This website is designed to help you make healthy food choices. After all, our bodies are made up of the foods we eat so what we eat is very important. In fact, how we feel and how we age will be determined to a great extent by the choices we make about what we eat each day. Of course, exercise, fresh air, sunshine, a good relationship and doing work we love also contribute to good health. Here I talk about some great foods to have in your diet and why I recommend them.
More and more studies are being done on whole natural foods. What these studies are showing is that the fresher our foods are and the closer our foods are to their natural state the better. Real foods are packed full of phytonutrients (phyto means plant) that give and sustain life.
With the above in mind, the first rule is to think whole. Whole foods have lots of nutrients, known and unknown, in a balanced way. Just remember, the closer a food is to its natural whole state the better. Isolating a nutrient is not in balance and can be harmful to our bodies and sometimes even a poison. Choose whole grains such as brown rice, and better yet Forbidden Rice which is so purple it almost looks black. White rice is a stripped down version of what it was.
The second rule is to shop by color. The darker in color a fruit, vegetable, grain or bean is the higher it is in phytonutrients especially cartenoids, a powerful antioxidant. For instance, choose dark greens like spinach and kale over iceberg lettuce. Choose a dark beet over a light colored beet (there are many varieties of beets and some are very light in color). Choose pumpkin or a winter squash over a white potato.
The third rule is to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables in season. Locally grown foods sold at farmer’s markets, road-side stands and small natural food stores are the freshest you can buy. The fresher the produce the more vitamins and other nutrients they will have. The only thing better would be to pick your own organic fruits and vegetables out of your own garden just before preparing and serving them.
Nuts and seeds are a great source of good oils and plant protein when eaten raw. Roasting nuts and seeds affects their precious oils changing them from a good health giving fat to trans fatty acids that are known to be very unhealthy. Include some walnuts, flaxseeds and hemp seeds which have the essential fatty acids, omega 3 and 6. Be sure to soak nuts and seeds as soaking unlocks their full potential..
Include fresh green herbs, like basil, parsley and cilantro, and fresh spices. Many herbs and spices are high in antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Herbs and spices are valued for their medical properties as well as for their distinct flavor they add to foods. For instance, just ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder a day has been shown in studies to lower blood sugar levels. Fresh ginger contains antioxidants that have shown to fight cancer and heart disease. Ginger also has effective antimicrobial effects and has anti-inflammatory qualities, stimulates circulation and helps with motion sickness. Turmeric, a bright yellow spice commonly found in India curries, is known for its anti-inflammatory qualities.
It’s the same old same old, as it has been forever or at least how it was before we got so high tech and modern and so far away from healthy food choices. Organic, whole natural foods are what we have always depended on and they are still what works today.