Health trends and wellness crazes abound in our culture, many supported or refuted by statistical evidence. Once butter was wonderful, then fattenning, and now, apparently, if you believe the data set forth in Michael Pollan’s New York Times bestseller In Defense of Food, a valuable nutritional source. What is one to believe? Is fat good or bad? Who has time to read the very latest findings? Are those findings reliable? One’s quest for wellness can become as futile as Don Quixote’s ill-fated mission to impose chivalry upon a modern world. Fitness guru and award-winning yogi Emily Vendemmia, also featured in this issue of Looking Good, comes to the rescue. She shares simple advice: don’t go crazy, just reduce as much as possible a reliance on foods that come from boxes, cartons, and packages. Avoid getting bogged down in statistics and focus instead on eating basic natural foods. It is impossible to eliminate all processed foods from our diets and not all processed foods are dangerous. However, by reducing the amount of the processed food you eat and fueling your body with natural whole foods, you’ll be amazed at the difference in your appearance, energy level, and overall feeling of wellness.
Spotting Processed Offenders If you are unsure of what exactly defines food as processed, simply ask yourself if the food or its ingredients are found in nature. For example, homemade mashed potatoes contain potatoes, butter, and milk, all of which are naturally occurring. Conversely, the box of instant mashed potatoes has a long list of hard-to-pronounce chemicals added to enhance color, flavor, or texture. These chemical additives also serve to extend the product’s shelflife, thereby saving the manufacturer money at the expense of your health. These additives are much more difficult for your body to absorb, break down, and eliminate than food found in nature. As a result, your body works harder at digestion, leaving you lethargic and sluggish. Deprived of the nutrients it needs, your body absorbs the chemicals, leaving your skin prone to break-outs, nails brittle, and hair dull.
Purging Your Pantry Read labels diligently to spot hidden offenders. Among the worst ingredients in processed food are sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, sodium nitrates, the potentially cancer-causing preservative butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, and artificial anything. There are many more culprits, and many actually approved by the FDA, so educate yourself about the most toxic processed foods so that you know when to run.
The Detoxification Process While avoiding processed foods is a simple change, it is not always easy. As with anything else, your body has become accustomed to the chemicals you’ve conditioned it to expect. During the first few weeks, you may experience digestion discomfort, headaches, changes in 36 LOOKING GOOD
sleep patterns, and lethargy. These are transient and will abate as your body becomes more detoxified. There are a few things which will help to speed up the detoxification process and ease your physical distress in the first days and weeks. Drinking lots of water will rapidly flush toxins from your body while keeping you hydrated. In fact, drinking adequate water is one of the simplest things you can incorporate into your daily routine for optimal health. Naturally occurring antioxidants are also found in green tea, fresh lemon, and apple cider vinegar. And while exercise is an essential part of any healthy lifestyle, it has the added benefit of speeding up detoxification while releasing endorphins to make you feel great.
The Pay-Off Shortly after reducing your reliance on processed food, you’ll begin to notice a big change in your physical condition. You may sleep more soundly, experience fewer headaches, have more energy, and even look better. The better you look and feel, the easier it will become to maintain your new lifestyle. In fact, you may find that eventually you’ve lost your taste for processed foods and notice their adverse physical effects much more acutely. By getting back to basics and fueling your body with wholesome food, plenty of water, and regular exercise you’ll reap the many rewards that come with good health and overall wellness. Find healthy substitutions for some of your favorite items and make, on