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One of the best ways to clean up our eating and improve our health and lose weight is to eliminate the ‘clutter’ from our diets. This includes all the sources of ‘empty’ calories devoid of nutrition like soda, refined sugars, unhealthy fats and overly processed foods.
I recently read that junk food now makes up nearly one third of the calories in our typical American diet. Sources of these calories include sweets, desserts, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, salty snacks, and fruit-flavored drinks.
Couple this with the fact that we are now eating 300 calories a day more than we did in 1985 and you have a perfect recipe for obesity and poor nutrition. It makes me sad how many of us have suffered and continue to suffer because of these realities.
As one of my favorite nutrition teachers is always saying, ” We are overfed but undernourished.”
I feel like I’ve come a long way on my journey to eat better. But’s it’s amazing how many hidden offenders I’ve found still lurking in my cupboards and refrigerator during a recent raid! Have you ever really spent time reading the labels of the stuff you consume? You’ll be shocked. I know I was.
If you are ready to start clearing away the ‘clutter’ from your fridge and overhauling your pantry to make way for healthier alternatives, begin by reading labels and eliminating the following offenders:
- Refined sugars
- Trans-fats (anything with partially hydrogenated in the label)
- Refined flours
- Artificial sweeteners
- Unfamiliar ingredients
- Unpronounceable ingredients
- High fructose corn syrup
It’s a giant step in the right direction!
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