Stop eating "junk food"

Okay . . . so now that we understand the importance of keeping a "food journal" for 2 days . . . is about being "ACCOUNTABLE" for the amount of food we consume . . .

And understanding that even though we "think" we're not eating a lot of food in any given day . . . we "really" eat more than we think . . . and keeping a journal will give us validation . . .

And with this . . . we now need to talk about "what" food we're eating . . .

So . . . the question for today is this . . . What do you consider "junk food"???

Because we "all" have our own version.

So let's better understand . . .

The definition of "junk food" is this . . .

Food and drink that's "low in nutritional value" (meaning low in vitamins, minerals and fiber) and "high" in saturated fat, added sugar and/or added salt.

Which are all NOT a necessary part of any diet.

Now . . . most "junk food" falls into the categories of either "snack food", "breakfast cereals" or "fast food"

And some examples would be . . .

Cakes, bake goods, biscuits, cookies, pies, cereals, hot dogs, chips, burgers, pizza, chocolate, candy and other sweets, processed meat like bacon or deli meat, ice cream, soft drinks, sports and energy drinks and alcohol, just to mention a few.

Now . . . all these and more . . . taste "good" . . . but . . . they have little . . . to no "nutritional value" . . .

This is called . . . eating "EMPTY CALORIES"

And as we know . . . consuming too much of this "junk food" can lead to health problems like obesity and diabetes.

Okay . . . so most of us knew that . . .

But . . . did you know???

If the food you purchase is in a can, frozen, or wrapped in a package . . . this too is considered "junk food".

Why you ask???

Well . . . it's all about the processing . . .

If it's processed . . . it most likely is "high" in sodium and trans fats and had the "nutrient value" removed.

So even when you reach for that frozen dinner to pop in the microwave . . .

You know the one you thought was healthy because it told you so on the label . . .

Well . . . even though it contains the 3 staples to eating . . . protein, carbs and fats . . . it's also been processed, which removes many of the vitamin, mineral and fiber that's needed for optimal health . . . which makes this food . . . "NUTRITIONALLY SOUND"!

So the best way to reduce our belly fat . . . is to . . . "give up" . . . "processed foods".

A study in the journal, Food & Nutrition Research, found that the human body "only" burns 50% as many calories digesting processed foods . . . as it does digesting whole "real" food.

So right there we're at a deficit of "nutritional value", calories for weight loss and healthy foods for optimal health.

And if that's not bad enough . . . the other issues with any processed food is this . . .

The serving size on packaging is portioned "greater" than the average person can digest in one sitting.

So tomorrow . . . we'll discuss portion control.

As always, feel free to DM or contact me at: miraclemeadows.net/contact/