The no hydrogenated oils/high fructose corn syrup/refined sugar experiment

What do you think?

I have very recently found a great natural foods store and have become a big fan of old fashioned oats, organic greek yogurt, organic nuts, fruits, veggies, (i do not eat meat) almond butter, natural cereals, almond milk, fish, brown rice/bread

Do you think if i cut out old school peanut butter, processed cereals, yogurt loaded with a whole bunch of junk fake sugar etc, and all that stuff I would notice a difference in my health?

The healthier versions of the "old school" foods you listed probably a) contain more vitamins such as iron and calcium, b) contain more fiber, c) contain less sugar, and d) keep you full longer.

Points a, b and c won't turn you into superwoman, but anything that makes you healthier is awesome. As for point d, foods that contain less sodium and sugar and take longer to digest (due to more fiber) keep you from overeating or feeling hungry. This is great for people looking to lose weight. :)

if you keep that up, you'll have the healthiest heart on earth lol!! no clogged arteries for you! i tried watching out for the hydrogenated oils but its insanely hard in the usual grocery store..

I think it'll probably help you but I'm always encouraging people to try soynut butter too! (unless you can't have soy!) It's SOO good with a great texture.  If you ever feel the need to have something sweet there are fruit-sweetened soy ice creams that you can try. I love them. Have fun!

I've switched recently as well.  I'm still eating meats, and butters and cheeses, but all in moderation.

I'm feeling better about eating more natural foods.  I feel like it's not just making a difference in my life, but it's helping others look at theirs too.  My boyfriend joined me in switching and kicked the diet soda habit. YAY!

While I haven't noticed any immediate effects, I know that homemade foods taste MUCH better.   We've started making our own bread, and we're having a lot of fun doing it.

I also never realized how much salt was in my food before, but now that I've switched I'm much more sensitive to salty tastes.  I had a piece of muenster cheese, and I almost spit it out because the salt seemed so strong. 

I've recently started making a serious effort to eat as natural and healthy as possible in addition to just cutting calories, and it would be ridiculous to say I FEEL LIKE A WHOLE NEW WOMAN! but I do feel better about myself, if only psychologically because I know I'm making good choices.

Gone are the days of white bread, processed cookies, diet soda, and crunchy Jif! Yesterday I had a sandwich made with with organic whole wheat bread, Maranatha's all-natural dry-roasted almond butter (ingredients: dry-roasted almonds), and some organic blueberry jam... soooo good.

It would be too hard to switch ENTIRELY to ONLY organic and natural foods, of course, but I intend to limit my consumption of processed, chemical-laden foods as much as I can... it's just so much better this way!

And pixieninja, I feel the same way about salt. I never used to be sensitive to it before (in fact, I would always be the person who would say "it tastes fine to me" when my mom would complain about stuff being too salty) but now that I've started watching my sodium, I can really taste it now... for example, I was having some chili the other day, and it was so salty I couldn't finish it... that's why I make my soups with low-sodium broth... lol.

without a doubt. worked wonders for me (no more colds, no more painful periods).

read the research of Weston Price, he was a dentist who did nutritional research in the 1920's, looking at native peoples who hadn't yet had their diets "westernized" (read: fake, processed, nutrionally empty food).  The common thread in all the healthy peoples he studied? whole, natural foods.

The Price-Pottenger foundation also has info on the nutritional research of  Dr. Francis Pottenger. He studied several generations of cats and raw food diets. Really interesting stuff.