Listen to “Why Food is the Best Medicine of All”.
We all know that our diets play a huge role in our weight, energy and even our moods. Many people now realize that our eating habits can also influence our quality of life, health, and longevity and even help prevent diseases.
According to a study published in April 2019 in The Lancet, poor nutrition is directly attributable to 11 million deaths from ailments such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, and type 2 diabetes each year.
Generally speaking, the characteristics of a poor diet include consuming too much sodium, meat (especially the red or processed), and sugar-sweetened beverages, or not eating enough fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, polyunsaturated fats, and seafood-based omega-3 fatty acids.
Healthy eating isn’t as hard as it seems.
Even the most health-conscious of us can become overwhelmed by the endless information and advice pushed in front of us, and it can be tempting to give up. We’ve turned the word ‘diet’ into something that seems complex and needs to be accomplished by hitting improbable targets. In reality, your diet is just what you choose to eat and what you eat is your choice, today and always.
Nutrition is one of the most powerful things you can change. But, unfortunately, what you eat can either be medicine or poison for your body. No pill or medical procedure exists today or will likely ever exist that can help people improve their health as effectively as whole foods, plant-based nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy eating made simple.
Avoid highly processed foods with more than 5 ingredients or ingredients that you cannot pronounce. When foods do have labels, look for a short list of ingredients you recognize as actual food.
Here are foods that are generally unhealthy:
- Crackers, chips, and other packaged snack foods
- Sugars, including corn syrup, fructose, artificial sweeteners etc.
- Sodas and other sweetened drinks
- Sweets, candy bars, and any other bars, even the ones that present themselves as healthy, like protein bars and meal replacement bars.
Kick start a simpler diet by focusing on eating only from these eight food groups:
- Fresh vegetables, preferably seasonal, if possible organic.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably seasonal and organic.
- Meats, preferably organic and grass-fed (but do your best), and fish
- Beans and legumes like black beans, chickpeas, and lentils
- Eggs, preferably cage-free and organic (and in their whole form, not just egg whites or egg substitutes)
- Nuts and seeds (while these might have a label if they’re in bulk or were put in individual packages, their ingredient list should still be one ingredient, such as peanuts or cashews)
- Whole, unprocessed grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole oats
- Healthy fats like avocado and grass-fed butter, and some minimally processed oils like extra virgin coconut oil.
The food choices you make each day affect your health. How you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future will depend on the choices you make today.
