Eliminate the Processed Stuff

As I venture farther down my path of learning about nutrition, I have learned to stick to a really important motto: If there are chemical ingredients in the food, I don't buy it.

Ew, don't buy this!

Basically, if there are just any unfamiliar ingredients that are on any packaged food I buy, I try not to get it.
For anyone trying to lose weight/begin living a healthier lifestyle, I recommend trying to cut back on any of the processed or "fake foods" you buy.
That's not to say that all foods containing chemicals are bad for you! My whey protein powder has lots of chemicals, but I feel that the benefits of of eating that food outweigh the harm that the chemicals could give to my body. 

How do you know if it has chemicals?
Just look at the ingredient labels.
If there are foods with an ingredient list that's a paragraph long... chances are it's processed and filled with junk. Likewise, if the first ingredient of a food is something like Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate.... don't buy it.

Reading ingredient labels can not only make you more aware of what you're putting into your body, but it also can just make you want to buy more wholesome foods and produce. 

All of this packaged food is bad for your health
and the environment. Just look at all that plastic!

I rarely come home with a packaged food from the grocery store these days. My shopping cart is filling with fruits, veggies, some sort of locally baked whole grain bread, nuts, and yogurt. That's literally it.

Cutting back on packaged foods like cereal, granola bars, and other processed crap has rid my body of unnecessary chemicals.

So here's another saying to leave you with: When in doubt, do without. 

If you're not sure something is chemically processed or not, chances are it is. Leave it on the shelf and go buy yourself a banana instead.

But hold up, I'm not saying I'm the perfect role model or anything! There are some chemical-ridden products that I always have in my house. I just love them so much! (Although I have been trying to cut back... and have been pretty successful so far!)

I'll do a post on that coming soon. Does anyone want me to do a grocery haul post?Let me know!Emily