Eat to lose weight

I found out that your body needs to eat (the right stuff) to be healthy and lose weight. But what am I suppose to eat? What is healthy? Here's the deal:

• As much as possible, stop eating processed food. I know you've heard this before, but I didn't really get it and maybe you don't either. If it has a UPC it is most likely a processed food. Not all of them are bad, but the vast majority shouldn't enter your body. I'll get to more on this later. Refined sugar is one of these. Leave it at the store and watch out for it in all products. Buy food that you can tell what it came from.
• Buy whole foods (I'm not talking about the grocery store -- although they have a great supply of them). Really, buy items that are only that item. If you need a tomato, buy a fresh tomato or if you need canned or frozen make sure it ONLY has tomatoes in it. You'd be surprised what you'll find it there!
• READ the ingredients label (not just the nutritional info). This is crucial. You have to read the food label and make sure there isn't anything that is unhealthy in there. If you don't know the word, it is likely not good for you. No added sugars (includes anything ending with "ose" like glucose, no artificial sweeteners, no preservatives, no enriched flours (enriched=processed to the point of having to add vitamins/minerals back into a product), or added fats (oils of most kinds).
• Lower your intake of saturated fats as much as possible. This means if it is an animal product (meats, cheeses, milks, butter, etc) then make sure you get the lowest fat possible or eliminate it if necessary.
• Increase fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat them in unlimited numbers.
• Eat unlimited unrefined, whole grains. I didn't realize this, but most of those companies that put "whole grain" on the box or wrapper are deceiving us. They do have a little bit of whole grains, but if you read the label it is mostly refined white or wheat flour. NOTE: Enriched wheat flour is NOT a whole grain. Look forward to more posts about whole grains.
• Stop counting and eat correctly. It is the key to being healthy and losing weight. I will help you with this as I'm still reprograming myself!