Hi Reader

When I talk to people about having more single-ingredients, whole foods, the #1 obstacle they report is TIME.

To pack your meals with real food, shopping for fresh produce may bring you to the store more often than you'd like, cooking from scratch takes time
and if you are moving away from the standard American diet, you would likely need some time to find recipes or ideas on what to cook.

So if it's a transition for you, it definitely takes an investment of time in the beginning. What I help people with in my program TIMELESS is to make this more of a system, a lifestyle that you can stick to, even when things are busy.

These days, eating a whole foods diet doesn't take me more than 3 hours a week.

If you need some context, I run this coaching practice, have another full time job, a hungry husband to feed and I pack a whole day worth of real foods for my 3-year-old girl to bring to daycare so she doesn't eat chicken nuggets.
If I can do it, you can too.
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But I get it: after a long day at work, you want something fast and convenient.

I used to work past 7pm at the lab and dinner was often something I had grabbed at the store on my way home that would require little work or could just be warmed up.

So to make this work for you, you need some intentionality.

To create the habits that support this strategy, here are a few tips:

1. Plan your meals

An ounce of planning is worth a pound of work.

Write down a 7-days menu including all meals and ideas for healthy snacks.

Why does that work? You don't have to make decisions when you're hungry or at the end of a long work day. You can take micro steps to prepare in advance.
You know how to stock up the fridge and the pantry to set yourself for success.

In my household, we have recipes on rotation. The grocery list is very consistent. It removes a lot of questions and decisions. It also makes it easier to budget. And there is always room for tweaks and variations.

I have also used in the past a subscription service that delivers a box to your house containing all you need to cook meals for the week: fresh ingredients and tasty recipes. I often got to cook with spices that were totally new to me and pick up some new techniques and ideas. There are more companies offering these services now, and you get to pick your favorite option (In Canada Hello fresh, chef's plate, We cook are available. In the US, the list is even longer). They usually offer healthy options and they don't have any recipe taking over 30 minutes to prepare.

2. Keep things simple

When I broaden my diet from keto to paleo, I found that the "healthy blog recipes" were so complicated that it was a huge turn off.
20-ingredient long lists, 5-step sauce making that was just one third of the meal, stuffs I had never heard of in the recipe... No thanks!

If you're busy and making an effort to cut down processed foods, I invite you to limit fancy recipes and look for things that are pretty basic.

Why? Because complexity fails. I have often heard clients report not following through on their healthy meals because of being completely overwhelmed by too ambitious goals.

Examples of basics:
Salmon, steamed broccoli and rice. Season with olive oil and some dill for flavor.
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It only takes 3 minutes to cook 3 eggs for breakfast and it brings you 21 grams of protein, 18% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) in vitamin A, 45% in vitamin B2, 18% in vitamin B12 and 21% in vitamin B5 (to fuel brain power), as well as 70% of the recommended amount of choline: a nutrient critical for brain health.

For me things are very simple: I make sure to include all 3 macros in a meal. I choose one protein and a couple of sides that are easy to make that will be a source of fibers and natural carbs.

Once you master the basics, you can expand the possibilities.

3. Cook in larger amounts for leftovers

Add extra when cooking so you can have a lunch the next day or repurpose in another easy-to-make meal.

For example I roast one whole chicken on the week-end. There is always enough left to have chicken breast in salads for lunches, make homemade chicken soup or make some sort of chicken lettuce wrap.

4. Find short cuts

Look for foods that don't require long cooking times.

With an instant pot, a roast can be on the menu for a week night. I throw a 1LB roast in the pot with some veggies and mushrooms and have a whole meal in 10 minutes. I don't get paid by instant pot, but I do want to share this with you because it can revolutionize your cooking time if you don't have one already.

Make your own salad dressing and keep it in a bottle to use whenever you want. The dressings you buy at the store are often loaded with sugar and other chemicals that will make you feel like crap. If you don't want to make it, I recommend the dressings by Primal Kitchen for their super clean ingredients (created by functional health champion Mark Sisson). Again, I'm not paid, just trying to help.

Other shot cuts include frozen veggies or pre-cut veggies. I see more and more of those veggie trays that you can buy and just throw in your oven.

5. Read the labels

Strictly speaking, anything that is not single ingredient is processed (single ingredient is what grows, either in the dirt or animal). But there are also degrees of unhealthy to processed foods. For example, if you tolerate gluten, there is a big difference between the artisanal sourdough you buy from your local bakery (considered processed food) and store-bought sliced bread. The latter is likely to contain sugar and preservative the former does not.
Without checking out what the stuffs you buy is made of, processed foods will creep into your diet.

Once you start reading the labels, you realize that a lot of things that are sold are not really food... They're more like chemical experiments. Personally, I rarely shop the center aisles of the store.

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I hope that these tips will help you bring in more real foods.

Because here's what happens immediately after you cut out processed food from your diet:

• You get a lot more energy​
  You know those mornings when you feel sluggish and feel like you need a coffee transfusion to get you going? Those days you have feeling zero motivation? Well, a lot of that is gone once you prioritize real food.
• Your digestion improves​
  Your gut bacteria can start to shift to healthier communities and your gut can better perform it's functions (check out the blog to read more on how processed foods wreak havoc on your gut here).
• Less brain fog​
  With the nutrients in real foods, your brain stands a better chance to get what it really needs to go full power (like choline, magnesium, B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids). Brain fog is often caused by too much sugar at once. Sugar is a common ingredient in processed foods and it's easy to have too much when you don't know it's hiding in what you eat.
• Drop weight​
  Some of my clients have lost 12LBS in 6 weeks just by eliminating processed foods. It can be that easy to lose weight, as long as you're consistent with it.

If you are noticing a lot of processed foods in your diet, I encourage you to create small steps. Start with putting your effort on one meal. Get up to one day with no processed foods and keep going.

You could add hours to your days.
And years to your life by doing that.

If you need more help, I'm here to support you. In step 2 of Timeless, I help members create the systems they need to eat what fuels their body and mind and support a longer richer life.

Next week, I will be sharing Principle #2 for healthy eating to help you take the guess work out of your nutrition,

Have a healthful weekend Reader

Talk soon.

Jihane

PS: Do you know someone who could use some tips to cut down on processed foods? Please share this email with them.