Better Nutrition From Real Food

Real food is something you could find growing, running, swimming, or flying somewhere on the planet. Something packaged in a plastic wrapper in a factory overseas that is loaded with preservatives, artificial colors, and artificial flavors is not real food.

Whole, unprocessed food is higher in nutrients than processed items. And the bottom line for your health is that even though many of the chemicals and genetic modifications in industrially-produced food are “generally recognized as safe”, we don’t really know the long-term health ramifications of ingesting all these chemicals over the course of our lifetimes.

Buy clean, organic food from local farmers whenever possible. It’s better nutrition for your body, it’s better for the farms, it’s better for the animals, and better for the planet.

As with most transformations, seeing big changes can take time. For a gradual transition to a healthier lifestyle, pick one change from the following list to make each week or two. Soon you’ll find that you’ve transitioned your eating from reactive sugar-grabbing to purposeful, healthy choices!

• Plan ahead by bringing a snack to work instead of grabbing whatever’s available in the break room or vending machine.
• Say no to soda! Make unsweetened tea or mineral water with fresh citrus instead.
• Instead of using bottled sauces and condiments, start substituting additional fruits and vegetables to flavor your everyday foods. For example, put fruit in your oatmeal, extra veggies on your sandwich, and fresh salsa on your grilled fish.
• Start cutting back on white-flour starches and start adding more vegetables. Foods like white breads and pastas, bagels, tortilla chips, and croissants are low in nutrients and fiber, and high in calories and carbohydrates. Try replacing white-flour products with whole-grain or non-wheat choices like brown rice pasta, quinoa, or yams.
• Make enough healthy dinner to provide leftovers for lunch the next day. That way you’re not at the mercy of trying to find something healthy while eating out.
• If you buy prepared or canned foods, look for organic and minimally processed brands without high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. Better nutrition!
• Pick a weekend day when you and your family cook everything from scratch. It’s fun, it’s quality family time, and you’ll have lots of healthy food ready for the rest of the week!