This document provides information and tips to help employees meet a company's April nutrition challenge to limit packaged food purchases to those containing 5 ingredients or less. It defines processed food, notes some exceptions like homemade recipes, and offers ideas for simple, whole foods and packaged foods to choose like fresh produce, eggs, milk, 100% fruit juices without added sugar. It also provides resources for healthy recipes and cooking ideas.

1. Avoid all packaged food
products that contain more
than 5 ingredients
(no matter what they are)
Employee Wellness
April 2012

2. April Love Your Life
Nutrition Challenge
The purpose of this presentation is to help you
meet the Love Your Life
April Nutrition Challenge
Avoid all packaged food products that
contain more than 5 ingredients

3. Avoid all packaged food products that
contain more than 5 ingredients
Successful completion of
this educational module
can earn
5 Love Your Life points.
Select this completed wellness activity
at www.WellSteps.com/welcome by
April 30, 2012.

4. Caveats for our
Nutrition Challenge
By limiting the number of ingredients in your food
purchases/consumption, we are hopeful that you’ll
be incorporating more whole foods into your diet.
However, there are a couple of exceptions for you
to consider:
1:
It’s okay to have a long list of
ingredients in a ‘recipe’ you are
preparing. Be sure the ingredients in
your recipe meet the nutrition
challenge.

5. Caveats for our
Nutrition Challenge
2:
Be aware that some packaged foods are certainly part
of a healthy diet (such as breads, cereals, dairy, juice,
etc).
Make healthy, nutritious choices: Some products now
boast, somewhat deceptively, about their short
ingredient lists.
Häagen-Dazs has a new line of ice creamed called ‘five.’ Great–but it’s still ice
cream. Same goes for the three-ingredient Tostitos corn chips advertised by Frito-
Lay–okay, but they’re still corn chips.”
(Taken from Michael Pollan in “Food Rules”)

6. Course Objectives
1. Understand what processed food is and which
ones can be part of a healthy diet.
2. Discover foods which contain fewer ingredients.

7. What is Processed Food?
According to US Dept of Commerce, a
processed food is livestock and agricultural
products that are transformed into products
for intermediate or final consumption.
Generally, a processed food is considered as
one that is altered to have an extended shelf
life.
- RD 411 Processed Food Facts

8. Should I avoid all packaged food?
It would be pretty difficult to avoid all food that hasn’t
been touched by manufacturing. Processed foods can
be a good thing too:
 Breads/Cereals fortified with folic acid likely prevent
thousands of birth defects each year;
 Soy milk, breads, cereal, orange juice, tofu that are
fortified with calcium are extremely useful to people who
avoid milk products.
 Extending shelf life is sometimes necessary when people
do not have ready access to fresh foods on a regular
basis.
- RD 411 Processed Food Facts

9. Should I avoid all packaged food?
Packaged/Processed foods can be part of a healthy diet.
For example…
 Orange Juice
 Frozen, skinless chicken breast or lean turkey
 Raisin Bran
 Whole Wheat Pizza Shells
 Plain frozen vegetables in steamer bags (no sauces!)
 Canned Fruit (in their own juice with no added
sweeteners)
 Peanut Butter
- RD 411 Processed Food Facts

10. Ideas to get you started.
Most of these foods will meet this month’s challenge.
Be sure to read the label!
 All fresh fruits and vegetables
 Fresh meat/animal products and seafood (choose the leanest
cuts)
 Eggs
 Milk and Cheese
 Dried fruits, nuts and seeds
 Rice
 Pasta
 Beans
 Natural Peanut butter or other nut butters (read the label!)
 100% pure maple syrup and honey
(Taken from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/)

11. Ideas to get you started.
Cereals & Breads Snacks
 Puffed whole-grain corn  Lara bars
cereal  Fruit leathers
 Shredded wheat cereal  Applesauce
 Honey whole-wheat bread  Popcorn
from Great Harvest  Triscuits
 Oats  Whole-wheat
Matzo crackers
 Brown rice
crackers and cakes

12. Home Made
Many foods when made at home are simple and
natural. But in the supermarket, some foods’
ingredients may be complicated, with a long list of
ingredients. Think about your favorite packaged
products and look for ways to make it at home:
 The ingredients of bread can be as simple as whole wheat
flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and water.
 Pizza is made from a similar dough with toppings such as
cheese, tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs.
(Taken from:
http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/processed-food.html

13. Cooking more to meet this challenge?
Some great resources for ideas and recipes:
Meal Plans, Recipes and More!
 http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
 http://www.foodnetwork.com/quick-and-easy/spring-weeknight-dinners/pictures/
5 Ingredient Recipes
 http://busycooks.about.com/od/fiveingredientsorless/a/500fiveingredie.htm
 http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/5_ingredient_recipes
 http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/healthy-recipes/5-ingredient-recipes/5-ingred

14. Information about processed foods
What is Processed Food?
http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/processed-food.html
RD 411 Processed Food Facts
http://www.rd411.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1451:proce

15. Help Others Meet this Challenge:
Comment on The Learning Center’s
StarBurst! page.
Blog a food product or recipe you enjoy
which has 5 ingredients or less.

16. We hope this module has been informative
and will help you meet April’s Love Your
Life nutrition challenge.
Participants in Love Your Life can earn 5
points by clicking the link on the
StarBurst! page below this presentation.