I swear, the more I learn about how the food industry is working against the best interest of humanity by providing for and creating additions for food only grown in a laboratory, the more I realize that lack of exercise is only about 40% of the problem we have with obesity. A new study publish by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that 61% of our daily calories is coming from highly processed foods–loaded with fat, sugar, salt and a host of other ingredients we can’t pronounce. Yes folks, put down your Twinkies. You’re stuffing your face with 1,000 calories of fake food that’s probably keeping you struggling with your weight, despite the evening walks you promised yourself you would do.

More than three-quarters of our calories came from highly processed (61%) and moderately processed (16%) foods and drinks in 2012. Best-selling products were refined breads, grain-based desserts like cookies, sugary sodas, juice, sports drinks and energy drinks. [SOURCE]

So why are processed foods so bad? They didn’t start out that way. Food processing originated in order to extend food life so we wouldn’t all starve. (Think canning and drying) But then it morphed into rows and rows of junk you can buy at the supermarket that’s cheap, often tasty, but horrible and terrible for you. The human body has not evolved as quickly as our food has, and processing junk through the digestive system isn’t efficient. Bad eating contributes to a host of problems, from fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, inflammation all the way to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This is serious, ya’ll.

Since I gave up processes foods and started growing my own food, I am in the best shape of my life. There is no weight struggle. I eliminated wheat, rice, white sugar and pasta and never looked back. Sure, it takes discipline to change your eating habits, but over time, your tastes begin to refine. For example, if you have a raging sweet tooth, chances are you have a lot of yeast in your gut that needs that sugar to keep growing and keeping you feeling crappy. Starve them, they’ll die off, and so will your cravings. Sugar cravings might not ever go away, but those fake cakes you buy at the grocery store will one day taste entirely too sweet, and you’ll be just as satisfied with foods sweetened with honey, maple syrup and stevia.

The BB&W ‘No Processed Food for a Week’ Challenge!

I challenge all of you to take just one week to try eating all your foods fresh and not in a box. That means getting most of your food items on the outside of the supermarket, versus inside to bowels of nastiness housed in the middle of the store. Skip the sugar and substitute it for Truvia Stevia, which can be found in the baking aisle. Do it for a week, and then tell me how you feel. Don’t worry about eating less, just eat fresh.