Let’s be honest – processed foods make our lives easier when grocery shopping or planning meals. But stop to consider the hurtful ingredients and chemicals you’re consuming when you choose these types of foods.
Instead, consider substituting these processed items and start getting used to only buying real, whole foods. You don’t have to break the bank to eat healthy!
1. Pasta Sauce
Spaghetti or pasta sauce you buy in a jar often contains A LOT of sugar and A LOT of sodium. You can make your own with some simple staples you probably have in your pantry. Check out this recipe via The Mediterranean Dish.
2. Salad Dressing
Bottled dressings you get at the supermarket – especially flavors like ranch or thousand island – contain not-good-for-you ingredients like hydrogenated oil or too much sodium and sugar. Try making your own salad dressing at home. One of our favorites is simple: combine a little olive oil, vinegar (a bonus if you use white balsamic), a minced garlic clove, and a teaspoon of dijon mustard. It’s light, packs great flavor, and you avoid any nasty chemicals you’d otherwise consume from a bottle.
3. Potato Chips or Buttered Microwave Popcorn
These types of snacks are easy to reach for at the store, and let’s face it: they’re yummy to snack on and can be hard to resist. Instead, try popping your own popcorn on the stove. You can often buy kernels by weight at stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods or Central Market. This way, you can control the amount of salt you add (not too much!) and also avoid the saturated fats you get from big brand microwave versions.
4. Packaged Flavored Yogurts
Yogurt seems like a healthy snack all around, but the kinds that come in cups with fruit on the bottom tend to be loaded with sugar and sometime even have artificial colors added. Instead, buy plain yogurt and top with chopped strawberries (or whatever your favorite food is) and top with a little honey.
We believe in making healthy, lifelong changes to your daily eating and exercise patterns. Physician’s Weight Control & Wellness’s programs are different from other weight loss programs in that they are specifically constructed by bariatric specialists to meet each patient’s individual needs based on their body chemistry, lifestyle, and weight loss goals. Our individualized programs focus on providing positive alternatives to unhealthy habits and targeting foods that provide your body with the specific nutrients it needs for optimal energy and fat metabolism. Practical exercise and hydration are also implemented into our overall program.
We encourage you to become a part of our successful weight loss program. We offer 50 years of safety, experience, knowledge, and expertise found nowhere else!
Contact us with any questions about Physician’s Weight Control & Wellness Center and how we can help you in your journey to better health.
Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash
