Eating Outside the Box

Not all carbs are considered equal!

When I was 467 pounds and eating processed junk, I’d sit on the couch for hours, only getting up to grab more boxed foods from the pantry. What I didn’t know then is that when you eat high-carb processed foods, you create a roller-coaster of up and down blood sugar that leaves you in a constant state of hunger. Insulin stores excess energy as fat, like I said, and it works by getting sugar – the stuff that gives you an initial “high” when you’ve had a sweet treat – out of the blood. Once the insulin has done its job, the sugar is packed away, and you’re tired again — and stuck in a vicious cycle of being hungry, eating and feeling guilty for having eaten. By the time that guilt sets in, the carbs have metabolized and been stored as fat, your blood sugar is low, and you’re ready to comfort yourself with… more processed food.

This is why I have always put such an emphasis on fresh foods. They’re alive with vitamins, fiber and what they were intended to have! In fact, no matter how you choose to lose weight, fresh foods are fundamental! They metabolize slowly and give you energy over a longer period of time. Most importantly, they leave you satisfied and full, so even if you’re eating higher-calorie foods, you end up eating less of them. Whether you’re making a snack or giving your girlfriend a diamond ring, any path you follow will run smoother if you just choose the real over the fake. Fresh over processed. It’s what nature intended!

Besides, isn’t that why they invented the refrigerator? So that we wouldn’t have to eat from boxes and cans anymore?

Most of the things that people eat these days have been so over-processed, boxed, canned, chemically preserved, artificially-flavored, hydrogenated and soaked in corn syrup that it’s barely even food anymore. In fact, think about how many “foods” you associate with their packaging instead of their contents. Highly processed breakfast cereals are a perfect example. Could you tell what they were made from if they were outside of their colorful boxes? They’re so highly processed, artificially colored and flavored that they bear no resemblance to natural foods.

When I talk about “eating outside the box,” I mean eating fresh foods, not processed. I’m talking about getting into your kitchen and actually cooking your own meals instead of thawing or microwaving. Giving shopping and cooking their due respect. Taking pride in the delicious food that you can make for yourself and your family.

Think about a pantry full of boxed and canned foods or a freezer full of frozen dinners—the food that is just sitting there, preserved. You could leave them for months and return to find them in the exact same state. You can depend on them to stay exactly as you’ve left them, because they’re loaded with chemicals! All the vitamins and fiber are left in the factory, and you’re left with “food” that serves only to raise your blood sugar and convert into fat. It’s food you can’t use. It’s barely even food at all.

You deserve better.
Chef George Stella