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At the turn of the century, America’s relationship with food
changed dramatically, with fast or convenience foods becoming a
staple for many. Woman alone, account for a substantial
percentage of convenience foods purchases, with sales exceeding
4.5 billion dollars annually. When natural and whole food
substances are transformed from raw food products into canned,
boxed, precooked or instant foods, many of the vitamins,
minerals and phytonutrients are lost. In addition, the use of
hydrogenated vegetable oils, food additives, preservatives,
fillers, artificial flavorings and color have transformed
something that was once good for you, into something that has
very little, to no nutritional value left.
When you walk down the aisles of the supermarket, many of the
choices available are not “whole” foods nor natural. They are
not filled with the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients we
need to thrive. Instead, they are preprocessed, presweetened and
laden with artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. They
have very little, if any nutritional value left within them.
Take a moment to inventory your eating habits. How many of these
foods do you eat? Kraft macaroni and cheese: box-o-chemicals,
Betty Crocker potatoes a gratin: box-o-chemicals, hamburger
helper: box-o-chemicals, Spam, Vienna sausages, Franco-American
Spaghetti-O’s, Cheese Wiz, all chemical laden. This is only a
small list of products available to American consumers that we
happily and whole-heartedly consume.
The truth is, our bodies were not designed to handle these
non-food. There are no keys in our genetic make-up designed to
utilize these products. Instead of promoting health, they
promote disease. While nutritionists contend that soft drinks,
white flour and other calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods can fit
into a good diet, in theory, they are correct. However, they
regrettably ignore the fact that most Americans consume great
quantities of these nutrient poor foods and only meager
quantities of healthful foods.
The good news is that many American women are becoming more
proactive about their health and well being. A great place to
start any kind of health program is by adopting a healthful
diet. Many health enthusiasts have led people to believe that in
order to be healthy, the solitary route is to eat only organic
foods, or to become a vegetarian, leaving many with the feeling
that it is an “all or nothing” proposition. In the big picture
of things, yes, they may be right in their assertion, but making
the transition from the typical American diet to one a more
healthful one may seem like an insurmountable task. Many quit
before they even try. If you are raising a family, you might not
be able to financially afford to live this lifestyle. This,
however, shouldn’t exclude you from peak and optimal health.
Like so many woman, I am constantly on the go and have to
translate the concerns of proper nutrition to meet a fast food
lifestyle. An important key to health and healthful dining is to
become an active chooser when it comes to our food choices.
Being an active chooser is easy. It is the art of shopping
selectively, picking healthful alternatives over nutritionally
poor ones. This can be accomplished, even if you are on a budget!
When creating a healthful food plan for yourself or your family,
here are a few guidelines you can use to help you as you
transition to a healthful diet and lifestyle.
First, we all need to drink at least 8 – 8oz glasses of water
daily. Water, not soda, coffee or other beverage, is a necessary
component in maintaining health. Other than it’s role in the
many biochemical processes our bodies perform, another of its
functions is to help to remove toxins from the body. A high
quality vitamin and mineral supplement is also another must.
Americans currently spend in excess of 2.5 billion dollars
annually on vitamin and mineral supplements. Certainly these
individual must think they are getting some value out of them.
Supplements, however, should not replace good foods. They should
instead help compensate for the many demands placed on a woman’s
body as well as make up for nutrients you are not getting from
your regular diet.
When selecting foods, we should eat from a variety of whole,
unprocessed foods…the more variety, the greater the pallet of
vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients we will be ingesting. Try
to ensure that you eat at least one leafy green salad and a
piece of fresh fruit daily. While this is still below the
recommended standards, it is a great place to start. Reduce or
eliminate preprocessed, prepackaged, chemical laden food as well
as foods that are high in refined sugars, including white bread
and white rice.
When preparing meals, I always ask myself, is any of the food I
am serving fresh? Fresh fruits and vegetables have enzymes in
them that are essential to good health. Fresh fruits and
vegetables are the best, followed by frozen ones, with canned
foods following poorly behind. Food processing of any kind
destroys vitamins and phytonutrients, so frozen foods while
still having some nutritional value, are nutritionally inferior
to fresh. Canned foods have little to no nutritional value left.
Limit canned food purchases to items such as tuna, tomatoes and
beans.
Many of us don’t always have time to cook hardy nutritious
meals. When time is short, I look to my crock-pot to do the
cooking for me. If that is out of the question, it is a time in
which you will have to choose “the lesser evil”. For example,
you are running late and don’t have time to cook dinner, instead
of opting for fried chicken or a greasy burger, select roasted
chicken or opt for a hearty salad instead. When looking for
something quick and healthy to make at home, prepare sandwiches
served on whole-wheat bread or in a whole-wheat pita with
lettuce and tomato. Try serving it with a few slices of fruit.
If something pre-made seems to be the way to go, select foods
that feel good, or at least seem like the best choice for your
health and well being.
Following the same vein, we are not perfect and sometimes a
Quarter Pounder with cheese will just hit the spot. Whether you
eat this meal at home or out, the point is, be aware that you
are eating devitalized foods and try to limit it to a once in a
while kind of thing. Now granted, while eating healthy may be
your plan, give yourself permission to have bad weeks too. At
times, we all end up eating on the run. So don’t get
discouraged. I like to think of it this way, each time you eat a
healthful meal; you are improving your health that day. Thinking
of it this way affirms the changes that you are making.
When looking for a quick pick me up, many of us turn to snack
foods such as cookies, candy or chips. Selecting healthy snack
foods can be a problem all by themselves. There are, however,
many healthful alternatives that you can eat. Go-Gurts – these
handy yogurt snacks are always a crowd pleaser. String cheese
never lasts long at our house. Baby carrots and ranch dressing
is another favorite. Remember the little gold fish? They are
baked, not fried. Even nuts, although high in fat, they are also
high in protein and other nutrients our bodies needs. While many
snacks do not fall into the same category as fresh fruit, there
are many food items that can be bought or prepared that you can
feel good about eating. Weeding through all of the total junk to
find a healthy food choice can be time consuming but well worth
the effort
Taking the first steps toward a healthy lifestyle is always the
hardest. At first, you may feel a bit intimidated by these
changes, but armed with this information, you will have a better
opportunity to make more responsible choices. As time goes on,
you will also find that it will become easier and easier to
incorporate healthful food choices into your life.
About the author:
Dr. Rita Louise, Ph.D. is a Naturopathic Physician and a 20-year
veteran in the Human Potential Field, but it is her unique gift
as a medical intuitive that illuminates and enlivens her work.
To schedule a session with Dr. Louise, contact her at (972)
475-3393 or visit her web page at http://www.soulhealer.com.
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