Eating Naturally “We are what we eat”, is a saying that is all too true when it comes to the North American diet.
Fast food and packaged, highly processed foods are a cause for many chronic health problems due to the greasy, preserved, and altered state that they come in.
Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers can be prevented and even reversed by changes in diet alone.
With that being said, there must be a simple solution, essentially one that would revert us back to the way that we used to eat before these health problems are on the rise.
Eating foods in their most natural state is, though surprisingly simple, the solution to many health problems.
Eating natural, whole foods is something that has been suppressed for the sake of time, convenience, and “habit”, with manufacturers creating highly processed and genetically altered foods, loaded with preservatives and stripped of their health value.
Pasta and bread made with white or enriched flour carry nothing more than empty carbohydrates that are high glycemic, raising blood sugar levels as quickly as sugar does.
Packaged goods that are instant, enriched, and contain additives or preservatives have very little nutritional value since their alteration has made many of the vital nutrients that they would naturally have become inactive or removed altogether.
For example, in the processing of white flour, the bran and germ are removed from the wheat. These contain B-vitamins, minerals, protein, and dietary fiber. This leaves you with bread made from flour containing only carbohydrates and some protein. Enriched white flour is just as bad since added, synthetic vitamins are not easily absorbed by the body and can even stress the kidneys.
The best thing to do for health benefits is to eat foods that are as close to natural as possible. Fresh fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, and poultry are optimal. Fruits and vegetables that are whole and not genetically modified hold the greatest nutritional value.
Bread made from whole wheat, multigrain, or ideally sprouted grains are the best choices since they contain natural many nutrients essential to proper body function. Better yet, they help us feel satiated (full) and have even and balanced energy as opposed to their processed counterparts.
Greens are somewhat of an exception. They are naturally some of the most alkaline foods around and have unique plant chemicals (phytonutrients) with varied benefits.
More of these nutrients can be unlocked through steaming. Unlike frying, cooking, or microwaving, steaming does not destroy some of the more delicate phytochemicals, all while making vegetables easy to serve and eat. Just add a dash of herbs and seasoning to bring them to life!
So what if you are taking vitamin and mineral supplements to help you to attain a more thorough micronutrient profile? The key thing to note with these is that they are supplemental.
Pills and capsules have synthetic components to them, and without proper food, cannot be absorbed easily.
Supplements must not be used to patch deficiencies that result from poor eating choices.
The best thing to do is to get as many nutrients as you can from natural foods, and then to add supplements if you feel that you need the nutritional boost.
All-natural, whole foods are vastly superior to their packaged and preserved counterparts. Getting yourself to consume more natural foods is a great step to take towards obtaining better overall nutrition.