4 DANGERS OF PACKAGED FOODS

Grocery shopping + a busy schedule = something easy, quick, and worst of all processed. Processed foods are stripped of nutrients, need to carry out cellular function, and filled with additives. These foods have a plethora of artificial sweeteners, flavors, factory-created fats, coloring, and chemicals that alter texture. Here are 4 common dangerous ingredients found in packaged goods, that can pose the greatest threat to your health.

TRANS FATS: To simplify the definition... Trans fats start off as an unsaturated fat (good fat), then it is chemically altered to create a saturated fat (bad fat). So turning an unsaturated fat, which is liquid at room temperature, into a saturated fat, which is solid at room temperature, aids at a longer shelf life for packaged foods. Connecting the dots now? Trans Fats are found in foods such as store bought muffins, crackers, fast foods, butter, margarine, and the list goes on and on. So basically the middle isles of your local grocery stores. Trans Fats can cause an increase in bad cholesterol and an decrease in good cholesterol. Many companies may not list Trans fats as an ingredient (those manipulating bastards). Therefore, look for words like hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated. By the way, hydrogenated means the product or some of the product has been chemically produced in an already digestive state. I don't need any company to chemically digest my food. I got it, boo.

REFINED GRAINS: To refine something, is to remove nutrients and elements by a number of processing steps. A little fact that you should know is all bread starts off brown in color. The wheat flour is stripped of nutrients and elements and bleached (enriched). This is how white bread in made. Would you open up a bottle of bleach and taste it? Hell no!! So, why would you eat something that contained bleach? Duhh!! Refine Grains include white bread, most dinner rolls, white pasta, white rice, some cereals and again mainly found in the middle isles of your local grocery stores. A diet high in refined grains can put you at risk for high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and just make you fat.

SALT: Sodium is necessary for everyday bodily functions. It help maintain the body's fluid balance and it helps regulate blood pressure. This mineral appears naturally in unprocessed foods like water, some veggies like celery, and dairy products. Sodium should be limited to 1,200mg-1,300mg a day. Too much sodium can cause your body to retain fluid so the extra sodium in your bloodstream can be diluted. You end up looking like a water balloon ready to be popped...not cute. Processed foods are loaded with sodium: canned foods, condiments, packaged meats, and frozen dinners. Here are some things to be aware of, sodium free products may still contain < 5mg per serving, reduced sodium means that the product contains< 25% of the usual sodium content, and light sodium means the product contains about 1/2 the amount of the usual sodium content. Now, I'm not say don't eat things that contain added salt. I'm saying, read the labels and moderation is the key.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP: HFCS is a cheap nasty crap, made from corn, that companies use to sweeten their products. It is found in many frozen dinner and desserts, some breads, sauces, sodas, and beer. HFCS can have a negative effect on metabolism, increase you risk for diabetes and of course increase your weight gain. When reading labels, look for corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn solids, and HFCS.

When going grocery shopping, make sure you are not in a hurry; therefore, you can take that extra time to read labels. And, if you are unfamiliar with an ingredient, look it up on your, fancy, phone. You are going to have it out anyway looking at your Facebook News Feed. Remember, to shop the outer surface of the grocery store first. This is where all the fresh fruits, veggies and meats are located.  READ YOUR FOOD LABELS!!!!!

YourSkinniMini:-)

Another Kick Ass Recipe

Hi Everyone,

  July 4th is upon us...fireworks, yummy alcoholic drinks, and best of all eating with friends and  family. If you are still trying to figure out what to bring to the festivities that you have been invited to, no worries, yourskinnimini is here. I have two quick and easy recipes that you are going to love.

Kick Ass Agave-Dijon Dressing
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2/3 cup evoo
1/4 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

This makes 1 1/2 cups. Of course, you can double or triple the recipe if needed.

Summer Spinach Salad
Fresh Spinach
Sliced Strawberries
Feta Cheese
Red Onions

There are no measurements for the salad. I usually eyeball it...depending on how many people I am serving. Remember you are not trying to get them full; you are just giving them a taste of what you can do:-) Hope your 4th is a BLAST!!!!

YourSkinniMini:-)