I walked through the Wickham Farmer’s Market yesterday afternoon with a friend and, after buying a beautiful bouquet of organic kale, we looked at all the goodies the vendors had on display. ”Bread,” I said, “I miss bread.” I told him I eat very little processed food now. ”What is considered processed food?” he asked. Good question. Usually anything with a label of ingredients that has been through a cooking process. A can of soup is processed. Bread and pasta are processed, snack foods are processed, cookies, crackers, chips, pastries, candy, box dinner mixes are all processed. Most contain sugar, salt and wheat, some are gluten free. It’s all processed. So what is not processed? Fresh fruits and vegetables are not processed. Most meats are not processed, potatoes are not processed. Dehydrated fruits and veggies have been through a process, however I consider them unprocessed. I eat the occasional can of soup, pasta or Joseph’s oat bran and flax pita, but it’s not every week.
I find when I eat something like a sandwich every day for a week, my digestive system gets sluggish from all the bread and I feel slowed down. If I make my own sandwiches using giant romaine leaves for the bread, that’s the deal. If I eat a can of my favorite Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, within minutes my sinuses will clog up for an hour. I like it so I still eat it.
I find it easiest these days to just decide on a protein (chicken, fish, sardines, beans, tofu, an egg) and then decide on a vegetable of each color (a handful each of chopped tomato, kale, yellow squash, orange pepper.) I grill or saute the vegs then serve on a bed of spinach or romaine and toss my protein on top. Sometimes I cook a half a potato in chicken broth and throw the meats and vegs in and eat it like a soup. I used to eat a baked potato every day, with only salt and pepper. These days I like eating lighter. The benefit is that at age 60 I’m healthier, lighter and more fit than I was at 50. That’s the plan and I work the plan.
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