The Food Choice Masterclass.
Time and financial constraints should not prevent you from exercising your power to choose what you eat.
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Before we jump in, a word of gratitude.
We’re now 41 members in this exclusive gathering! I never dreamt of getting even up to 10 people. Here we are, 41 members strong!
With a consistent open rate of over 60%! That’s about 25 of you consistently checking this exclusive gathering.
I sincerely appreciate you 😊.
Let’s dive in.
In the last issue, I shared a loooooong and critical insight on what the food industry does to get you hooked.
Here’s a quick review. There are many ways the food industry gets you hooked. The three we explored in the previous issue are:
- They use specific supermarket layouts that draw your attention to the unhealthy stuff.
- They make the food products hyper-delicious such that as soon as you smell or taste it, your dopamine system can’t forget it. And you keep going for it.
- They use highly targeted marketing tactics, some of which are unethical. To the extent that sometimes you make food decisions without knowing it consciously.
Now, what can you do to take back that control?
Here are 4 major things you can do. Under each, I share 3 specific actions you can take (starting from now) to get back that control.
1. Make up your mind to choose good food.
If you desire (start with your mind) to eat good quality food, all your faculties will align accordingly.
This is true for whatever you want to achieve.
- have it at the back of your mind that you want to eat quality food.
- be willing to take the needed steps to achieve this desire.
- make good quality food a priority.
Do this and you would naturally find a way out. Because your mind would do the heavy lifting for you.
Align your mindset first. And every other thing will follow.
This was what helped me back in my college days when I had a whopping network of $50.
2. Arm yourself with knowledge
You can’t learn every single thing about food! Neither do you have to study food science. But simple knowledge is a great start.
- learn to read and understand your food labels (more on this later).
- when you read an info, think about it to see if it makes sense to you.
- consider the credibility of the knowledge source.
That last point does not guarantee completely accurate info.
That is why thinking about what you learn to see if it’s sensible to you, is very important.
Even this newsletter!
3. Prepare at least some of your meals
Yes, that same old advice. Because it works, full stop.
- if you don’t cook at all, try cooking once a week.
- if you cook once in a while, cook more often.
- if you cook often, try bulk cooking occasionally.
The surest way to know what you eat is to make it yourself.
Approach it with the mind of a child, curious to learn. Fun to try.
4. Scrutinize products before buying
One surest way to do this is to read your food labels.
- check the ingredient list. More than 5 ingredients means it’s ultra-processed. The first ingredient is the highest in the product, and the rest follow accordingly. If sugar, salt or fat is among the top 5, beware.
- check the nutrition panel for sugar, sodium, and fats. More than 13g of sugar per 100g of product means the sugar is more than 1 tablespoon, not so good to consume in high amounts. Less than 5% daily value (DV) of sodium per 100g product is low and good for you. Saturated fats less than 1.5g per 100g product is ok.
- don’t be fooled by products claiming "essential nutrients". Focus on buying food, not specific nutrients.
You can find interesting info about a food product just by reading the label.
Let's play a game.
The next time you buy a processed food, check the ingredient list for the position of sugar.
Then go to the nutrition panel and see the actual quantity of sugar per 100g (or 100ml or the particular serving).
Now, go to Google and convert the grams into tablespoons.
Finally, have a short discussion with yourself on what you think about the product.
These are steps you can start taking today. Don’t overcomplicate things. Take just one and act on it. The benefits are tremendous.
Until our next issue, remember, there’s beauty in treating yourself to good quality food. You’re worth it!
Watch the Food Choice Masterclass here.
Or Listen to it here.
In case you missed it
Webinar: The Food Choice Masterclass (video)
LinkedIn Post: Guide on ingredient prep
LinkedIn Post: Why I won't choose healthy food
P.S. Have burning questions or specific topics you want me to cover in the newsletter? Hit reply. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I'm Etornam C. Tsyawo, a Food Researcher & Engineer. I share my passion for healthy food with you.
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