Latest / Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor / Mojo Monday - Food Unwrapped: The NOVA Classification of Food with Carly Taylor.

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Mojo Monday - Food Unwrapped: The NOVA Classification of Food with Carly Taylor. · Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome back to another episode of Mojo Monday.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: So today we're going to dive into something that can
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: be very confusing. It also can be a source of
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  Speaker 1: stress for many people, but it's something that we all need,
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  Speaker 1: and that is food. I want to introduce you to
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  Speaker 1: a system that categorizes food based on its level of
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  Speaker 1: processing after the food has been separated from nature. And
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  Speaker 1: it's called the Nova Classification of Food and it's come
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  Speaker 1: out of Brazil, So thank you Brazil. So I'm a
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  Speaker 1: big fan of it because it's quite straightforward. It takes
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  Speaker 1: the guesswork out of eating. And we talk about the
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  Speaker 1: low H high food which HI, which is food that
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  Speaker 1: has been minimally interfered with by humans. And this fits
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  Speaker 1: in really nice with the NOVA system. So HI stands
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  Speaker 1: for human interference. And this framework, or this system of
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  Speaker 1: categorizing food, it can really be a game changer for
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  Speaker 1: anyone who struggled with their relationship with food or is
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  Speaker 1: fed up with dieting, fed up with the yo yo dieting,
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  Speaker 1: and wants to end the confusion and the mental battles
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  Speaker 1: that come with making their food choices. So I'm going
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  Speaker 1: to break it down in a way that's really practical
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  Speaker 1: and easy to apply, and even if you're super busy,
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  Speaker 1: it should be something that you can implement into your
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  Speaker 1: daily food choices and by the end you'll have this
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  Speaker 1: classification as a tool to make your food choices that
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  Speaker 1: support not just your health but also your energy and
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  Speaker 1: your mojo. So I'll go through the Nova classification and
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  Speaker 1: or go through what it is. So in a nutshell,
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  Speaker 1: it's a framework that groups food into four categories based
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  Speaker 1: on how much processing they've gone through. So the idea
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  Speaker 1: is that the more the food is processed from its
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  Speaker 1: natural state, the more likely it is to lose its
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  Speaker 1: nutritional value and gain those additives that are not good
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  Speaker 1: for us along the way. So walk you through the
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  Speaker 1: four categories. The first category is unprocessed or minimally processed foods,
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  Speaker 1: So these are foods that are as close to their
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  Speaker 1: natural state as possible, so you think of human interference.
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  Speaker 1: They've got the less human interference out of all of them.
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  Speaker 1: So things like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, and milk.
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  Speaker 1: Even though milk has gone through process processing system, it's
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  Speaker 1: minimally processed. So there are foods. These are foods that
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  Speaker 1: your grandparents or in some case your great grandparents, depending
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  Speaker 1: on how old you are, would easily recognize. And they
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  Speaker 1: are packed with nutrients and fiber and everything that your
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  Speaker 1: body needs to thrive on. So when you base your
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  Speaker 1: meals around these foods, they're truly nourishing both your body
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  Speaker 1: and your brain. And I encourage my clients to focus
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  Speaker 1: on adding more of these foods into their diet, and
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  Speaker 1: by doing this, you're feeding your body what it needs
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  Speaker 1: to function right down to a cellular level. And over time,
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  Speaker 1: the idea is that these cravings that we have for
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  Speaker 1: these sugary, fatty foods and the less healthy options naturally
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  Speaker 1: start to diminish as they get crowded out. So that's
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  Speaker 1: the first category. The second category is processed culinary ingredients.
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  Speaker 1: So these are substances that have been extracted from natural
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  Speaker 1: whole foods and used in cooking, like things like your oils,
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  Speaker 1: your butter, your salt, that sort of thing. They're not
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  Speaker 1: meant to be the star of the show, but they're
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  Speaker 1: there to enhance the flavors of your meal. So the
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  Speaker 1: key here is moderation, and a tip here is to
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  Speaker 1: use them sparingly and pair them with the unprocessed foods,
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  Speaker 1: so the low hi foods. So for example, drizzle extra
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  Speaker 1: virgin olive oil over a salad, or sprinkle a pinch
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  Speaker 1: of salt over roasted vegetables. And the idea is to
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  Speaker 1: compliment the natural flavors of your food and not overpower them.
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  Speaker 1: And then the third category is processed foods. So now
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  Speaker 1: we're getting into the foods that have been altered from
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  Speaker 1: their natural state and have things like preservatives, salt, sugar,
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  Speaker 1: or oil added to them. So this includes canned vegetables, cheese,
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  Speaker 1: freshly break baked bread doesn't even have to be freshly baked,
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  Speaker 1: made in a factory. They're not necessarily unhealthy, but they're
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  Speaker 1: a step away from the whole foods. So a tip
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  Speaker 1: here is to read the labels. Choose options with fewer ingredients.
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  Speaker 1: So if you're buying bread, go with one ingredient of
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  Speaker 1: the ones with the ingredients that you can pronounce and recognize.
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  Speaker 1: The fewer the better. My go to bread is artisan sourdough.
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  Speaker 1: It's made the traditional way I get it from the markets,
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  Speaker 1: from directly from the baker, and it's got about three
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  Speaker 1: ingredients in it. But obviously you pay more for that
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  Speaker 1: sort of bread, but there are options that are a
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  Speaker 1: step down from that, So this is when you start
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  Speaker 1: to read the labels and make some informed choices. The
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  Speaker 1: next category is ultra processed foods, and these are the
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  Speaker 1: ones to watch out for. We need to be vigilant
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  Speaker 1: with these ones. Ultra Processed foods are often packed with additives, preservatives,
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  Speaker 1: artificial ingredients, so think sugary cereals, soft drinks, instant noodles,
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  Speaker 1: you know the kid's life of them, and many many
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  Speaker 1: snack foods. Entire supermarket aisles are dedicated to this category.
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  Speaker 1: And these foods are designed to be convenient and tasty,
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  Speaker 1: and some are even addictive. They have this long shelf life,
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  Speaker 1: but they come with a hidden cost to your health
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  Speaker 1: and your energy levels depending on how much you consume.
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  Speaker 1: And personally, I'm very aware of how these foods affect me.
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  Speaker 1: I often feel sluggish, I get bloated after eating many
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  Speaker 1: of these foods in this category, so I steer clear
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  Speaker 1: of most ultra process options, but when I do indulge
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  Speaker 1: in them, I limit my intake so I can really
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  Speaker 1: enjoy the experience without overdoing it and feeling the aftermath.
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  Speaker 1: So the goal is to minimize these foods as much
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  Speaker 1: as possible. So we follow an eighty twenty rule where
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  Speaker 1: eighty percent of our food choices comes from real whole
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  Speaker 1: foods animally processed foods, while the twenty percent are the
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  Speaker 1: ultra process treat foods. The key is to choose your
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  Speaker 1: treats wisely. So what is your absolute must have sacrosanct
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  Speaker 1: treat something that you just do not want to give up.
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  Speaker 1: You make sure it is the best quality that you
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  Speaker 1: can find, and then you savor it. Okay, So that's
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  Speaker 1: really what a treat food should be about. So start
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  Speaker 1: to think about the food that you are currently buying.
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  Speaker 1: For example, you can buy an orange, which of course
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  Speaker 1: is real whole food comes from nature. Then a bottle
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  Speaker 1: of orange juice that you buy from the supermarket has
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  Speaker 1: gone through a process where by a lot of the
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  Speaker 1: fiber has been taken out, and to get one glass
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  Speaker 1: you need a lot of orange or oranges, and you're
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  Speaker 1: left basically with a glass of fructose. So it's much
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  Speaker 1: better for you to eat the whole fruit, or if
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  Speaker 1: you really love orange juice yourself at home and keep
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  Speaker 1: as much as of the pulp in as possible, so
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  Speaker 1: you keep the goodness of the fiber and the nutrients
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  Speaker 1: there and just don't drink too much of it. Breakfast
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  Speaker 1: cereals another one that come under the guise of being healthy,
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  Speaker 1: as many of them have nutrients that have been added
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  Speaker 1: to them, but they are highly processed. And if you're
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  Speaker 1: but if you like having breakfast cereals because it's convenient,
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  Speaker 1: let's face it, and when you're in a hurry, they
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  Speaker 1: come in handy, choose things like wheat bis, which is
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  Speaker 1: probably the least processed out of all of them, or
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  Speaker 1: better still, rolled oats. Not quick oats, because they've highly
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  Speaker 1: processed and they get absorbed very very quickly into your bloodstream,
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  Speaker 1: but rolled oats to make porridge or make your own
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  Speaker 1: musically with some nuts and seeds, which is what I
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  Speaker 1: tend to do. So the NOVA classification system is it's
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  Speaker 1: not a perfect framework. You can classify hams, for example,
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  Speaker 1: in the processed food category, but you can also get
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  Speaker 1: nitrate free ham, which is less processed and better for you.
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  Speaker 1: But much of it is common sense and you can
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  Speaker 1: work out where most foods sit in these categories. What
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  Speaker 1: I love about the NOVA classification if it gives us
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  Speaker 1: this practical framework to make healthier choices, and the beauty
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  Speaker 1: of it is it's flexible. You don't need to overhaul
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  Speaker 1: your whole diet overnight. It's about small, consistent changes that
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  Speaker 1: can lead to lasting results, and it's also about taking
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  Speaker 1: control and having more informed choices. So this week I
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  Speaker 1: challenge you to take a closer look at your food
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  Speaker 1: choices and see where they fall within the NOVA classification.
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  Speaker 1: So are you reaching for more unprocessed or minimally processed
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  Speaker 1: foods or do you have a lot of those ultra
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  Speaker 1: processed options sneaking into your diet more than you'd like.
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  Speaker 1: So take a few moments to do a bit of
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  Speaker 1: a reflection or an evaluation of your meals, because this
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  Speaker 1: can be incredibly eye opening. I've worked with clients who
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  Speaker 1: have struggled with their relationship with food for most of
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  Speaker 1: their lives, constantly battling cravings and guilt and being very,
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  Speaker 1: very confused, and this framework has been a game changer
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  Speaker 1: for them. So by simply categorizing their food choices, they've
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  Speaker 1: got this sense of clarity and control, and instead of
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  Speaker 1: ruminating over what they're going to eat, they start to
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  Speaker 1: make more mindful decisions that are aligned with their value
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  Speaker 1: of being healthy. And as an outcome, also that mental
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  Speaker 1: chatter around food begins to quieten down. So I encourage
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  Speaker 1: you to give this a try. You might find that
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  Speaker 1: it not only simplifies your food choices, but also brings
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  Speaker 1: you a sense of peace to your relationship with food.
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  Speaker 1: You know, remember, it's not about being perfect. It's about
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  Speaker 1: being more aware and feeling more feeling more in control
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  Speaker 1: to make those choices and nourish your body and your mind.
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  Speaker 1: So thank you for tuning in. We all have to eat,
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  Speaker 1: but with so many choices, it can feel like a
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  Speaker 1: mental struggle. So if you've found this episode helpful, please
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  Speaker 1: share it with someone who might need a little extra
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  Speaker 1: support with their food choices. And if you have a moment,
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: leaving a review on Apple Podcast really helps the podcast
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: to grow and spreads the message even further. And I
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  Speaker 1: really appreciate your support and thank you for listening. I
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  Speaker 1: will catching next week.