My brother made an interesting request for a post…he asked me to make a list for him of foods that are bad, and foods that he could eat. Boy, does that open a can of worms. :D I feel rather shocked, however, as I’ve always known Bro to live off of Eggos, Twinkies, Chocolate Milk and Pumpkin Pie. Oh, and TV Dinners—-Hungry Man, I think, are his favorites. So, for some expressed interest, my head was whirling!
So, sticking to the simple facts and basics. The two biggest offenders in processed foods are hydrogenated fats and corn syrup. Hydrogenated fats are chemically altered to be a near-solid form. In fact, so much near-solid, that they are one molecule from being a plastic. Yum! Corn syrup is also chemically altered, to make a syrupy consistency sweet, by altering its molecular status.
If you can avoid these main chemically-altered food-like substances, you’re well on your way to better health!Bro asked me to list foods that he could buy. Well, it really comes down to only fresh fruits and veggies. But, I assume that making the jump from Twinkies to Spinach isn’t going to be an overnight change, so I decided to think of some easier changes. Taking the most common, kid-friendly foods and listing the non-chemically altered brands. Baby steps, right?
- Pure Maple Syrup as opposed to pancake syrup (click on ingredients)
- Dannon All-Natural or Organic Yogurt compared to leading brands that contain corn syrup
- Whipped Cream as opposed to non-dairy topping
- Homemade Pancake/Waffle Mix as opposed to Eggo Waffles
- Daisy Sour Cream
- Heinz Organic Ketchup (original has corn syrup)
- All-Natural (REAL) Butter versus Processed Spreads
- Real Cheese vs. Processed Cheese slices
- All-Natural Crackers vs. Wheat Thins
- Fruit Leather vs. Fruit Snacks
- All-Natural Cold Cereal versus leading cereals
- Newman’s Own Faux-Reos versus Nasty-Os
- Organic Jellies/Jams versus corn-syrup-laden jellies
- All-Natural Peanut Butter versus most with hydrogenated oils
- Blue Bunny All-Natural Vanilla Ice Cream versus most other brands
- Organic Chocolate Milk verus traditional products
- All-Natural Soda
as opposed to chemically-altered sodas
Cool, good suggestions. I wish the good stuff wasn’t so much more expensive than the toxic stuff.
Ironically enough…my mom raised me on everthing listed on the left. I never knew there was white bread or microwaves until I graduated from high school.
Good to read. Good information.
Thank you for the suggestions. I’ll keep the list handy when I go shopping.