product.
Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in everything in moderation, but I think it should all be actual food. I decided to think about and list those fake foods I still struggle with the most.
I’d also like to know how you see it.
What are some of the foods you want to reduce, but are still very much attracted too?
Do you have any healthier varieties of the foods I’ve mentioned and why are they healthier? Maybe you’ll give me some ideas.
Crackers
Doritos – especially while watching sports!
Cereal – I choose the healthiest possible, but I still wonder about its real food qualities
Packaged Granola and Granola bars – mostly real ingredients, but often lots of sugar and some preservatives
Photo by jeltovski, www.morguefile.com
Yogurt. I freaking love yogurt, but I know that the stuff I buy in little pots at the supermarket is pretty processed. But in Chile all the milk sold is UHT, which I’ve been told makes it hard to make your own yogurt. Plus the real problem is that I just haven’t ever gotten organized enough to try making yogurt, so for now it’s still store-bought.
Oh, I hear ya. That is one of the things I haven’t put the time in to make. I would like to try a yogurt maker sometime, but not sure about the scratch thing. After checking out some of the labels of yogurt in Brazil, it doesn’t looke like it is quite as loaded with artifical stuff as in the US. Probably still not all natural though.
I’ve made a few batches of granola bars at home, but all with quite a bit of sugar. The upside is that now I perceive them almost more as dessert than snack.
laura, you’ll have to put some of your recipes on your blog. I’d love a good granola bar recipe. I haven’t had much luck in the past.
Chocolate covered raisins. Most of the time, the kind sold in grocery stores have that evil partially-hydrogenated oil. Why do they have to ruin it?
I’ll have to look for a good homemade recipe.
Yeah, the homemade kind never have that appealing, shiny texture that the store bought kind do. They are definitely tasty. At least you are getting some fruit though. 🙂