Cut-It-Out: Four Foods You Should Live Without

Another week!  Another challenge!  Hope you enjoyed your Easter candy Sunday, because we should all be saying "NO" to it this week.

This week's challenge is meant to break the cycle of consuming empty, fatty, unhealthy food.   What are "empty calories"?  As defined on the Wiki by the USDA:

In human nutrition, the term empty calories applies to food such as solid fats and/or added sugars supplying food energy but little or no other nutrition. The USDA advises, "A small amount of empty calories is okay, but most people eat far more than is healthy."  The following foods are often considered to contain mostly empty calories and may lead to weight gain:

• Cake, cookies, sweets, candy, ice cream, soft drinks, fruit-flavored beverages and gelatin and other foods containing added sugars (including High-fructose corn syrup, HFCS)
• Margarine or shortening, and other fats and oils (although some consumption of fats is essential to health)
• Beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages

I have compiled a quick 100-level look at the four foods on the plate to cut out this week and next.  Sometimes information helps us make rational decisions when we are emotionally attached to things, like comfort foods.  This would be me.

Sugar can be blamed for all kinds of things:  tooth decay, lowered immune system, peaks & valleys in blood sugar levels and energy, empty calories & weight gain, reduction in beneficial cholesterol, and increase in bad bacteria in your gut.

Sometimes we turn to artificial sweeteners instead.  Why not?  They are calorie-free!  While there are benefits to swapping artificial for real, there are also negatives.

If you are truly trying to eat healthy, cutting sugar of all types will tip the balance back in favor of real sugar, found in natural foods.  Fruits can become your dessert as your body quits craving the hard stuff and adjusts to more moderate levels of sweet.

If you're swapping artificial for real, you're still giving in to the craving for sweet and consuming empty calories found in diet drinks, sugar-free candy (which is still PACKED with calories), and sustaining your dependence on sweetness.

Protein shakes typically have a little added artificial sweetener, so we're going to say protein powder is allowable.  The protein benefit outweighs the sweet factor for the purpose of this competition!

If you'd like to read more about artificial sweeteners, see this article by the Mayo Clinic.

This is a great slideshow about sugar addiction.  Yes, it is a real thing!

This is a really great article from the Huffington Post about the negative aspects of sugar.

"The Case for Healthy Bowels" discusses the good bacteria in your gut and the effect sugar has in creating an imbalance, which can result in major health issues.

Refined Grains are also empty calories.  Processing takes out all the good in whole grains.  Whole grains help you feel full, lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and contain fiber.  Read more here from the Huffington Post (I do love huffpost!)  Try weaning your family off white bread and pasta, and towards whole wheat breads, pastas, & grains at every meal.

Here's a quick list of whole grains:

brown rice

buckwheat

bulgur

millet

oatmeal

quinoa

rolled oats

whole-grain barley

whole-grain corn

whole-grain sorghum

whole-grain triticale

whole oats

whole rye

whole wheat

wild rice

Try making your own whole-grain bread.  Recipes abound, but are sometimes finicky & dry.  This is my favorite.  It is moist, nutty, and never disappoints. 

Fast Food is a whole category of bad that I don't think we need to go into much.  The benefit you get of having food made fast is usually outweighed by the high fat content, nutrient-deficiency, and enormous calorie counts found in these foods.  High fat fast-foods are cheaper than fast-food salads.  But the healthy choice will be well worth the expense. This is why the number one suggestion for losing weight is: eat meals made at home.

If you find yourself on the road, most fast-food restaurants now have healthy options.  This article shares 14 fast food meals under 500 calories.

And Fitness Magazine offers 30 Surprisingly Healthy Fast Foods and some tips for eating "fast".

Fried & Fatty Foods are also on the list to cut this week.  We all need healthy fats in our diets, probably more than you think you do.  Fats help us absorb nutrients and vitamins.  Fat protects your organs, keeps you warm, provides energy, promotes cell growth, and produces hormones.  There are both good fats and bad fats.  We are cutting fried and fatty foods because they are made with bad fats and also refined grains which are a double negative, and unlike in  math, do NOT make a positive!

Fried foods are typically made with the bad fats = weight gain, cancer risk, heart disease.  Need I say more?  Here's an article on LiveStrong that discusses the Disadvantages of  Fatty Foods.

Here is a slideshow from Health.com about choosing different types of fats, both good and bad.

You should be eating some of these healthy fats with every meal.  My favorite fat suggestion? EAT THE DANG YOLKS!  Eggs are a good fat & protein, cheap, and not tossing the yolks helps you feel full and happy!  Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, eat the yolk!

Here's a short list of healthy fats:
Avocado
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Cold-water fish
Natural peanut butter
Low-fat cheese
Low-sodium nuts
Olives and olive oil
Safflower oil
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Flax seed oil

Knowledge is power, so read up and arm yourself against the pitfalls of processed sugar, processed grains, fast food & fried/fatty foods.  Moderation is key in all things dietary.