Giving Up Processed Foods

[shootingstar]

Yay, Amanda! I'm sure you'll find a way with race season. Just don't overthink it and stick to your plan.

[Crankin]

Amanda, why don't you just make yourself a good old fashioned turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread for lunch? Or any other non-processed meat? Make it the night before, stick a piece of fruit in the bag, and you're done. Or make a big salad full of veggies/beans on the weekend and use it for lunches, adding in other stuff?
I notice you drink soda for caffeine. Have you ever tried tea or coffee? One cup a day wouldn't hurt you, for sure. Even a teeny amount of real sugar in it would be better than the fake stuff.
My close friend and riding buddy drinks tons of diet soda and is crazy about using fake sugar; won't touch the real stuff. The rest of her diet is pretty good. I want to tell her to quit the diet soda, but I am afraid she will not take it well.

[Eden]

I feel like I must be lucky that I think most non-sugar sweeteners taste really, really nasty (that includes artificial ones like aspertame and "natural" ones like stevia and agave - yuck), so I've never developed any habit of using them.... I'm not really much of a soda person, but when I do feel like one I prefer real sugar over anything else - it really does taste better IMHO. I get my caffeine fix with tea and would rather have it unsweetened 99% of the time, though a little honey in chai brings out the spices.