S/O Processed foods

StephNJer

First off, forgive my ignorance on this subject, and how stupid my questions might seem. 

When I go to the grocery store and look around, I feel like practically everything in there is processed. We would really like to implement healthier eating habits, but can't afford to go completely clean and buy all our food at an organic grocery store. So, how does one determine which processed foods are the lesser evil? We try to always buy whole grains/whole wheat. We don't eat a lot of red meat and instead eat a lot of poultry. We try to buy fresh fruits and veggies as much as we can, but will also use frozen veggies out of convenience (those steam in a bag ones). It's overwhelming trying to go to your typical grocery store and pick healthy foods. We don't have a Whole Foods or Tahoe Joes near us.

For example, if I go to buy my DD cereal, I avoid the sugary ones and will try to buy something that I *feel* is healthier, but really, isn't all cereal still "processed crap"?

Sorry, I know these are stupid questions. DH and I were raised eating really crappy foods, and we feel really ignorant when it comes to the subject of trying to eat cleaner. 

AngelaSue

I'd like to know too. DH and I were just discussing this, this morning about eating better and cutting out different things, we've had a lot of behavior issues with DS lately and I'm interested to see if these things can change that.

Mrs Manners

We do almost all our shopping at a regular grocery store. However, in order to supplement with naturally raised meats and eggs, we buy in bulk directly from the farmer (1/3 pig, whole chickens, 1/4 cow, etc). It's cheaper and gives me acess to naturally raised or grassfed meats that my local grocery doesn't carry and that I can't afford at whole foods (which isn't convenient to me anyway).  I shop almost exclusively around the perimeter of the store and only venture into the center for things like coffee, tea and canned tomatoes or canned veggies. I have zero issues with giving frozen veggies and think they are a fine compliment to any diet.

For breakfast ds eats some sort of fruit, eggs and meat almost every day. Today was a boiled egg, two pieces of bacon and chopped cherries. He was starving before he got to school to eat the breakfast I packed so he also at some cashews in the car on the way there. I make scrambled eggs, egg "pizza" which is just an omlet with veggies and cheese that I cut in to triangle shapes, quiche (I make in a muffin pan with veggies and some sort of meat so they are easy for him to hold and eat), all sorts of fruit and dairy like greek yogurt.

For lunch he has a meat, veggie and if at school a starch (although we don't feed them at home). I typically send his meats because of his soy allergy so they are things like cheeseburger with no bun, natural turkey and apple sausage, pork chop, chicken legs, spaghetti and meat sauce served over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, steak, etc.

Dinner at home is always a meat and veggie plus a salad (the kid is obsessed with salad) and we make different homemade dressings for him to use as salad dressing and dips. It helps with variety.

Snacks are things like nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistacchios), cheese, olives, cold meats, fruit or dried fruit, boiled eggs or homemade popsicles (greek yogurt blended with fruit and then frozen) or homemade "ice cream" (a frozen banana blended with almond butter and a splash of heavy cream).

Mominator

When I grocery shop I try to buy the bulk of my items from the exterior aisles, meaning mostly fresh fruits and veggies, low fat dairy and lean meats. Not to say that I don't venture into the frozen food aisle, but it's mostly for frozen veggies more for convenience than anything. For cereal, it is hard and I've found that that is one place where it is hard for me, so I try to do the best I can by sticking w/ those w/ the shortest ingredient list and ingredients that I can actually pronounce. My kids only eat cereal 2 days a week at most, so it is just one thing that I can't stress about. Something like Steel Cut Oatmeal is great alternative for cold cereal and you can really indiviualize it by adding various flavors. And you don't need something like TJ's or Whole Foods necessarily, most of the bigger chains that I shop at have a fairly extensive "health food" section.

EdithBouvierBeale

I think a good rule of thumb is to shop the outer walls of the grocery as much as possible,

and since the interior shelves are where the boxed / processed/ frozen things typically are, limit your purchases there.

 

ha ha-mominator beat me to it.

ghm

I generally avoid processed foods in general. We eat lots of produce for snacks. There are certain processed foods I buy, but I try to stick to the 5 ingredient or under rule--like avoid the danimals yogurt, etc. I buy natural yogurt only. Same with cheese. There is no "clean" eating of processed foods, really. Organic crackers are not healthier than regular crackers, though they may be less harmful (if that makes sense). 

I do buy a box of whatever cereal the kids want per week--and once it's gone, it's gone. We do yogurt or oatmeal (not the packets, the rolled or steel cut ones), or things like eggs and sausage for breakfast.

Frozen veggies are just as healthy, if not healthier than fresh.

I like to make my own bread, but if not, am very picky about what I buy--the ingredient lists on even organic breads can be scary.

Again, organic ingredients don't mean healthy all the time--while it helps you avoid modified ingredients and hydrogenated oils, they can still be loaded with sugar or things like soybean oil. 

Zenya

I just wanted to add that those steam in the bag veggies are supposed to be a terrible source of BPA so I would cut those out.

StephNJer

Zenya:

I just wanted to add that those steam in the bag veggies are supposed to be a terrible source of BPA so I would cut those out.

Interesting, I had not heard that, but it makes sense. Thanks for that tip. 

StephNJer

Thank you everyone. It can be very overwhelming, especially when you read/hear that even organic foods might not be that healthy. It doesn't help that DH and both my kids are very picky eaters. If we didn't eat things like pastas every now and then, I think we'd starve. All joking aside though, I do want to implement healthier eating, so at least now I have some info to go with. 

Mominator

StephNJer:

Thank you everyone. It can be very overwhelming, especially when you read/hear that even organic foods might not be that healthy. It doesn't help that DH and both my kids are very picky eaters. If we didn't eat things like pastas every now and then, I think we'd starve. All joking aside though, I do want to implement healthier eating, so at least now I have some info to go with. 

Have you considered making your own pasta? It is pretty easy and tastes a billion times better than the boxed stuff.

juniper19

A couple of rules of thumb: Before you buy something, ask yourself whether your great-grandmother could have purchased it or made the item with the ingredients listed on the box. Read the ingredients and ask yourself whether you can by them all in the store. Frozen veggies are fine. They are frozen as soon as the are harvested, so often they are healthier than fresh veggies that have been off the vine, stem, etc for days or weeks by the time they reach you. Just make sure they don't have added salt or flavorings. Examples: instead of buying flavored cous cous or rice, get the plain kind and flavor it yourself with salt, spices and fresh veggies. Or cooking in broth instead of water. Get real cheese instead of Velveeta or American cheese. Make your own Mac and cheese instead of using kraft. Bread and bake fresh chicken breast tenders instead of frozen nuggets. Even the breadcrumbs - leave out some whole wheat bread until it is stale and hard and break them into crumbs. You can do a lot at a time and add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.

J&A2008

Bread machines are pretty easy to use and it's fairly cheap to make your own bread.  Toast is a breakfast staple here.

penguingrrl

There are certain things I do buy processed. I don't always have time to make my own pasta, so I buy whole wheat pasta. The kids occasionally eat cereal so I buy Trader Joe's version of cheerios.

I do make my own plain nonfat yogurt (it's very easy), although I buy nonfat plain yogurt as a seed for my own. If the kids want it sweetened we'll add fruit and/or honey when they eat it.

I buy a lot of frozen veggies since they're far less expensive, I just make sure they have no added ingredients and microwave them in a glass bowl.

If I buy bread, it has no ingredients other than what I would use making it.

I will also used canned tomatoes for things even though it has added salt.

Snacks in our house are mostly fruits or fresh veggies.

I just try my best to minimize processed foods and don't do things like boxed mac n cheese except as a big "treat" for the kids.

I went through a brief period in college where I ate mostly junk and I felt awful from it, plus I gained a ton of weight, not all of which I've managed to lose yet, but it's coming off  quickly now.

Bride2b2004

If you have an iphone, get the free app "Fooducate".  It is awesome for helping you figure out quickly which products are better than others.  It flags dangerous/controversial additives, tells you when something is heavily processed and points out good and bad points in various items (you scan in the bar code).  I threw away a lot of things in my house when I first dl the app.  Even things I thought were "healthy" had an ingredient I was completely unfamiliar with and didn't realize I was giving the kids ("TBHQ"- petroleum derivative) 

veloelle

J&A2008:

Bread machines are pretty easy to use and it's fairly cheap to make your own bread.  Toast is a breakfast staple here.

Goodwill/Salvation army typically has bread makers. I bought mine for $6. Best money spent. Or Craigslist.

shopgirl78

I was told (and this is one way I look at the labels) if you don't recognize/can't pronounce the ingrediants = bad. 

And ditto stay around the perimeter of the grocery store.  I do freeze some fresh veggies. 

I don't have time to make my own pasta, bread, etc either and that's okay. 

I live in a small town where we also don't have access to all the fancy foods TJ, WF, etc...I have yet to see a local farmer claim organic (thought I still go to the farmer's market). 

We still use some processed things, I am an everything in moderation girl.  I think I have made great strides though in improving our diet since having kids...