December health resolution: Eat Real Food
Eat real food.
It sounds so simple, but in a world where Frosted Flakes with Vitamin D and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter exists, eating real food is not as easy as it sounds.
Real food is anything that is in its natural form -- no processing, sweeteners, artificial flavors or other chemicals. As Michael Pollan says, "Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food."
When you pick up a banana or head of lettuce there isn’t an ingredients list on it - that is a good thing. On the other hand, if you pick up a Nutrigrain Bar (ironically nutrition is included right in the name of it) or other packaged, processed food you will probably see a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. The more ingredients on a label, the more processed and less healthy it is for you.
A simple rule of thumb I live by is “If you can’t read it, then don’t eat it.”
Some of these food products are literally made in a lab to taste, smell and look a certain way. If something is made in a lab from unhealthy chemicals how could it ever be healthy for you? Fancy packaging and a label that says “health” definitely does not make something healthy.
Real, unprocessed foods have a specific amount of nutrients and enzymes unique to each food. They exist in nature this way because they are meant to be this way. Processed sugar water dyed orange and fortified with Vitamin C will never provide the same health benefits as eating a fresh orange. Nutrients in real food work together in a unique way that maximizes their health benefits.
This month I challenge you to incorporate as many real foods into your diet as possible. Fruits, vegetables and healthy meats are the core of a real food diet. Eliminate the foods which come in packages or are highly processed, and stay away from fast food!
And remember... if it isn’t butter? Then what is it?!
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A Real Food Meal
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Real food is anything that is in its natural form -- no processing, sweeteners, artificial flavors or other chemicals. As Michael Pollan says, "Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food."
When you pick up a banana or head of lettuce there isn’t an ingredients list on it - that is a good thing. On the other hand, if you pick up a Nutrigrain Bar (ironically nutrition is included right in the name of it) or other packaged, processed food you will probably see a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. The more ingredients on a label, the more processed and less healthy it is for you.
A simple rule of thumb I live by is “If you can’t read it, then don’t eat it.”
Some of these food products are literally made in a lab to taste, smell and look a certain way. If something is made in a lab from unhealthy chemicals how could it ever be healthy for you? Fancy packaging and a label that says “health” definitely does not make something healthy.
Real, unprocessed foods have a specific amount of nutrients and enzymes unique to each food. They exist in nature this way because they are meant to be this way. Processed sugar water dyed orange and fortified with Vitamin C will never provide the same health benefits as eating a fresh orange. Nutrients in real food work together in a unique way that maximizes their health benefits.
This month I challenge you to incorporate as many real foods into your diet as possible. Fruits, vegetables and healthy meats are the core of a real food diet. Eliminate the foods which come in packages or are highly processed, and stay away from fast food!
And remember... if it isn’t butter? Then what is it?!
See the previous New Month's Resolutions:
January - Go to bed by 10:30 pm
April - Create a healthy home & reduce chemicals
May - Move a mile every dayJune - Eat local
July - Shake it up!
August - Soak up the sun
September - Eat breakfast like a king
October - Perfect your posture
November - Be Gratefully Aligned
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