Healthy Lifestyle Tip #5: If You Don't Know What it is Don't Eat It!

There are so many foods in the market these days that shouldn’t even be considered food because they have been processed beyond the point of containing anything more than chemicals that are designed to taste like food. My advice is that if you read the ingredients on a particular food product and you don’t know what the ingredients are, then don’t eat it. Instead, focus on eating more whole, plant-based foods that aren’t processed and don’t contain unknown ingredients.

Let’s play a game called Name that “Food”! Below are the ingredients in a well-known food item found in the grocery store.

Let’s look at some of the ingredients a little closer:

BHT

A preservative added to many foods that is also used in jet fuels, rubber, and embalming fluid

Dextrin

Gives foods its crispiness and is also used as the glue for envelope adhesive, printing thickener, and is added to fireworks

TBHQ

Used as a preservative in foods and has also been shown to cause tumors and DNA damage in lab animals

Not to mention the following mentioned once or more than once: flavoring, blueberry flavored, concentrate, artificial, color added, preservative, etc.  

Want to guess what food this is?

Sorry to burst your bubble but even so-called “health” and “diet” foods contain dangerous chemicals that humans are not meant to consume. The good news is, there are healthy alternatives to these traditional foods found in the grocery store that contain whole foods rather than chemicals such as the product below. Red Mill brand old fashioned rolled oats contain 1 ingredient, and that is organic whole grain oats. No added chemicals or preservatives here and they make a delicious alternative to traditional breakfast cereal.

In general, if you are looking to be healthier then I would stand by the general rule that if you don’t know what it is (or you can’t pronounce it) don’t eat it. This is a good guideline to follow because it will lead you towards consuming more whole foods rather than processed foods, which contain a lot of chemicals that can be physically addictive or added salt, sugar, and oils that are not in whole foods. This goes for all kinds of foods, drinks and even supplements. Consuming more whole foods will lead to a healthier lifestyle because you will be consuming more nutrients which will give you more energy, better digestion, and overall better health.