The Worst Packaged Foods You Can Buy
By Sara Butler
Try as you might to eat right, there are always going to be days when it just doesn’t happen. You totally planned on making that butternut squash macaroni and cheese but ended up making the boxed version instead. Hey, it happens. But on the days you get stuck with a not-so-healthy option, what can you do to try to spruce it up? Here are some of the worse packaged foods you can eat and how to make them not quite so terrible for you.
Frozen Waffles
How bad can a waffle really be? Well, most frozen waffles are made from refined flour, mixed with things such as brown sugar or chocolate chips. Basically, they’re refined carbohydrate bombs. If you combine that with butter and syrup, you may want to start looking into diabetes education because that’s a lot of empty calories and sugar!
To try to even it out, slap some nut butter on that waffle – preferably a type with no added sugar. Then you can add some berries, apples, or peaches to the top. These additions might be able to keep your blood sugar from spiking after you eat it and will help you feel fuller for longer, too.
Cold Cereal
Sometimes when you get home from work and try to decide what to make for dinner you just …can't. So you reach for that box of cereal on the shelf and call it a night. As far as your health is concerned, that's a poor choice. Most packaged cereals have a ton of added sugar and little to no fiber. If you need to keep cereal on hand for your “just can’t” nights, look for a cereal that has whole grains and nuts. These will help to keep you full and won’t digest as fast as sugary cereals. Avoid cereals with a lot of sugar or corn syrup in them. You may also want to try pureeing a banana with your milk and pouring that over for an added punch of fiber.
Boxed Macaroni and Cheese
Your kids probably love the stuff, but you know it’s not the healthiest option out there. Fortunately, there are some improvements that are quite easily made to this dish that will have an impact nutritionally. You can try adding some broccoli to it, which makes sense since broccoli and cheese go together nicely. Plus, it’s a great way to get your kids to eat a vegetable!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.