Very rarely do I find sensible, well-researched articles on food and diet that don't have a gimmick or product attached to it. For the past several months I've been telling clients that the best way to get rid of unwanted fat is to eat whole, unprocessed foods. And anecdotally, I've found that I can eat more by volume and calorie count of, for example, avocados, rice, beans and greens than I can of a low-fat meal of pasta and reduced-fat cheese, and lose fat and inches.
Why is that?
But I still did not have a solid answer for why. The key is insulin and how our body processes each calorie. It would be a disservice to you to paraphrase the article that the science-y yet accessible Darya at SummerTomato.com wrote for MizFitOnine.com.
So do me a favor and do yourself a favor: Read it. And let me know, does anyone feel better eating a can of corn-syruped peaches than eating a fresh, organic one? Anyone?
Are there any processed products you could start substituting with "real" food?
I'll start: I snack on Clif Bar ZBars (supposedly for kids). They are made with whole oats and are organic, but even at under 150 calories, they are loaded with sweeteners and more processed ingredients than I'd like.
Why do I eat them? At so few calories and (with chocolate!), they store easily in my car and give me a little boost when I'm craving something sweet. What would be better? Ideally something without the processed sweeteners...I'm thinking maybe some yogurt with a bit of banana? Or dried apricots with a small handful of pumpkin seeds?
OK, your turn - what processed foods can you start phasing out? What'll you replace them with?
