Avoiding Processed Foods

[marinewife]

A week ago I decided to try a vegan diet for six weeks to see how it would effect my health but I have a question about how to avoid processed foods. I've been buying a lot of fruits and vegetables so that's not the problem. The problem is grain products. All of them have been through some kind of processing even if they are strictly vegan. I thought about baking my own but most of the flour available has also been processed even if it's whole grain. Strictly speaking I know I could track down whole unprocessed grain, grind it myself and do my baking that way but realistically that's a lot of time and effort and I don't have a grinder.

So my questions are: How healthy/unhealthy are the whole-grain vegan products in the store (crackers, bread)? What are my alternatives if they I need to get away from them?

Thank you so much for the help!

[Robinwomb]

Congratulations on your decision to move toward a vegan diet!

One of the things that has helped me immensely in saving time and money and keeping my food more whole was buying a high speed blender. There are two brands on the market that work very well for many functions...Vitamix and Blendtec (warning they are not cheap but they last forever and cut down your spending on buying premade items). I ordered my blendtec online as they are are not generally found in stores. Both will last a lifetime if well cared for and have lifetime or extended warranties. If you cant afford one a good quality food processer helps too. I have been able to make my own plant milks (coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk etc) with whole nuts, coconut, and whole grains in my blendtec. I have made my own nut butters and also my own flours from whole buckwheat groats, oats, rice, and from almonds (for almond flour) etc. I can make wonderful green juices by just throwing in several cups of leafy greens, fresh fruits, water, spices and it comes out creamy and rich. I can throw in carrots barely chopped up and get a creamy carrot juice. I even made chocolate pudding from blending an avocado, banana, dates, and 100% raw cacoa. My omnivore husband had no idea what was in the chocolate pudding I served him that day but he sure liked it! I have made soups in my blendtec as well. It has really opened up the possibilities for me. I rarely need to buy flours from the store although I do on occasion buy whole wheat spelt flour for bread making. When I first became vegan I baked my own breads and avoided store bought breads entirely as most have questionable ingredients and hidden animal ingredients in them (at least in the U.S.), and most of the health store breads even have honey added to everything but there are a few vegan ones. Nevertheless homemade bread tastes so much better and you can control what goes into it! and really it doesnt take a whole lot of time, especially the simple no knead variety that stays in the bowl until after you mix it and let it rise. You can make several loaves at once also. I work and go to school and workout an hour a day and ride my bike to work six months out of the year and still find at least one day out of the week to set aside a few hours to prepare my lunches and things like bread if I plan to consume it that week so I dont have to worry about it during the week and then its there and ready to go and I just have to worry about making my dinners each evening. I consume a lot of beans and legumes and use dried beans from bulk and soak and cook them on Sundays to have a batch for the week to use as well (except lentils which do not require soaking or long hours of cooking). Another food item I will make a big batch of on Sundays is squash or pumpkin or sweet potato so I can have that on hand during the week for some meals. I only eat out five or so times a year and do a lot of food prepping as I too eat a whole foods variety and sometimes raw vegan and having that time set aside each week to make things ahead that require more time and effort really helps so I can focus on other things during the week and know I am still getting good food without resorting to prepackaged grab and go stuff. I dont consume bread or flour very often now but do occasionally get on a baking kick, usually around holidays or special occasions. I made gluten free crackers for my mother recently that are simply made from ground up almonds in my blender (almond flour), a little olive oil, water, minced garlic, and dried oregano and they were wonderful. It took maybe 1/2 hour tops. I like to use whole quinoa, buckwheat groats, rices, oat groats, bulgur, occasionally amaranth, or oats for my grain consumption, although I will enjoy whole wheat or rice or quinoa variety pastas on occasion.
This morning I just ground up whole buckwheat groats (soaked overnight), a banana, water, carob powder, and a pinch of cinammon in my blendtec and threw some fresh blueberries on top for a nice breakfast porridge. I'll bet you could make this in a regular blender as well.

I think the store bought breads and crackers can be ok if eaten in moderation and if you understand all the ingredients that go into them. The same can be said of plant milks and other prepackaged items. I think figuring out what defines "whole food" can be confusing also as even grains wholly intact like groats, brown rice, wheat berries, etc are processed to an extent in order to be edible, sold and kept for any given time. Fruits and vegetables can be processed and even waxed if not bought organically. I guess the less processed the better but if you are short on time or the variety of food where you live is limited, then you just do the best you can under the circumstances. I try not to get too obsessive about my food (I have a history and tendency to do this but am working to become more relaxed with it by allowing myself things like soy yogurt, protein bars, store bought plant milks etc). I will not buy a prepackaged item though if I do not understand or recognize something on the list of ingredients. The same can be said for what I put on my body or use for cleaning etc. When I first became vegan I felt like a chemistry major lol. I had to look so many things up. It just became easier to simplify my life and what I use and eat.

I wish you the best on your journey! Let us know how you are getting on too ok?

[Risker]

A week ago I decided to try a vegan diet for six weeks to see how it would effect my health

I don't think doing that will give an accurate reflection of how it would affect your health but well done for doing it anyway. Still, you'll be getting lots of fruit and veg if you're avoiding processed foods at least and that's got to be good

[pat sommer]

Ah yes, convenience snacks... so tempting. If only for the occasional treat or a garnish, what harm? Sounds like you are filling up on good things and that will continue and expand. If it does squeeze out some store-bought items over time, so much the better.

Bread is so easy that it's too easy to eat to the exclusion of many other starches. Even with a good organic loaf, I like to limit myself to one serving a day so that I am forced to eat more variety: quinoa salad instead of sandwich, polenta instead of dinner roll, muesli instead of toast.
So, enjoy it if you have good bread available, in moderation.

[hamster]

Get the book the "Engine 2 Diet." Or better yet, go to their website. They are a heavy whole-food vegan diet. They recommend Ezekiel 4:9 breads. Which are made from whole sprouted seeds.

I can tell you that the longer you do the diet, and the more quick/simple recipes you learn, the less you crave processed foods. The secret is to keep your fridge stocked with pre-cut ready to snack whole foods you like.

A week ago I decided to try a vegan diet for six weeks to see how it would effect my health but I have a question about how to avoid processed foods. I've been buying a lot of fruits and vegetables so that's not the problem. The problem is grain products. All of them have been through some kind of processing even if they are strictly vegan. I thought about baking my own but most of the flour available has also been processed even if it's whole grain. Strictly speaking I know I could track down whole unprocessed grain, grind it myself and do my baking that way but realistically that's a lot of time and effort and I don't have a grinder.

So my questions are: How healthy/unhealthy are the whole-grain vegan products in the store (crackers, bread)? What are my alternatives if they I need to get away from them?

Thank you so much for the help!