Walking into the market these days is like walking into a minefield. Things just happen. You start in the organic fruits and veggies section, make your way to the teeny tiny shelf of “healthy” foods, and bam! You look down and somehow, your cart is almost overflowing with foods that are over-processed and under nutritional standards. The main (and often most unhealthy) culprits hiding behind your organic fruit selection seem to be overly processed snacks.
In truth, most foods are processed. It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for and the degree to which something is processed. Instead of beating yourself up about it and shunning others who consume such foods, try some helpful tips found below and share them with your friends! Spread the organic love like nut butter on an apple! With summer just around the corner, it’s an awesome time to start thinking about ways to cut down on processed foods. These tips are universal for all seasons, but keep these in mind if you’re trying to cut down on processed foods right now, as summer is a great time to opt for more fresh foods and less processed stuff!
Read the Labels
Ah, yes, the label reading continues! This is not exclusive to summer alone, but it’s even more important now if you’re trying to eat less processed food. If you’re already a vegan eater, you know the importance of reading labels to see what is hiding in that unsuspecting bag of snacks. Lactose: no thanks! Chemicals you can’t pronounce: I’ll pass! Reading the labels of even “healthy” snacks can be eye-opening. There are tons of sugars, sodium, and fat hiding in that little hundred-calorie pack. Go for prepackaged snacks that have ingredients you can pronounce, or do a bit of research to find things that are less terrible for you.
Buy Fresh
Now that summer is right around the corner, the time is right for some chilled sliced veggies to snack on instead of those dried crackers that seem determined to crack a tooth. Try buying whole carrots, cucumbers, or celery sticks and slicing them up at home if you’re into veggies. Apples, pears, and peaches work perfectly if you’re craving something sweeter. Skip out on all of the chemicals and syrupy sweeteners in that fruit cocktail in a can and pack something fresh and prepared with love, rather than with robotic machinery.
Bring Your Own Snacks
Got a long day ahead of you tomorrow? With summer fun in mind, it’s even more important to plan for all of your activities. Run to the market, grab some easy and cheap ingredients, and make some snacks at home to take on the road with you. Spending some time beforehand helps to cut down on the disappointment felt when wandering into 7-11 and praying to find something resembling a balanced snack. Here, you can find 10 Plant-Based Snacks That Cost Less Than 5 Dollars to Make. My favorite from the list is steamed edamame because they hold up well in a to-go container and keep you full.
Keep Your Shelves Stocked
To avoid the late-night munchies that inevitably come up in these hot summer evenings, and the desperate grab for anything in the pantry that resembles food, keep your shelves stocked, yes, the ones in the fridge too. If you’re bored and just looking for food out of sheer lack of things to do, grab some carrots to crunch on instead of those overly processed sandwich cookies. You’ll avoid eating crap and probably go for something a bit healthier and organic if you’ve got healthy stuff on hand that’s pre-prepared and portioned out. Mangos and kiwis are great if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, especially in the wee hours, like I do.
Make Summer Treats to Keep Cool
Now that summer is just about here, you’ve probably already scouted out who carries vegan ice cream, dairy-free popsicles, and delicious frozen treats to keep you cool all summer long. However, before hitting the market for those sugar-water pops, try making some at home. It can be as simple as taking your already favorite homemade juices or smoothies and portioning them out into popsicle containers. Something about them being frozen makes them irresistible. My favorite includes some blueberries, a banana, and some soy yogurt. However, they keep disappearing from my freezer (looks like even the roommates like them!). If you’re looking for something a bit more tropical, try these awesome Piña Colada Popsicles!
Related Content:
Easy Ways to Help the Planet:
- Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
- Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
- Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
- Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
- Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
- Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
- Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!
