I don't believe in dieting or food deprivation to improve health or lose weight, because I believe that sustainable weight loss can be achieved through making smarter choices most of the time and eating more mindfully. There are, however, a few food ingredients that I avoid most of the time and don't feel good about feeding my family. These ingredients often make their way into popular processed/convenience foods at the grocery store, or perhaps foods that you may order in when you don't feel like cooking. When people ask me what to look at when purchasing foods, I always tell them to look at the ingredients first and foremost as it will tell you everything you need to know. The nutrition facts table is a nice-to-know, especially if you are watching your grams of carbohydrate (Diabetes or PCOS), but it really doesn't give you much information about the quality of the product that you are buying. When looking at the ingredients list, be wary of lists with more than 4 or 5 ingredients, especially when you don't recognize the ingredient (in other words- it's not real food) or it sounds more like a chemical.

Spiced Pumpkin Bran Muffins

Gather two 12-cup muffin tins, lightly greased or lined with paper cups (makes 2 dozen medium-sized muffins or 3 dozen small muffins), and preheat the oven to 375 F (or 350 F if you have a super hot oven).