day 9: avoiding the worst foods

Google '30 worst foods in America'; you might be surprised what you find.

A few things I noticed, I thought I would share with you. I'm not going to name restaurants or brand names but if you want to check out the article then seriously...Google '30 worst foods in America'. I am, however, going to try and give you the basic idea of the article and a couple easy tips on avoiding the worst foods in America; tips that I try and stick to when I'm out and about, at restaurants or traveling.

It is a requirement that I start with this interesting fact: They have discovered a “worst” canned fruit. Canned fruit? Isn't it tragic they there is a “worst” canned fruit. I'm sorry but if there is a “worst” of something, I don't think I want it at all. Don't you feel like you should be able to trust fruit, no matter what? Well, I hope this isn't a huge disappointment, but the best kind of fruit is, and always will be, fresh fruit! Canned fruit...full of sugary syrups. Apple chips or banana chips...again, full of sugar and sometimes even fried. Think about fresh fruit like this...you don't have to heat it up or keep it cold, some of it comes in it's own packaging, it's delicious and you can eat it anywhere. Same goes for veggies! As you can see I'm very passionate about my fresh fruit. A-moving-on.

It's not surprising that there were more than a few items on this list straight from some of your favorite menus, but what is surprising, and scary, is that some of these menu items contain over 6500mg of sodium! And over 140 grams of fat! I think that someone should litterally be sitting in jail for this. If I were you, I would just try to stick to the basics when you go out to eat, honestly if your going to the right places it should taste good and fill you up. Pick a good protein; if is is not breaded, not fried and, preferably, not drowning in gravy, it's quite possibly, a good protein. These are just suggestions, and sometimes it may be OK to splurge on horribly delicious foods, but not every time. Just ask your server to substitute; some restaurants may charge, but usually not. I will get extra veggies instead of a starch or sometimes a side salad. Now you have a meal full of vegetables and lean, flavorful proteins. You get the idea?

When you're traveling; gas stations, airports, fast food...Actually just stay away from fast food...try to stick to snacks that aren't full of sugars and sodium. Keep in mind, however, that this will be nearly impossible. I would always, first, make this suggestion...bring your own snacks. Obviously, this isn't completely realistic, sometimes you just can't. Always try and find fresh fruit. I mean, if you can find fresh fruit at the gas station, don't you think you can find it just about anywhere? Then try things like almonds, peanuts, beef jerky, string cheese. These are all high protein, and because protein uses 25-30% of the energy it provides just for digestion, this can lead to a higher metabolic rate. This basically means greater fat loss when following a good healthy plan.

So after all of this, now is the most appropriate and inappropriate time to tell you that I am not a health/nutrition expert; shoot, I'm still almost 60 lbs away from my ideal goal weight. Everything I write about just comes from my personal experiences, things I've read in books, things I've done a little research on and maybe even some things I heard from someone who heard it from their neighbors, cousins, brothers, friend.

And so I say to you, “Read me, love me and hopefully you find value in me, but never, ever, EVER sue me!”