5 Things You Might Not Know About the Food You’re Eating

In a world full of so much knowledge about eating, where does one begin? This is part of my journey as well as some interesting facts I found a long the way.

A memory came up on my Facebook today and the post could not be more fitting.

5 years ago I started out on a really small journey to try and start feeding my husband and myself better. In order to do that….I needed to learn how to fricken cook. As I have stated in other blog posts (for instance https://healthyhappyhumble.net/fuel-your-body-pt-1/) I did not eat the best growing up. I was extremely picky and I didn’t have any interest in cooking because I was afraid of failing at it.

Not only was I afraid of failing at cooking but I honestly did not know where to begin. There was and is SO much information out there regarding what to eat and how to cook.

What the hell is “2 heads Belgain endive, julienned”????

There were some recipes that I found and I had literally no clue what the ingredients were. Zest of a lemon? Chevre? Where the HELL do I find Figs (and are they of the Newton flavor??). There were also other recipes that had so many fricken steps it was daunting! You want me to mix this in a blender, then put it in a skillet, then use the oven, then put it on a broil?? I felt like a 5 year old trying to learn how to do calculus…I was so overwhelmed and so discouraged!! But I wasn’t going to let those feelings stop me from trying…I wasn’t going to let the Oscar Meyer Wieners win….(see previous blog reference).

I started with the easiest/least scary kitchen appliance I could think of which was my beloved crock pot. It was slow at first. I made meals like frozen meatballs and pasta (yes..I knew how to make noodles on the stove…thank you Kraft…), chicken breast in tomato sauce, beef stroganoff, lime chicken tacos (it sounds fancy but it’s just chicken breast, salsa, corn, and lime juice with some chili powder/paprika…..sooo good). After a few good months of NOT ruining our lunches or dinners I moved my cooking to the stove top and oven.

It’s also about what you’re eating.

As slow as my methods of cooking evolved, it was an even slower process of changing the food we were eating. Although I was cooking meals at home and not eating out as much, I realize now our diet wasn’t much healthier. I was still eating ultra processed foods and not listening to my body when it would react to certain kinds of foods (dairy, pasta, etc.). But again, when I went to the drawing board, there was and is SO MUCH information out there I felt like I was getting sucked into a black hole of overwhelm.

There are over 100 different diets to follow. Science is always finding new studies. Organic or not organic? No GMO’s. What’s wrong with my eggs? NATURAL FLAVORING IS MADE OUT OF WHAT KIND OF ANAL SECRETIONS??….overwhelming. And that’s just to name a few. It has taken 5 years of research and listening to my body to find the right diet for me. During those 5 years I’ve learned a lot of information, especially the last 3 months in school to become a Certified Health and Life Coach.

I want to share some things I found interesting that you might not know about the food you’re eating.

The Bliss Point

Ever wonder why ultra processed foods (soft drinks, chicken nuggets, candy) taste so good and crave worthy? The products are literally created with a specific amount of sugar, fat, and salt that are combined to play on the brain’s biological hard wiring for pleasure. So not only does it taste amazing but it is also addicting. Companies call this the “bliss point” and it used to only be in a small amount of junk foods, but now is found everywhere in ultra processed foods. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if ultra processed food was good for us, but…it’s definitely not.

Not all fats are created equal

It is important to have 1-3 tablespoons of healthy fats at each meal. Not only does healthy fat keep you fuller longer, but it’s also good for your brain too! Healthy fat examples= avocado, unflavored nuts and seeds, salmon, albacore tune, olive oil. To avoid brain overload, I want to point out that Trans-Fat is the worst kind of fat. And it’s found in a lot of the ultra processed foods I was previously talking about. Trans-Fat is put into food for shelf life/preserving, but can cause heart disease and cancer.

Eating organic or not organic?

Each year Enviromental Working Group (EWG) evaluates fruits and veggies to determine their overall pesticide exposure. The Dirty Dozen are the ones they highly recommend you buy organic if you are able to. The Clean Fifteen have much less pesticides than the dirty dozen and are safe enough to buy not organically.

The worse a food is for you the bigger the advertising budget

Let that one sink in for a little bit. Should I even point out how many of those ads are marketed to kids?…

The price of Soda has decreased almost 40% since 1970, while the price of fruits and veggies have increased almost 40%

There could be many reasons why this has happened but it’s still interesting and curious to me. Soda is an ultra processed product, fyi.

I am STILL learning every day. I’m learning how to eat, cook, and feel better not only physically and mentally but to feel better about the choices that I make and buy for myself and for my family. It’s been one hell of a journey thus far. As you get older, so does your body (shocker!) so things do change! It’s fun to see how far I’ve come in 5 years with these little Facebook reminders. And slowly every day I try to be just a little better. I’m not trying to reach perfection as I don’t believe there is such a thing in societies view of “perfect”, but each day is a new day to be a little better. And I believe if I can do it, you can too.

What’s one thing you can do today that would be better for you than yesterday?