When you eat healthier and more natural foods I can say from personal experience that you will feel more alive. Our body is like a well-tuned machine with many many mechanical and maintenance needs. The body requires good fuel to run well. So naturally, when you eat more natural you can expect to feel more alert, awake, and ready to face the day. As the old saying goes "you are what you eat" eat natural and you'll feel naturally alive. You don't have to pursue a radical natural diet plan to eat more natural, though some have found it immensely beneficial. You simply have to take a few steps to change habits and to provide your body with more natural fuel. Here a few small steps that set you on the path to a more natural diet.
1. Ditch Processed Foods
Frozen food, dried food, fast food, any of these can go. This doesn't mean you have to cut them out completely, but you should consider cutting back. Although canned goods, for instance, keep much better than fresher foods you'll find they're not quite as fresh and healthy. Did you know that according to FDA regulations it's ok for a 3.5 ounce can of canned mushrooms to contain no more than nine maggots?
If you plan your meals around the sales and seasons, and consume your food as you go to avoid waste, you'll find that fresher and more natural foods don't break the bank. By cutting out fast food you'll be saving money as well as improving your health by preparing whole foods in lieu of processed fatty meats and starches. Maybe just cut down to once a week.
As a rule of thumb just remember that the less cook there is required, the less natural and more highly processed your food most likely is.
2. Switch From White to Brown
Many of the foods we eat each day are packed with empty calories that cause us to over eat. They generally taste sweeter and are less filling in part because of their lack of whole grains. Studies have shown that most Americans do not get enough whole grains in their diet, and that's because we take them out.
Instead the pasta we've grown accustomed to consider switching to a whole wheat or veggie-based alternative. For bread switch to wheat or a number of whole grain varieties. You'll also find that while brown rice is not as sweet and soft as white, has a fuller grainier flavor and is packed with vital wholegrains. The one exception to this "white to brown" is found in sugar. The only difference between brown sugar and white is that brown sugar is made from molasses. This brings us to our next steps...
3. Switch your sweeteners
Granulated sugar is highly processed and broken down so the taste is sweeter and our bodies absorb it more easily. This is why we have unhealthy blood sugar levels and in some case develop serious medical conditions because of it. In place of sugar I don't care for artificial sweeteners like aspartame natural sweeteners like stevia do have promising implications, and a teaspoon of honey works just as well in tea as a teaspoon of sugar for a more natural diet. If you must have sugar, however, eat natural by having it in the raw.
This one might not be a step everyone is ready for, but no matter what your living situation you may find it simple to do it even just a little bit at home. Growing your own food is the only real way to be sure of how it was grown and if chemicals were used in the process. If you don't have the yard for a garden you may find you can at least grow few of your own herbs and potted plants around your home to help you eat naturally.
Please note nothing on this blog has been evaluated by the FDA nor should be construed as medical advice or used in the treatment, prevention, or curing of conditions or diseases. Always ask a qualified doctor before making decisions about your health.
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