America is a wealthy nation, with an abundant and varied
food supply. But walk into any supermarket, and you could
purchase a cart full of "food" with no more nutrition than
a sheet of plywood, and containing a multitude of
unpronounceable man made ingredients. Careful choices are
necessary to make sure you feed yourself and your family in
a way that will meet your nutritional needs, and not cause
health problems down the road.
Count on our government to come up with "new dietary
guidelines" every few years, in various geometric shapes.
They have their good points. But plain old common sense is
a reliable guide when choosing your diet. Eat a wide
variety of foods. Your body needs many different
micro-nutrients and minerals, and the best way to get them
is by choosing many different foods.
Apples and bananas are great, but how about kiwis, mangoes,
pears, grapes, cherries. Eat whole foods. As much as you
can, choose foods as close to their original state as
possible. Pick a baked potato over chips or fries. A fresh
apple over apple pie. A lean pork chop over sausage. Every
step of processing that a food undergoes drains nutrients,
and often adds ingredients you're better off without.
Look at that box of instant dinner (fortified with seven
nutrients!) you're thinking of putting in the cart, and try
to imagine how far from its original state everything in
that picture is. If you're really brave, read the
ingredient list. (Clue: most fresh whole foods do not come
with ingredient lists...) Eat organic and local food.
Organically grown food leaves pesticides, herbicides, and
most artificial ingredients out of the picture.
Local food is likely fresher, less processed, and in
season. Ever tasted an Ecuadoran strawberry in February?
The eyes say WOW! The tongue says ICK. Strawberries grown
in your region will only be available seasonally, but when
they are they'll be delicious. Eat colorful food. Turns
out the deeper the color of your fresh fruits and veggies,
the more nutrients they pack. Look for red peppers, purple
cabbage, dark green salad greens, and blueberries.
Instead of mashed potatoes and cauliflower with a chicken
breast, choose a yam, broccoli and, okay a chicken breast.
But maybe salmon? Cheetos and grape soda don't count. Do
not eat counterfeit foods. If the word 'substitute' appears
anywhere on the package, think twice. It's true you should
not eat a lot of sugar. But fake sugar is worse. How about
a little honey? Butter is good in moderation. Fake butter
is...not food.
There's water, and there's juice, even time-honored beer
and wine. But what kind of food is pop? I just can't think
of one fake food that would be a wiser choice than its
genuine counterpart. In your supermarket, the best place
to look for a variety of whole, fresh, colorful foods is
around the edges. Produce counter, meat counter, and dairy.
Dart into those middle aisles as little as possible, for
Kleenex and a birthday card maybe. No Cheetos.
----------------------------------------------------
David Brooke, aka "The Brooker" has been a coach, speaker,
and motivator for over 25 years, specializing in coaching
people to be more productive and apply the "attitude of
gratitude" in their lives. To access his "20 Point
Survival Toolkit", a set of strategies for getting your
life back on track, visit: http://www.thebrooker.com
EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=43071
0 comments
Post a Comment