How to Eliminate Processed Food From Your Diet
We keep saying that Heartiness Approach is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. We are not calling is a well-kept secret or new information, but eliminated processed food is key to success. As we research the healthy eating topics we keep finding that there were many people talking about healthy eating in the early 20th century. If we were to look deeper we suspect that there were some even earlier. The principles and facts are not new, some have been updated, but the reasons that many do not heed is the existence of conflicting information that continues to prevail. Heartiness Approach describes the types of foods we eat, how we eat it, exercising to build muscles and bones along with our cardiovascular system, and reducing, eliminating if possible, your stress.
There are as many ways to eliminate processed food from your diet as there are the people trying to do it. We are choosing certain foods at certain times. If there is a better way for you, by all means, use your way.
1. Eliminate the processed food Soda pop.
The only time you need to have one is to help you if you nauseated or ill. Some people with Migraines use soda pop as a medicine during the headache. Only drink as much as you need, no 
more.
2. Steer away from fast food restaurants which are filled with processed food.
Eating here is a cop out. It is the easy way out. It is the lazy way out.
It is not the cheap way because it is always more than you think and the poor food will cost you more in the long run with your health.
3. Eliminate man-made oils as many are processed in unsafe ways. Soybean oil, Canola oil, Sunflower oil, Safflower oil, Corn oil, Cottonseed oil.
If a food is processed it almost always has soybean oil in it which is genetically modified.
These oils are all high in omega-6 which increases inflammation.
This includes margarine. Go ahead pay the price for real butter. Grass-fed is what you are aiming for but that is even more expensive so give yourself a break and just purchase a butter made without rBGH. This is an injection given to milk cows to increase their production. One of the claims is that the milk contains high levels of human growth hormone which promotes tumors.
Palm Oil is supposed to be okay to use but in order to get it many animals loss their lives so we do not use that.
No food that is deep-fat-fried because of the damaged oils they are fried in.
Eliminate anything using partially hydrogenated fats as these are trans-fat and can cause cancer, diabetes by interrupting the insulin receptors, decreasing our immune response, reproductive problems, Heart disease, which is three-fold higher in women, increases the bad cholesterol, and interferes with your body using the omega 3.
4. Eliminate white sugar, High-fructose corn sugar, Cane syrup.
Reduce your sugar down in recipes to ¾, then ½, then to 1/3 or ¼ of the original recipe.
5. Artificial sweeteners are completely processed and should be eliminated. They keep 
your sweet cravings alive.
These sweeteners can cause headaches, migraines, cancer and a sweet addiction that only gets stronger.
6. Eliminate refined grains. white rice, white flower pasta, Cream of Wheat and other processed and refined grain cereals, Ready-to-eat Cereals, White flour.
7. If it is in a box or a package, it is generally processed food.
If there are 5 ingredients or less and you know what those ingredients are, you may consider buying.
8. Nitrates in meat. Factory meat. CAFO ( A concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an animal feeding operation (AFO)—a farm in which animals are raised in confinement—that has over 1000 “animal 
units” confined for over 45 days a year.
This 8th one was not mentioned in the video. It is a very important one but sometimes harder to achieve. Bacon, Ham,Sausage and processed lunch meats have nitrates in them. Begin to ask you butcher for nitrate-free bacon and sausage. Many of them are very tuned into the nitrate-free movement and will make their own sausage without the nitrates. Lunch meats are processed and since we are not eating processed food anymore they are not on the list to eat. Try to find a local source for your meat. We have found a source for beef, pork and lamb. We have visited the farm. We know how the animals are raised and what they are fed. We have looked the farmer in the eye and know where our meat is coming from. We also raise our own chicken and turkey. We use that meat instead of processed lunch meat. We grind the breasts for burger meat. We feel confident in the meat we are eating.
Do you have suggestions for this list? Let us know and we will add the methods we agree will make a difference.
Don’t make all these changes at the same time. Pick the easiest one for you and build to the more difficult. This list is not the complete list of all possible items that need eliminated but they are a great start. This is a lifestyle that takes time to make a noticeable difference. Unlike supplements, or something you must pay for as you go, this lifestyle change does not cost you but does demand consistent attention. Your body responds quickly to incorrect eating and responds slowly to good eating.
This is not a weight loss program. You need to be healthy to lose weight. Once you are truly healthy you can begin a weight loss program if you want to … If you need to. Most people will not need a separate weight loss program but if you follow though, eliminating all the wrong foods, eat all the correct foods, exercise, and reduce your stress and the weight remains or increases we recommend that you seek medical assistance. You may have a serious metabolic problem but your new healthy lifestyle will make you a better candidate for the appropriate treatments. The longer you refrain from adopting a healthy lifestyle, Heartiness Approach being one of them, the more difficult change will become. Our bodies, whether young or old, have marvelous regeneration capabilities. You owe yourself the opportunity to heal so don’t put it off longer, get busy and start making the change.
(Heartiness Approach is not a medical entity in anyway. We do not give medical advice. The advice we give is from research we have done and based on our experience. We always suggest others do their own research.)