By Tami Rupe

One of the most effective ways to improve your overall health is to reduce your consumption of processed foods. Frozen dinners, chips, donuts, sugary breakfast cereals and canned foods contain excess calories, sugar, sodium, fat, preservatives and additives. Once you eliminate processed foods and let fresh, unprocessed foods into your diet, you will feel and look better. Generally the more processed a food is, the less vitamins, minerals and nutrients it contains, and the more chemicals, toxins, pesticides and preservatives it contains.

Here are a few tips:

• Choose fresh foods as often as possible. Take advantage of local markets.
• To reorganize your diet, shop for foods that are located on the outside aisles of the grocery store.
• Purchase whole-grain products.  Go to the local bakery and look for the words “whole grain” on the label.
• Buy less canned, frozen and fast foods. All can contain excess sodium and processed components.
• Cook more at home. Prepare your “staple” foods for the week and keep them refrigerated for easy combinations to make quick and easy meals. Use your slow-cooker.
• Choose salad bars and delis when you need take-out. Many supermarkets offer delicious choices.
• Make you own snacks with fresh foods and skip boxed or packaged sweets from the machine at work. Celery and peanut butter, dried fruit and nuts with Greek yogurt are excellent  choices.
• Bake your homemade desserts using healthier ingredients.

Following a non-processed diet is easier than you think.  Here is a sample diet: For breakfast, eat a fruit salad with Greek yogurt and a bowl of steel-cut whole oats. For lunch, enjoy a garden salad with grilled chicken.  For dinner, try whole grain brown rice topped with roasted vegetables alongside grilled fish.  Snack on fruit when you need it.