They All Have This One Guideline In Common.
People on the paleo diet are eating lots of proteins, vegetables and fruits, and avoiding grains, dairy, and beans.
People who follow a ketogenic (keto) diet consume a lot of fat, a small amount of protein, and a very small amount of carbohydrates.
Similarly, the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, a flexitarian diet, and other popular regimens all have their specific must-dos and taboos.
But, varied as they are, all the eating programs have one major thing in common, according to Lauren Bernstein, MS, RD, CDE, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Rahway: “You’ve got to get the processed foods out of your diet and start eating more real food,” she says.
What’s Processed?
“Processed” food, as the name indicates, means that food has been changed
in some way cooked, canned, frozen, packaged, fortified, preserved on the way to your table.
Some foods are minimally processed (think frozen vegetables or roasted nuts), while others are processed with a long list of added sugars, sodium, dyes, gums, stabilizers, and so on.
“If you can’t pronounce or recognize the ingredients on the label, the food is ultra-processed,” Bernstein says. “This category includes things like chips, instant noodles, breakfast cereals, chicken nuggets, and ready-to-eat microwaveable foods. They’re designed for tastiness and long shelf life, but not for a healthy diet.
“That’s why all the popular diet plans, as well as recommendations for people with health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, involve cutting out or strictly limiting highly processed foods,” she says.
“Even on WW [formerly Weight Watchers], the ‘zero-point’ foods the ones you can eat your fill of, including beans, fish, eggs, fresh vegetables, and fruit don’t have zero calories. They’re just healthy, unprocessed foods.”
Keep It Simple
While eating mostly unprocessed foods is a straightforward guideline, it may not seem easy to follow at first. “Healthy eating takes effort,” Bernstein says. “You have to cook, and you have to plan.”
Menus should include mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meats, nuts, beans, healthy fats like hummus and avocado, and low-fat dairy products, with limited sugar, preservatives, and white flour.
“I see clients every day, working parents who are so busy with kids and their activities they’re not making food an important thing in their lives,” Bernstein says. “They’re looking for heat-and-eat foods and takeout. But then they end up 50 pounds overweight, with prediabetes or high cholesterol, and their doctor tells them they have to change the way they eat.”
Step By Step
Creating new habits is key. “Do some prep work on the weekends; use a slow cooker that cooks your dinner all day while you’re at work,” Bernstein advises.
Also, meals don’t need to be complicated. “Sauté chicken cutlets and bake a sweet potato,” she says. “Stir-fry some shrimp and vegetables and throw it over brown rice. It doesn’t have to be gourmet; the important thing is that you prepare it yourself.”
Don’t feel you need to eliminate all processed foods in one go. “This is a journey a marathon, not a sprint,” Bernstein says. “Start with small goals. For breakfast, stop going to the doughnut shop and make eggs with a piece of whole-wheat toast at home. Pack yourself lunch in the morning. Getting up just a bit earlier to have time to do these things can make all the difference.”
Finally, know that big payoff are in-store when you cut back on processed foods. “The most immediate effect is that you’ll find you have more energy,” Bernstein says. “And when you go to the doctor for a checkup, you’ll see positive changes in your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Making these changes will give you a clean bill of health and make you feel good about yourself.”
If you have diabetes or prediabetes and need help with blood sugar control, you can learn more here.