april 2012 employee wellness nutrition challenge

Avoid all packaged food products that contain more

than 5 ingredients (no matter what they are)

Employee Wellness

April 2012

April Love Your Life Nutrition Challenge

The purpose of this presentation is to help you meet the Love Your Life

April Nutrition Challenge

Avoid all packaged food products that contain more than 5 ingredients

Avoid all packaged food products that contain more than 5 ingredients

Successful completion of this educational module

can earn 5 Love Your Life points.

Select this completed wellness activity at www.WellSteps.com/welcome by

April 30, 2012.

Caveats for our Nutrition Challenge

1:It’s okay to have a long list of

ingredients in a ‘recipe’ you are preparing. Be sure the ingredients in your recipe meet the nutrition challenge.

By limiting the number of ingredients in your food purchases/consumption, we are hopeful that you’ll be incorporating more whole foods into your diet. However, there are a couple of exceptions for you to consider:

2:Be aware that some packaged foods are certainly part of a healthy diet (such as breads, cereals, dairy, juice, etc).

Make healthy, nutritious choices: Some products now boast, somewhat deceptively, about their short ingredient lists. Häagen-Dazs has a new line of ice creamed called ‘five.’ Great–but it’s still ice cream. Same goes for the three-ingredient Tostitos corn chips advertised by Frito-Lay–okay, but they’re still corn chips.”

(Taken from Michael Pollan in “Food Rules”)

Caveats for our Nutrition Challenge

Course Objectives

1. Understand what processed food is and which ones can be part of a healthy diet.

2. Discover foods which contain fewer ingredients.

What is Processed Food?

According to US Dept of Commerce, a processed food is livestock and agricultural products that are transformed into products for intermediate or final consumption. Generally, a processed food is considered as one that is altered to have an extended shelf life.

- RD 411 Processed Food Facts

Should I avoid all packaged food?

It would be pretty difficult to avoid all food that hasn’t been touched by manufacturing. Processed foods can be a good thing too:

Breads/Cereals fortified with folic acid likely prevent thousands of birth defects each year;

Soy milk, breads, cereal, orange juice, tofu that are fortified with calcium are extremely useful to people who avoid milk products.

Extending shelf life is sometimes necessary when people do not have ready access to fresh foods on a regular basis.

- RD 411 Processed Food Facts

Packaged/Processed foods can be part of a healthy diet. For example… Orange Juice Frozen, skinless chicken breast or lean turkey Raisin Bran Whole Wheat Pizza Shells Plain frozen vegetables in steamer bags (no sauces!) Canned Fruit (in their own juice with no added

sweeteners) Peanut Butter

- RD 411 Processed Food Facts

Should I avoid all packaged food?

Ideas to get you started.

Most of these foods will meet this month’s challenge.

Be sure to read the label! All fresh fruits and vegetables Fresh meat/animal products and seafood (choose the leanest cuts) Eggs Milk and Cheese Dried fruits, nuts and seeds Rice Pasta Beans Natural Peanut butter or other nut butters (read the label!) 100% pure maple syrup and honey

(Taken from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/)

Cereals & Breads Puffed whole-grain corn

cereal Shredded wheat cereal Honey whole-wheat bread

from Great Harvest Oats

Snacks Lara bars Fruit leathers Applesauce Popcorn Triscuits Whole-wheat

Matzo crackers Brown rice

crackers and cakes

Ideas to get you started.

Home Made

Many foods when made at home are simple and natural. But in the supermarket, some foods’ ingredients may be complicated, with a long list of ingredients. Think about your favorite packaged products and look for ways to make it at home:

The ingredients of bread can be as simple as whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and water.

Pizza is made from a similar dough with toppings such as cheese, tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs.

(Taken from: http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/processed-food.html)

Cooking more to meet this challenge? Some great resources for ideas and recipes:

Meal Plans, Recipes and More! http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/quick-and-easy/spring-weeknight-dinners/pictu

res/index.html

5 Ingredient Recipes http://busycooks.about.com/od/fiveingredientsorless/a/500fiveingredie.htm http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/

5_ingredient_recipes?slide=1#leaderboardad http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/healthy-recipes/5-ingredient-recipes/5-

ingredient-recipes_ss1.html

Information about processed foods

What is Processed Food?http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/processed-food.html

RD 411 Processed Food Factshttp://www.rd411.com/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=1451:processed-food-facts&catid=97:healthful-eating&Itemid=391

Help Others Meet this Challenge:

Comment on The Learning Center’s StarBurst! page.

Blog a food product or recipe you enjoy which has 5 ingredients or less.

We hope this module has been informative and will help you meet April’s Love Your Life nutrition challenge.

Participants in Love Your Life can earn 5 points by clicking the link on the StarBurst! page below this presentation.