The 5-Ingredient Challenge

Over the weekend I decided to end my relationship with processed food. Apart from the health risks, both known and unknown, of consuming chemicals, dyes and preservatives, our bodies just weren't designed to eat food out of a box. I'm by no means a nutrition expert, but I know that there is a correlation between the current percentage of Americans who suffer from diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer and the quality of food that we eat. While it may be a lot easier to pop a frozen dinner in the microwave or throw together some hamburger helper when pressed for time on a weeknight, in the long run, health wise, these "foods" aren't doing us any favors.

Several weeks ago during a conversation at lunch, one of my coworkers mentioned that she had heard that for optimal health we should choose foods that contain no more than five ingredients on the label to ensure that the food has been minimally processed. A great idea, I thought, however, the next day when I was debating on whether or not to put some ketchup on my veggie omelet, I threw caution to the wind and decided to indulge. At that point I realized just how much processed food has become such a huge part of our lives. It's everywhere: ketchup, ranch, soda, frozen foods (even those Morningstar products for vegetarians), cereals--the vast majority of the foods in our grocery stores are overly processed. And yet we wonder why so many of us are sick?

So this past weekend, I decided to put myself to the challenge of no longer eating foods with more than five ingredients. Obviously, a pot of homemade vegetable soup, for example, wouldn't fall into this category; however, the package of vegetable soup mix I would usually throw in would. I know that it will be a difficult and tedious chore to read food labels, but in the long run it'll only be for my benefit (and my family's).

Today I brought some homemade vegan banana bread and grapes for breakfast, bok choy stir fry with whole grain pasta and seaweed for lunch, and a banana for a snack. For dinner I'll most likely have a salad with some sort of homemade dressing. My next weigh-in is this Thursday, so I look forward to seeing positive results!