You are what you eat.

That adage is a reminder to me at every meal, and it's one of my secrets to losing 50 pounds and keeping it off for six years and counting.

I follow it up with: Make every bite count.

That is, if I'm going to drink my calories, they shouldn't be empty ones. (Calcium-fortified soymilk, yes, Diet soda, never!)  If I'm going to have a snack, I want it to fuel me through my evening workout.  If I'm going to reach for a slice of bread, it will always be a whole-grain variety that's full of fiber and other nutrients.

I love to cook (I did co-write a cookbook, after all!), and I make almost everything I eat from scratch. I read labels, buy raw ingredients, and make time to prepare healthy and nutritious food each day.

That said, I'm not perfect. I reach for prepackaged treats on rare occasion. I have a serious affinity for all things crunchy and salty, and sometimes, I just want a Twizzler. I know those foods aren't good for me, but I know that when 98% of my diet is whole foods, the infrequent junk foods won't have a tremendous effect.

But have you ever wondered how certain food affects your body? Do you ever think about how much effort your body has to put into digesting one food versus another?
TEDxManhattan 2011 Fellow Stefani Bardin did, and that's why this "media maker" and her colleague had two people swallow M2A cameras (mouth-to-anus) and SmartPill wireless gastroenterology devices collects time, pressure and pH from within the GI tract. The participants ate similar meals: Gummi Bears, blue Gatorade and Ramen noodles. The only difference: One person had a homemade, real-food version. (Awhile later, each participant ate the other version of the meal.)

The results--and the visual proof--are startling. Watch for yourself:

Warning: Don't watch this video on your lunch break.



This video grossed me out, and it reaffirmed my faith in the power of real foods. Cooking takes time (though it doesn't have to take much time!), but it can save your life if you're eating and preparing healthy foods. I'm 100% committed to this healthy lifestyle that SparkPeople has helped me create, and this was more fuel for my fire.

That said, I wouldn't judge anyone else for continuing to eat these foods, on occasion.  When I lived in South Korea, I ate ramen noodles quite often--and enjoyed every slurp!

How about you?

Has this video affected your view on real food? Do you think processed foods are a sometimes or never food?