“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” -J.R.R. Tolkien
“When I say get on a diet- Get Healthy foods in your body- many, many vegetables. A lot of good, good quality protein. A lot of water. Stop the sodas, stop the bullshit. Start working out your body and get a better sense of how this machine feels when it’s moving. That’s step 1. -Joe Rogan
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”
-English Proverb
In my opinion, there are WAY too many food choices out there! Convenience foods, fast foods, natural foods, cooked foods, raw foods, TV dinners. I can go on and on. No wonder people are getting larger and larger every year. There is so much food available at our finger tips. We feel that we have to try it all or we will miss out. OR, consumers are confused on what to buy. They walk up and down the grocery aisles trying to decide on which foods are actually good for them. Claims are thrown onto every package in an attempt to sway the buyer to buy their cookies, chips, soda, granola bars, or any other food product you can think of.
Food manufacturers, health advocates, and scientists have made nutrition more complex than it needs to be. Thy throw around the claims such as “all natural”, “non GMO”, “gluten free”, “paleo friendly”and many others. While some of these are rooted in truth, some may not matter! For example, “all natural” has been thrown around so much without any standard definition. An all natural product may not help you achieve the results you want. Think about it: sugar is “all natural.” However, it does not aid in weight loss! Also, the “gluten free” movement has gained momentum in the last few years. Many people perceive that gluten is a bad nutrient and causes weight gain. In reality, gluten is a protein that helps bind carbohydrates together to form starch. Gluten does not contribute to the total calorie count of a food! The only people who need to worry about gluten are those with celiac disease.
More importantly, focus on foods that come from or were made with ingredients from nature. Everything we need to eat was created on this earth for our use. Animals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices, seeds, water, all are renewable food resources that come together onto our tables to form a healthy diet. They are fresh and can be cooked in unlimited ways to create amazing dishes. If you know it came from nature, you can feel confident that it could fit into a healthy diet. Now, please don’t take this as an end all, be all list. There are still natural food products that do not promote a healthy diet: sugar, bacon, fatty meats, whole milk, butter, etc. Use your common sense. However, if you stick to foods that come from nature, there will be less questions and doubts on if they are a good choice. There would be no need to check if they are “all natural”, “paleo friendly”, or “made with artificial ingredients. Keeping it simple: If your food choices came from the earth, you can be confident they can round out your plate! As Always, Eat, move, and Improve!
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