Good Habit #6

Replace processed, chemically enhanced foods for wholesome close-to-the-farm foods.

Choose whole-grain breads, rice and pastas instead of white. Go for fresh meats and cheeses, not processed. And don't be suckered into thinking fruit-flavored snacks or vegetable chips are healthy alternatives to real fruit and vegetables. Wholesome food means less sugar, fat, sodium and chemicals and provides more fiber and natural nutrients. Foods close to the farm also help normalize blood sugars and provide greater hunger control than processed and chemically enhanced foods.

Your right Tracey these are getting harder! Hey and glad to hear that your getting on track! Good going and Chelsea too!

Well finally, something I don't have to work on!!! We already buy the whole grain bread so I'm actually ahead on this habit!!! Yeah!!!!

Hey good job if you already buy whole grain bread! BUT what about brown rice and brown pasta instead of the white?? Fresh meat and cheese, instead of processed. Real fruit and vegetables instead of fruit-flavored snacks or vegetable chips. Wholesome foods means less sugar, fat,sodium and chemicals and provides more fiber and natural nutrients.

Foods close to the farm also help normalize blood sugars and provide greater hunger control than processed and chemically enhanced foods.

I bought brown rice and Don didn't like it. It is chewier. So I mixed brown and white for a while.
Now I just buy brown. Pasta is a little different for me. Its not always easy to find whole grain pasta.

Ok Ok Tracey, yeah I know there is more to this habit! But that is a start!! I probably don't have to worry about the rice because we hardly eat it anyway, and we don't eat pasta very often either...but the next time I buy pasta, I will try to buy the whole grain. I very rarely eat fruit flavored snacks but I'm not that great about eating real fruit either. Partly because we don't have any in the house! I eat bananas a lot, but I know I need to start eating apples, oranges, and other fruit too. On to the vegetables...the only raw vegetables that I can really stand to eat are carrots...the others have to be cooked. I just don't really like the taste of them raw. I promise I will continue working on this habit!!!!

Bridget

You can get brown spaghetti at Wal-Mart and I don't mind it. I like brown rice and whole wheat bread as well. I didn't at first, but after I got diabetes I started to slowly learn to change over. I now buy white for my family and whole wheat for me. Jay has now joined me in eating more whole grains. Kendra has to have the white at least for now, and Kalin will eat whatever I put in front of him. Jay really is trying to make good changes.

I've also been drinking skim milk which I didn't think I ever would, but I made my way to 1percent and now I don't even mind skimmed.

I'm not sure what fresh cheese compared to processed cheese is though Tracey? I assume our meat that we buy from Jim is considered fresh, and lunch meat is not, but what about cheese?

Jackie

Yeah, I'm confused about the cheese too. I'm guessing the processed cheese includes cheese slices but I'm sorry, I can't get rid of that!!! I also can definitely NOT do skim milk!!! I've tried it and it tastes like water!!! YUCK!!!! However, I can do 1% but I think 2% is better for Amya and when you are on a budget you kinda gotta stick to a minimum. I know it's only like $3, but that adds up quick....especially with the amount of milk Amya and I drink!

Wheat bread was the one thing I resisted converting over to when I started this thing, but I gave it a try. And you know what I found out, it wasn't that bad!!! I eat it all the time know. I also eat more broccoli, etc. I guess I am kind of like a kid when it comes to food. If it doesn't look good or not sugar coated, I didn't want to try it. I have now retrained the way I think.

I know I have not had peanut butter (one of my weaknesses) since I started this thing. I do not think I have had ice cream, french fries, or sugar coated cereal (all weaknesses of mine) since then either. It is really not that bad once you change your thought process.

That is why I am not calling what I am doing a diet. Diets are temporary. I am making a lifestyle change.

Good luck to all this week and thanks for the calls and well wishes.

Jay