(upbeat instrumental music)
- Hey munchies, welcome to the channel.
If you're new or if you're not I'm Alyssia.
And I am stoked you are here either way.
Today we are talking about processed foods
that are cleaner than you might think.
(register rings) Jackpot.
First let's talk about the word clean.
I know some people are really averse to this word
because calling some foods clean can insinuate
that some foods are dirty, which can demonize food.
Some people also hate the term junk food
because it can kind of put foods in a good and bad category.
So I want to be clear because I have
a pretty deeply rooted habit of using the word clean,
that to me clean is merely an indicator
of their being fewer ingredients
that are pronounceable and understandable.
You know where they came from,
so they're whole foods derived.
And if there's fewer ingredients generally
that's gonna mean that there's less processing involved.
I also think about clean as avoiding as many additives,
preservatives, synthetic ingredients,
et cetera, as well as processed ingredients.
So, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, BHG,
I considered all of that today.
So if you hear me use the word clean
just know that's my intention behind it.
I'm not trying to demonize.
What is the point of this video?
I have been on a mission to make peace
with fear of foods, which I have talked about before
as foods with emotional attachment or rules.
I will link a couple of videos
I've done related to that below.
Ultimately, I've decided that for me
rather than trying to replace a food
with a healthier alternative that doesn't satisfy.
Sometimes I just want the real deal.
Sometimes when I weigh out my enjoyment
for the real deal with the ingredients
it may actually be more worth it for me
than turning to the alternative.
So, case and point, what I've realized
is perhaps some of these processed foods
aren't as detrimental as we might think.
It all depends on what matters to you.
I'm not saying that processed foods or these foods
are better for you than whole foods.
By all means eat as many whole fruits
and vegetables as you can.
I'm just saying, you know, maybe we don't need the black
and white boxes that we've put these foods in in the past.
Rather than only focusing on macronutrients
or ingredients there is I think a balance
of both that can be struck, while also accounting
for taste and enjoyment, which is really important
in our relationships with food.
Some of these that I'm gonna talk
about today really surprised me.
I specifically wanted to focus on foods
that don't advertise themselves
as healthy as much as possible.
So they don't say healthy, or skinny,
or low fat, or any of those marketing claims.
But I tried to really focus on regular
processed foods for the most part.
I have got 20 to show you today.
The first kind of group of processed foods
I want to talk about are potato chips.
When we hear processed foods we think potato chips.
And that's the first group I want to talk about today.
Ironically, they're often one of the cleanest choices.
So only three ingredients are really needed
in Lay's, Ruffles, and Pik-Niks.
All of the ingredients are the same.
It's pretty much potatoes, oil, and salt.
Also, both Lay's, regular and natural
are also exactly the same in terms
of calories and macronutrients.
The only difference is the type of oil,
which is sunflower in the natural.
The natural may be less inflammatory
because it doesn't have the corn and/or canola oil.
And that is surely something to consider
with oils and processed foods.
They have a lot of omega-6s, which keeps
your omega-6 to 3 ratio super off,
as is the case with almost everyone in the West.
Whether we eat healthy or not, it's really hard
to keep that omega balance in check.
So additional omega-6s and processed
foods can really inflame us.
It's true that chips are generally fried.
And I'm sure these are.
But these products don't use hydrogenated oils.
They don't contain trans fats.
Now, I will say this kind of clean factor
is only really the case when you get plain-flavored chips.
So when you get into the flavors
like sour cream and onion, and barbecue,
and all that extra good stuff, those lists get much longer.
But if you get plain salty potato chips
they could definitely be worse.
I thought it would be interesting to also show
what 100 calories of each of these looks like today.
Now, there's no magic behind the number 100, it's arbitrary.
All serving sizes are arbitrary.
Whatever it says on the package doesn't really matter.
But the point is our culture has demonized
a lot of these foods, when really not only
are some of them not as unfavorable as we thought
in terms of ingredients, but the amounts or servings too.
I just gotta say, while I truly love potatoes
in any form, especially fried crunchy ones,
these are like they take me back to childhood
because I used to beg my mom to get them.
All right, I had been doing a mindful eating certification
that focuses on healing binge eating.
I'll be sharing more in the coming months
my fellow binge eaters, so stay tuned.
But one of the most common foods
that people report binging on is tortilla chips.
So, the endless basket at the restaurant or at home
with a jar of salsa, it's really easy to overdo it.
But the good news, actually, they only
have and need three ingredients:
corn, oil, and salt.
Now, as was the case with the potato chips
we looked at before you want to look
at the oil if you can.
Now, for sure, there are some brands
that use more favorable oils
that won't throw your omega-6 to 3 ratio off
as much when it comes to inflammation.
But at the end of the day the fact that these
are just three ingredients is totally a win.
Popcorn, same thing, only really needs three ingredient:
popcorn, oil, and salt.
And, often, if you get air-popped
it doesn't even need the oil.
I also want to talk about Smartfood pop,
which was one of my favorites growing up as well.
I was actually really surprised to look
at the ingredients and see it's not that bad.
I mean, there's only seven ingredients,
most of which are whole foods derived.
It's relatively clean, right?
Then I saw this Smartfood Smart 50,
which is definitely claiming to be healthier, right?
It's wanting you to think it's better for you.
It's advertising 50 calories per cup or less.
And I thought that this would be
a good learning opportunity to share.
The regular one only has, you know,
six or seven ingredients, all of which are understandable
and whole foods derived for the most part.
It's 160 calories per 28 grams.
100 calories worth of it looks like this.
Now, Smartfood Smart 50 white cheddar popcorn
is marketed to look healthier.
But the ingredients list is so much longer.
Look at that, it has way more ingredients, and way
more processed, and way less whole foods ingredients.
A 28 gram serving is 150 calories,
which is only 10 calories less than the regular Smartfood.
And the fat is only two grams less
for the same serving size.
So for perspective 100 calories
of the Smartfood Smart 50 white cheddar looks
like this compared to the Smartfood regular.
Come on, can you even tell
the difference looking at that size.
When I did the math there's actually
only a one gram difference between the two
for 100 calories serving size, 17.5 grams versus 18.6.
And what's more important and the whole point of this video,
I can tell a difference in taste, so my enjoyment is less.
And I am consuming more processed
ingredients when I eat this version.
So, lesson, beware of the health claims
and the health marketing tactics.
The best thing that we can do is learn to look
at the labels and decide for ourselves.
Also, not that gluten-free means healthy,
but every item I have shared so far
today is actually gluten-free too.
Okay, another food I loved growing up and I still do
as an adult, but there is a lot of fear,
remember I discussed fear of foods as being foods
with emotional attachment and rules, is crackers.
So, some crackers are for sure loaded with processed stuff.
But not all of them are.
Triscuits for instance only have three ingredients:
whole grain wheat, oil, and salt.
And they're a whole grain too, okay.
These oyster crackers, which are just
like Saltines, I love these too,
and they really could be worse.
Now, they're not whole grain,
they're enriched refined grain flour.
But the rest is just oil, salt, yeast, and baking soda.
So this is essentially the same thing as eating bread.
So just notice any food rules that you have.
If you eat bread, but decide crackers aren't healthy,
it may be worth taking a look.
Maybe not, it's up to you.
But I'm a mission to make peace with food
where I can find joy in eating what I want
without the guilt and balance that with health.
If I really want crackers there is
a way to enjoy the real deal.
And they don't have to be, you know,
cauliflower or nut crackers.
If you like cauliflower and nut crackers that's great.
But when I'm eating them
I'm constantly wishing they were this.
And same as with the Smartfood pop example,
a lot of those healthy crackers actually have
more ingredients and even preservatives than these.
So making something low-fat or low-sodium
often means adding more synthetic ingredients to compensate.
Okay, this section is one of
the biggest surprises of the day.
First, let's look at some typical common processed foods
that everyone considers processed like Doritos and Cheetos.
Unfortunately, these are not the ones
that I'm going to suggest are clean.
Delicious, no doubt, but yeah,
those ingredients lists are long and less ideal.
This is the kind of ingredients list we think of
when we think of processed junk food.
But let's take a look at another snack
in the -itos family, Fritos.
Another super common processed food
that is not advertised or marketed as healthy at all.
Say what, there's only three
ingredients: corn, oil, and salt.
And that is for both the regular and the scoops.
100 calories of this also might
be more than you might expect.
Now, going for flavored Frito varieties
is definitely gonna add ingredients.
I know, like, the barbecue, delicious ones
that looks like little rotini pastas,
oh, so good, but the ingredients list is long.
Bugles is another one that surprised me
with the main ingredients and the length of the list.
I did want to bring it to your attention,
but I don't think it actually makes
whatever fake list we're making here
because of the last ingredient, which is preserved by BHT.
Wah, Wah, I was really bummed to see that
because the rest of it is really not so bad.
BHT is generally recognized as safe
by the FDA, but it's really controversial,
sort of like aspartame and sweeteners.
So some animal studies have shown it to be a carcinogen.
I did a little bit of research,
and it seems BHA is far more dangerous than BHT.
BHT used to be used in a lot
of breakfast cereals, but the last few years
most companies have started to remove it.
I actually haven't seen it on a package in a while,
so this was a surprise, and it is disappointing.
But as is the case with everything
in this nature it depends on how much you eat.
So eating a few Bugles or a bag of Bugles
isn't likely going to cause you cancer.
But if you're consuming BHT all day
every day that's a different story.
The question is are Bugles really worth it
when there are so many other options?
Well, I can't say, it really depends
on how much joy Bugles bring your butts.
If you want more videos like this
I hope you will subscribe and hit the bell
because we've got more coming every single week.
So, at the beginning of the video
I told you I was staying away from foods
where the packages made marketing health claims.
But I figured it was worth addressing
some of the more obvious snack foods
that are processed but have less ingredients.
Packaged snacks like pork rinds,
cocktail peanuts, corn nuts, beef jerky,
they're all classic road trip kinda snacks.
We see them in convenient stores or gas stations.
And they're actually not as processed
or synthetic at least as you might think.
Of course, read the labels, this isn't the case
for every brand of pork rinds, or nuts, or jerky.
But, typically, we can expect these items
to have less ingredients and are more
obviously whole foods derived.
I mean, these Moon Cheese for instance, I know there's
like a million different brands that do this now.
But, usually, the only ingredient is cheese.
And they taste really good because
it's not trying to be anything else.
It's just a crunchy salty bite.
So these are items I can enjoy as is
even though they are processed foods
they've got less going into them.
Okay, how about some of the less obvious clean products.
Shortbread, it's a cookie that needs
very few ingredients when you make it at home.
And some brands keep it that simple.
I mean, look at this, it's wheat flour,
butter, sugar, and salt, that's it, yes.
Now, shortbread is dense since it's mostly butter.
But shortbread without butter, I mean,
is it even worth it it, it's not short bread.
Not if you the real deal like me.
I wanted to compare to another cookie that people
might consider lighter, like a vanilla wafer.
Yes, you do get more physical cookies
for the serving size when comparing the grams.
But the ingredients list is way longer
and far less clean or whole foods derived.
So my approach to health in general
has shifted a lot over the years.
I used to really get hung up on macronutrients.
And then I also went through a period
where I got hung up on specific ingredients.
And now I really realize that balance is key.
Where I am right now, I would rather put
the ingredients I know in my body,
even if it's a smaller amount of that food.
And it's still technically a processed food
than the more inflammatory and processed item,
even if it has less calories.
These Belgian waffle butter crisps
also surprised me with the ingredients list.
Here don't judge a book by its cover is appropriate.
It kinda means don't judge a processed food
by the front of the package.
And make sure you read the label.
And last I wanted to just bring your attention to chocolate.
And I'm not saying that chocolate is healthy or unhealthy.
I'm not saying any of these foods today are right or wrong.
Only you know what's right for you.
But it may surprise some of you to know
that chocolate requires far fewer ingredients
than you might think, even a Hershey's bar.
Yes, of course, the darker is gonna have less sugar,
milk is gonna have more sugar.
And 100% not doubt sugar is inflammatory.
And we want as little added as possible.
But part of what makes my healthy lifestyle
sustainable is allowing some sugar.
If I didn't give myself permission
to ever have it I would be miserable.
I only know that because for so long
I lived that way, constantly feeling deprived.
Now I let myself have it here or there, tuning in.
And it turns out when I do that I actually crave it less.
And 100 calories of chocolate may surprise you too.
Some of you might realize that you actually need even less
than 100 calories to satisfy when a craving hits.
Okay, so remember there's no right or wrong.
Don't get hung up on the word clean.
The language is less important
than the intention within yourself.
So just be clear on how you view food.
If you call it clean and are afraid
of dirty foods it's worth looking at.
If you can call it clean and know it's simply looking
through a whole foods lens you could be okay.
Find what works for you.
I hope that you will share any packaged foods
that you were surprised by the nutrition of in the comments.
As you can see there are quite a lot to choose from
that don't have too many ingredients.
And this is just from what I found from a brief search.
If you want more videos like this let me know.
I am going to continue to share more content
like this in the coming months.
And I will link a few others that I've done
similarly in the description box below.
Thank you so much for being here.
I'll be back next week with a brand new episode.
And, remember, especially when it comes to processed foods
it's all a matter of mind over munch.