MASTERING YOUR FOOD ENVIRONMENT Module 6

WINS AND LEARNINGS What successes did you have this week? What were your learning experiences? How did you incorporate more healthy fats into your diet? Which products have helped you the most?

GIVE YOUR PANTRY A MAKEOVER Open up all of your kitchen cabinets and get a few boxes or trash bags ready! Start with the obvious offenders: cookies, candy, chips, sugary fruit juices, soda, etc. Go through the nutrition labels on your remaining items and make the tougher choices. When in doubt, throw it out! 48

GIVE YOUR PANTRY A MAKEOVER Leave your healthiest snacks: fresh vegetables, raw nuts or fresh fruit. Add in your favorite Nature’s Sunshine products. Get ready to go shopping! 48

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CHECK SERVING SIZE The first place to start when you look at the Nutrition Facts label is the serving size and the number of servings in the package. Ask yourself, “How many servings am I consuming?” 49

CHECK CALORIES In the example, there are 150 calories and 70 calories from fat in one serving. This means almost half the calories in a single serving come from fat. If you ate the whole package, you would consume 600 calories and 280 would come from fat! 49

LIMIT THESE NUTRIENTS Eating too much saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol or sodium is toxic for your gut. 50

GET ENOUGH OF THESE NUTRIENTS Most Americans don’t get enough fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron in their diets. Increasing your consumption of these nutrients can improve your metabolic health. 50

THE INGREDIENT LIST Ingredients are listed in order of decreasing volume. In other words, whatever the product has the most of will appear first in the ingredients list. 50

THE INGREDIENT LIST Be careful for deceiving language. Here are a few to avoid: High Fructose Corn Syrup Partially Hydrogenated Oil Sodium Nitrate Aspartame Sucralose Monosodium Glutamate(MSG) Artificial Flavors Artificial Coloring Soy Lecithin 50

SET YOURSELF UP TO SUCCEED WITH THE 3 P’S PLAN, PURCHASE, PREPARE!

PLAN Choose a day to for planning: create your menu, do your shopping, and meal preparation. Keep healthy snacks at your desk, car or bag for moments when other options are limited. Plan your day in advance to include 3 meals and 2 snacks daily, eating every 2-3 hours. 51

PURCHASE Choose whole foods as opposed to preprocessed foods. Foods that are milled, blanched, pasteurized, boiled, canned, frozen, and dehydrated will typically be low in B and C vitamins, so it’s best to buy your veggies fresh. As often as you can, choose organic, free range, and wild caught sources of foods. Don’t go to the grocery story hungry. 52

GO WITH THE FLOW The outer aisles of the store typically feature the healthiest foods: fresh fish, poultry and meat, dairy products and eggs, and fresh produce. Stick to the perimeter, where the essential foods are and avoid the temptation of the inside aisles! 52

PREPARE Refrigerate food in airtight, moisture-proof containers. Try washing or scrubbing vegetables rather than peeling them. If you boil vegetables, save the water for soup stock. Use fresh ingredients whenever possible Be creative with your spice rack! Repackage foods into smaller containers to limit your portions. 53

HI CHEF! What methods of cooking best preserve vitamin and mineral content? Steaming Stir-frying Slow roasting Grilling Crock pot 53

DON’T “EAT AT JOE’S.” Making meals at home saves time and money. Restaurants add extra butter, sugar, and other unhealthy ingredients at levels you would never add on your own. 53

HOMEWORK Read Module 6 Clean out your pantry Practice reading labels Plan a healthy menu Purchase: Create your shopping list Prepare healthy meals at home 54

EXERCISE TIP: Walking for as few as 30 minutes a day provides heart health benefits. 54

UP NEXT WEEK: The Dark Side of Sugar

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!