5 ways to avoid harmful processed foods (without going nuts)

Have you a little freaked out that all of the processed foods you’re eating might be less than wonderful for your health? Do you feel overwhelmed about what on earth to eat instead, so you don’t do anything about it?

Sometimes the hardest thing about making a change is simply deciding where to start and realizing that you don’t have to know everything before you take your first step.

Sure, you could flip your entire diet upside-down all at once and embrace the cold turkey strategy for ditching processed foods. But I’m guessing you don’t find that idea very appealing, so I’m giving you five simpler strategies that will help you start ditching processed foods without losing your sanity.

What are “Real Foods”?

No matter what strategy you choose, you’ll need a way to figure out which foods are “real” and which foods are too processed to keep in your diet. Follow this simple rule: Read the ingredients label on everything you purchase. If you can easily identify every ingredient as having come from a plant or animal in nature, then it’s a keeper. If not, leave it on the shelf.

Sure, you can research even deeper with food additives information and animal welfare issues (which won’t necessarily be represented on food labels), but we’re just taking our first step, remember? So let’s just start with this one simple rule.

Pick Your Strategy

1. One Enemy at a Time

One popular way to start ditching processed foods is to target one food additive or chemical ingredient to avoid. You choose one additive (e.g., MSG, high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, natural flavor), and you stop purchasing anything that contains that ingredient. Once you’ve mastered that ingredient, you move on to another one. You don’t have to know everything about every food additive that exists; you just find one you feel may be harming your family’s health and then refuse to purchase it any more.

2. Weekly Recipe Make-Over

One of the most overwhelming things about ditching processed food is that you likely don’t know how to cook anything. Well, there’s only one way that is going to change—start practicing.