 Monitoring diet part of process
Becoming a healthy person is a process that continues as long as we live. As we age and learn more about how our bodies work, we need to continue to make little tweaks here and there. One of my recent quests has been to eliminate some specific ingredients from my diet, namely, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and nitrates.
High fructose corn syrup was my first goal. There is quite a bit of research showing that it can trigger a reaction in your brain that causes you to crave sugars. This is because it is a highly condensed sweetener that can apparently inhibit your stomach's fullness signal. When I took a look at the nutrition labels in my home, I found HFCS in: bread, cereal, ketchup, barbecue sauce, peanut butter, salad dressing and many other items. So how do you go about eliminating it from your diet? Fortunately, there are a growing number of products available without it. Store brand organics, which are competitively priced, are a very good option. There are now several brands of bread that are all-natural as well. And I've found that products that avoid using HFCS tend to be more flavorful. I am very glad I made this switch.
Artificial sweeteners have also been in the headlines recently. There is an ongoing debate about whether or not they contribute to cancer development. I am also concerned about the effect they seem to have on weight. As I have previously admitted, I suffer from an addiction to food, a big part of which is an addiction to sugar. I have to be careful around the sweet stuff. Research is showing that artificial sweeteners can trigger some of those addictive tendencies. They make your body think it's getting something sweet and when the sugar doesn't actually follow, it can trigger a craving for sweets. Diet sodas are a big culprit here. I have switched to coffee for my caffeine fix. Although coffee's reputation goes back and forth, it is all natural, and for two cups a day, it seemed like a reasonable alternative. If it's the bubbles you crave, try soda water with a little juice.
As for nitrates, they have been linked to cancer and are typically found in lunchmeats. This is something that we ate every day in my home because it provided a lean source of protein. I found myself having to choose between affordable meats with nitrates or more than eight dollars per pound for a more natural alternative. My solution was to buy chicken breast when it's on sale, cook it in bulk, then slice and freeze it.
The research and debate on these issues is ongoing but, the way I see it, sticking with the most natural ingredients is never going to hurt.
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