My philosophy...

I like to pronounce what I eat so I won't buy anything where I can't pronounce the ingredients. In my opinion, if you can't read it, it was not meant to be consumed and it's probably not good for you. High fructose and hydrogenated anything is also a red flag for me. The fewer the ingredients the better.

I previously worked in an office that had a lot of food around so I came up with this simple rule for myself. If it was home made, I could have some but if it wasn't, then I couldn't. This simple rule helped reduce the bad stuff I was eating significantly because most things in the office were store bought. Don't get me wrong, I did cheat on occasion, I couldn't help myself. Everything in moderation.

I like to buy fresh, local, and organic produce when possible. However, I am not opposed to using canned or frozen goods. I am fond of canned diced and whole tomatoes and corn. I also like frozen corn and peas. Personally, I think it's insulting that grocery stores even try to sell to those pathetic looking tomatoes in the fall, winter, and early spring. Tomatoes are a hot weather fruit and they really do not taste or look good in any other season. I recognize that many countries and green houses have weather that is conducive to all year tomato growth but they're picked early, stored somewhere oxygen-less, and then brought to grocery stores. Many fruits and veggies are not available all year round and shouldn't be marketed as such. I mean, just last weekend at the grocery store I saw nectarines! Nectarines in March!? Who's heard of such a thing? They are a July/August fruit. There's something wrong with that. Hence, the use of canned and frozen produce in the off season and I still come out with really tasty results.

I don't believe in fat free, sugar free, sugar substitutes, etc. Personally, food that is not made from real ingredients is just not as tasty. Folks trick themselves by eating something 'light' or 'fat free' or 'low whatever' but end up eating more because they think they can and because what they're eating is just not as satisfying. So go ahead and eat the real thing because it's likely that you'll be satisfied sooner and eat less.

I believe that healthful tasty food does not have to take a lot of time, just a little creativity and planning.