Giving Up Processed Foods

[Chile Pepper]

I gave up diet drinks years ago because I came to consider all artificial sweeteners toxic. There are lots of alternatives--the most obvious being water. In the winter, I drink hot tea, herbal tea (best made with fresh herbs), hot water with a splash of Angostura bitters or a squeeze of lemon, or the occasional cup of warm milk with a grating of nutmeg. In the summer, I keep a pitcher of water in the fridge, flavored with slices of cucumber, lemon, lime, or orange. I chill herbal teas and unsweetened ice tea. I also like a splash of bitters in sparkling water.

I have an herb garden, which makes it easier (and more interesting) to make herbal teas. I especially like spearmint, peppermint, lemon verbena, and anise hyssop. Lemon balm (melissa) has a sort of Lemon Joy character, so I only use it occasionally for a hot tea (but it's a great filler plant in the garden). Catnip is kind of grassy, but it's nice for a change. I don't have chamomile, so I use commercial chamomile in the winter.

[Crankin]

Amanda, I would encourage you to start cooking. It's so much easier to control what goes into your body. While I haven't done a challenge, or have eliminated huge categories of food like wheat and dairy, I just don't buy pre-packaged foods, like Weight Watcher's dinners, or anything. I have never been a soda drinker, since my teens. My parents always served water with meals. Any desserts we had were home made.
I read labels and tend to spend the $ if a product I need for cooking is free of chemicals. I always say it's cheaper in the long run, than taking medication!

[Dannielle]

I very, very rarely consume any processed foods. I don't find it difficult or limiting but I've gradually tweaked the way I eat over the years to get it where it is now. It would have definitely been a shock if I had made a huge switch all at once. And I have quite a few health issues fueling my motivation. There was a time I was nearly bedridden, in too much pain to do much of anything, and 200+lbs heavier. So while food has been a challenge at times, it's a challenge I was up for as the way I eat now leaves me feeling absolutely amazing. Totally worth it!

I don't approach things from a perspective of "I can't have this, that, this". Rather I start with what I do choose to eat (vegetables, fruit, nuts/seeds, legumes) and build meals with those foods. I eat a lot of smoothies (breakfast usually, made with greens, fruit, chia seeds), soups (the crockpot is my friend!), salad (either your typical "over lettuce" salad, often with steamed or roasted veggies too -or- a chopped salad of roasted/steamed/fresh veg (no lettuce) marinated in balsamic vinegar and seasoning blend like MrsDash), or steamed veggies with a bowl of beans on the side. I try to always have some nuts/seeds with veggies as a little fat with a meal greatly increased nutrient absorption. I keep a container of mixed nuts/seeds that I've ground in the food processor with nutritional yeast and seasoning blend that I sprinkle (a tablespoon or two) on top of my veggies. If you squint real hard you can pretend it's parmesan cheese lol.

I do use a wee bit of stevia or xylitol to sweeten things that need it but I make an effort to opt for savory over sweet. And I use as little as possible. I'm working on slowly making the transition to using ripe banana or dates to sweeten but that doesn't work so well for coffee. (a vice I'm not sure I want to totally give up lol)

I do cook A LOT! Luckily I'm not the sort who needs constant variety. I get into happy food ruts where I enjoy something until I eventually burn out on it and then move on to something else. Handy because I don't mind making large batches of things like soup and eating leftovers. And I prep fresh veggies all at once (well, not everything, but a lot of veggies get prepped right away) when I get home from the store and keep them in sealed containers in the fridge. Really makes assembling a meal easier.