Despite the overwhelming influence that heavily processed foods have on the lifestyles of many Americans, there are many steps that can be taken to eat a healthier diet, and delicious alternative meals that you can make from the safety of your kitchen.
Homemade ramen noodles are a great healthy alternative to processed soups and only requires noodles, diced vegetables, and a broth. (Image courtesy of Chowhound)
It is easy to focus on the many negatives that are attributed to processed foods and the way that they impact the lives of consumers on a regular basis. However, it is important to remember that you can always make proactive choices to better your diet and consequentially your health, as you will reduce the harmful health effects of ultra-processed foods.
The most important part of changing your diet/ eating healthier is to know what you're doing. A great way to do this is by reading various health websites or blogs in order to determine what foods are most beneficial for healthy living and would provide the most benefits under regular consumption. This would help with being able to create a sustainable diet for yourself that can last years, rather than eat foods you dislike for a few weeks before giving up.
There are many small substitutions you can make in your daily life to reduce the amounts of ultra-processed foods you consume. For example, instead of drinking soda, buy sparkling water and put in some naturally flavored juice powder packets. Or you can go even further and simply infuse the sparkling water with slices of your favorite organic fruits to flavor the drink. This cuts out the large and unnecessary amounts of artificial sweeteners that can be found in sodas in the form of high fructose corn syrup and added sugars.
Another example of an alternative food for your diet is making your own dinners in place of frozen meals. Whether it's grilling some chicken, making some broth and zucchini noodles, or baking a batch or two of biscuits, you can replicate or replace many of the processed frozen foods you might typically buy with a homemade healthier alternative. This also helps you to become more self-dependent in the way of being able to prepare your own food, and will help you to understand the food you consume in greater depth.
In general, it is very difficult to completely avoid the consumption of any processed foods in today's society. As a result, the best action that can be exercised is moderation and self-control. By moderating the amount of processed foods that you consume and keep the amount fairly, low, for example less than a quarter of your diet, the potential health risks will be negligible. Sticking to healthier processed foods like canned fish, canned vegetables, and things like frozen vegetables also ensure that the processed foods that do end up in your diet are on the healthier side of the spectrum. By taking simple steps like checking nutrition labels to ensure you do not purchase anything with too many sugars, fats, or unwanted chemicals, you can maintain a fairly healthy diet without too much effort.
Regularly taking small steps in your every day life to improve your diet can snowball into great benefits for your health. It is important that every consumer educates themselves on the foods they put in their bodies, and how they can achieve good health through the food products that they choose to consume.