Is fake flavor making you fat? What is fake flavor? Why does it seem like year after year we crave food more yet experience less satisfaction from it? What has changed?
A lot has changed.
Our food has changed. Whole foods are different and processed foods are different.
This combination makes fat loss tough and fat gain pretty easy.
Today is part 1 of 2 episodes talking about what has changed about food & what we can do about it so we enjoy food more, eat less of it & reach our fat loss goals without deprivation.
Is Fake Flavor Making You Fat – Part 1 –
What Happened to Whole Foods?
There is a combination of factors that have led many Americans to eat more junk & eat fewer whole foods.
The whole foods have changed. They have far less flavor, less nutrition & less appeal overall.
The processed foods have changed as well. They have more flavor. They have more appeal. They are carefully formulated to make us want, even need, more.
In today’s episode I’m talking about just how whole foods have changed. In part two I’ll be talking about how processed foods have changed and what we can do about it so we stop craving the processed stuff and enjoy the whole foods more.
I share a few stories from the book The Dorito Effect including a story about how & why chickens aren’t nearly as flavorful or nutritious as they used to be.
It all started during World War II when beef was rationed. The limited availability of beef increased consumption of chicken. After the war when there was no more rationing of beef, the chicken farmers had to get creative to ensure that American families would still eat plenty of chicken.
They launched the “Chicken of Tomorrow” contest to challenge farmers to produce chickens that:
Grew faster
Were more uniform in size & color
Had bigger breasts
Required less feed to fuel their growth
Flavor was not one of the judging criteria.
It worked. Chickens got plumper, they grew faster, they looked more uniform and prices dropped. So did flavor.
These “improvements” at the expense of flavor have only continued since the 1940s. They’ve also been seen in beef, pork, fish, fruits, vegetables, wheats and grains.
We have more food at a lower cost with fewer nutrients and less flavor.
This has all happened while big food companies pump out highly flavored low cost processed food-like items.
Travel can throw people off. It can easily become a free-for-all that takes you far away from your goals. But here’s the thing: if you want to make good choices while you’re traveling, it’s totally possible when you master a few travel strategies for weight loss. I want to help you enjoy food, enjoy your trip and come home feeling great about yourself and your body. In today’s episode we’re talking about strategies for airports, hotels and restaurants.
Hey! Don’t forget!! For tips, recipes, workouts, motivation & ongoing support, get on the free VIP email list!! I love being able to connect with you guys!
Sometimes eating out can be a curve ball when you’re trying to lose weight, right? Today we’re going to make that easier! Eating out for weight loss is totally possible. You can make fat loss friendly choices just about anywhere. In today’s episode we’ll go through different restaurant genres and talk about good/better/best choices.
Of course it goes without saying that making fat loss friendly choices at home is super important too! And I’m not one for spending a ton of time in the kitchen. I try to share with you guys my favorite quick-and-easy-but-totally-delicious meals and recipes every couple of weeks. If you aren’t already, hop onto Primal’s free VIP email list!
First and foremost you have to acknowledge your baseline. You do not need to make a jump from your current choice to the gold standard choice. You need to make a slightly improved choice. Can you jump from where you are to the gold standard choice? Absolutely! But can you get results by just making a slightly better choice? Of course! Continue to tweak, adjust and improve over time.
The guidelines when eating out for weight loss are the same as the guidelines when eating at home. You want to focus on keeping your blood sugar steady and avoiding those peaks and valleys.
In today’s episode we’re tackling how to improve your choices and make great choices at the following types of restaurants:
It is not hard to make fat loss work at fast casual restaurants. Sure, it might not come naturally and it might represent out-of-the-box thinking for you at first, but there’s absolutely a way to enjoy your meal and have it be fat loss friendly at your fave fast casual restaurants.
What I thought I’d do in this post is share fat loss friendly choices I’ve recently made at 10 different fast casual restaurants. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to eat at home. I love to pull together simple, flavorful meals with high-quality groceries. But, sometimes I don’t feel like cooking and sometimes I’m on the road. When I first started losing weight the idea of eating out seemed like a prescription for failure. I felt like the day was shot if it required eating out. I’d have to strive for perfection another day. These days, I know I will make the best choice I can. So, you ready for this?
Quick disclaimer: these are just my choices. This doesn’t imply that it’s the only fat loss friendly choice. It’s just my choice. Honestly, you don’t have to make these choices. Make the choice that represents an improvement FOR YOU. For example, if you usually get rice and beans at chipotle, make a gradual improvement by choosing one or the other. Or, if you normally would get a sub at Penn Station or Subway, take off the top half of the bread and eat the sandwich with only the bottom half of the bread. Either way, make a choice that represents a gradual improvement for YOU.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
I think Chipotle is a really easy one. My goal when putting together a meal is to focus on veggies, protein and healthy fats and have the carbs be an accessory to the meal. Chipotle is allll about meat and veggies. Typically, what I’ll order here is a salad. I’ll skip the rice and beans, add chicken or steak (no need for double protein on most days) and then top it with fajita veggies, pico and guacamole.
Honestly though, there are so many ways to make an improvement. You don’t have to do a salad. You can do a burrito if that’s you’re style. But if you normally get both rice and beans in your burrito, opt for one or the other. Or if you aren’t a green veggies fan, just do a burrito bowl and skip the tortilla!
Zoe’s Kitchen
Do you have a Zoe’s Kitchen near you? Oh my goodness. So many amazing choices. One of my faves is the Protein Power Plate. It’s cabbage with feta cheese, grilled chicken and carmelized onions. Divine. I also love the steak kabobs over a veggie medley. The veggies normally come with potatoes but I opt for double veggies. Veggies are carbs, afterall.
Salsarita’s Mexican Cantina
Same strategy applies at Salsarita’s as Chipotle. Focus on the meat and veggies. Dial down the carbs. Maybe you do beans without the rice. Or a tortilla but no rice/beans. Or maybe you eat half of that jumbo burrito you normally get. Or you start to skip the chips. So many ways to make an improvement! Maybe you’re typically adding guacamole, sour cream and cheese. How about going for 2 out of 3 next time? Pick the two you love the most.
My Salsarita’s order is almost exactly the same as Chipotle except it’s not a salad. I’ll do a burrito bowl with just chicken, pico, veggies and guacamole.
Jimmy Johns
People tend to freak out about sandwich places and really feel like there aren’t good options. Not true! Jimmy John’s makes a killer unwich! Basically, they’ll wrap any sandwich is crisp lettuce leaves. In this case, I ordered the California Club with bacon, hold the mayo. So we’ve got turkey, avocado, bacon, tomato and cucumber. It’s amazing!
Which Wich
I gotta say, I like Which Wich’s lettuce wraps more than I like Jimmy Johns, though they certainly aren’t freaky fast. More like painfully slow and a wee bit more expensive. Worth the wait, though! You basically create your own sandwich and can opt to have it as a lettuce wrap. Even if you aren’t a lettuce wrap fan, you can always eat your sandwich with a fork and knife and have only 1/2 the bread. I doubt you’ll enjoy it any less! My standard Which Wich order is turkey, cheddar, basil pesto, bacon and tomato. Ah-may-zing!
Penn Station
Another sandwich shop that freaks people out! Here’s the thing though: they will make any sandwich into a salad or a bowl. A salad version would be served on top of lettuce (as seen below – that’s the Philly Cheese Steak) or just in a bowl without the lettuce bed. No excuses!!!!
Chick-fil-A
I think there are a lot of options you can make at Chick-fil-A. First, they have grilled chicken nuggets! Perfect! Or, a grilled chicken sandwich is always better than a fried one! Plus, you can leave the bun on the side if you’d like! They also have a few good salads. This is their grilled chicken salad but they also have a great Cobb salad, you just have to request your chicken grilled and not fried.
Burger Spot
Burger places are so easy! Just hold the bun! When I go to Burger Spot (or any burger place), I’ll choose the most delicious sounding burger and just leave the bun on the side or ask that they not include the bun. Sometimes I’ll choose sweet potato fries, othertimes I’ll pass and just really savor my burger. If you feel like that won’t fill you up, add a side salad.
Jason’s Deli
This is one I HIGHLY recommend! First of all, they have a huge salad bar so you could create a customized, amazing salad on the cheap. But if you aren’t in the mood for their salad bar, they have a few amazing salad creations. On top is their quinoa, mango, avocado, shrimp salad and below that is their chicken, bacon, cheddar salad. Both are freakin’ amazing. No bland salads here! They’re totally delicious and very filling!
McDonald’s
This is last on the list because without even getting into a convo about food quality, I think their food tastes like garbage. Just my opinion. My #1 food rule is “eat foods you love” and McDonald’s would never make my list. But, my tastes clearly don’t represent that of the Standard American Diet. I will say – you can do better. Try out the above 9 before defaulting to McDs. With that said: you can always get a burger and scrap the bun. They have a handful of salads with grilled chicken. If you need to eat something while you’re driving (which I don’t recommend primarily bc you can’t enjoy your food that way), opt for one of their grilled chicken wraps – but be warned – they aren’t that great. Honestly though, I don’t think any of their food is. Just my $0.02.
Here’s a challenge for you: If you feel like you don’t know how to make a good choice at a particular restaurant, email me the link to their menu and I’ll weigh in with the most fat loss friendly options. Ultimately, we do the best we can. Will every choice be perfect? No. Will every choice be the best one possible? Nah, probably not. But it’s important to understand that you can reach your fat loss goals and dine out, travel or be on the go. You get what you look for, afterall!
On today’s podcast we’re tackling a bunch of different listener questions, including a few on how to make healthy choices at restaurants so you can enjoy social situations and still make progress towards your goals. Plus, we’ll talk about alcohol, plateaus, family members bringing tempting food into the house, smoothies in the morning and much more!
And hey! Do you have a question? I wanna take a stab at it! Take a second to get on the free VIP email list and I’m always super happy to answer any and all of your questions or put you in touch with a resource that can give you the information you’re looking for!
Healthy choices at restaurants: I’ve got a huge fear that I’m trying not to focus on. My friends are not the reason I over eat or am overweight, but they certainly are not helpful. I’m referring to two guys that I love and consider to be my best friends. They’re certainly not the only ones, but I’m around them the most. It’s actually everywhere I go. Last night I told them a little about your podcast and that I was excited to try this and they were encouraging and thought it was a great idea. They really are a huge positive influence in my life except when it comes to food. As we’re leaving Qdoba they are already discussing going to Buffalo Wild Wings later that night. These guys love to eat just as much as I do and they don’t hold back at all regardless of my goals. “Dude let’s go to Whataburger” at 11 at night all of the time. I love eating with them. It’s super fun. This is a major crutch for me. Any suggestions?
Not liking “diet” food: My next question is this though. I love the idea of not feeling restricted or actually enjoying what I eat that is healthy for me. The problem for me though is that I really don’t care for salads with dressings like light Italian or something on the diet friendly side. If it has ranch on it then I love it haha. So when I go to a place like Whataburger (which I really do love and am currently talking myself out of going there) what would be your suggestion there?
Eggs & cholesterol: I know you love eggs and bacon in the morning and so do I. I have heard and read that eating eggs everybody is not good because of their high cholesterol content. I have also listened to your podcast episode that cholesterol is not the culprit. I read that one should limit eggs to 1 a day or 2 every other day. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Junk in the house: What do you say to someone who lives with someone who is intent on buying highly processed foods and other junk? When emotional I will go to the most icky foods! Sure I should reconsider vilifying foods, but I would prefer to not have them in the kitchen. Should I ask him to move them downstairs?
Good choices when tired at night: I know dinner is my big rock but when I get home at night, I’m so tired and I end up overeating whatever is most convenient. What can I do to make improvements even though I’m tired and hungry at this time of day?
Plateaus: I am down 24 lbs since May but I seem to have plateau’d do you have any suggestions for what to do when fat loss seems to stop? Also how often do you think is acceptable to drink alcohol and still lose weight? I am wondering if that is why I have stopped losing.
Smoothies in the morning: So one of my favorite morning routines has been to make a smoothie: I use unsweetened almond milk, frozen wild blueberries, organic spring mix, flax meal, protein powder and I put a little stevia in. I enjoy this and it keeps me all morning, sets up my day well. But I am reading about limiting carbs to nighttime, and I wonder if the blueberries are a problem in the morning. If so, any ideas what else I can use?
