Learn to eat healthy

There are many reasons why many people around the world, especially in the Western countries, ignore eating healthy foods. One main reason is today’s lifestyle which is very hectic. Many changes are occurring in the habit of eating and food preparation. Also, by having so many fast food restaurants and convenient stores it is very easy for people to grab a food that is less healthy and in fact is considered as junk. My main focus in this article is what you should focus on buying and eating when it comes to food.

Nutrition experts say that healthy eating is not about what you cannot eat, it is actually about what you could eat in order to fulfill your body needs. Contrary to people’s conception about healthy foods, they do not need to be expensive, rare, or hard to prepare. In fact, most of these recommended healthy foods are quite cheap, plentiful, and easy to prepare compared to those that can be bought in the nearest convenient store.
The best valuable thing that one can do when going to the grocery store or any super market is to pick fresh unprocessed whole food of any kind: fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and sprouts. You can do this by reading and checking the label of the food item.

Speaking of fruit, one should make sure to eat fruits that are fresh, or dried without sulfur oxide, or frozen without preservatives. When buying foods that are fresh, you are almost certain that the food still contains the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are essential to our body to maintain its maximum potential and health. Avoid eating items that are canned or are in heavy syrup, like corn syrup because these have sweeteners, additives, and preservatives.

When buying veggies, ensure that they are fresh or raw. If you need to steam or bake them, be sure to steam them only slightly or bake and dry without sulfur. Avoid eating vegetables that are frozen with preservatives, sweeteners, and additives. Also avoid veggies that are fried or overcooked.

When it comes to grains, such as bread, muffins, tortillas, cereals, pasta, and crackers, always opt for whole grain and sprouted grain products that are not processed, not irradiated, not modified, not sweetened, and has no chemical additives and no preservatives. Avoid products with white flour, enriched flour, sweeteners, chemical additives, refines and processed grains, white rice, instant oatmeal, and instant cereals.

When it comes to legumes, it is better to choose beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas that are fresh and sold not in cans. Avoid using canned legumes which are prepared without animal fat and with chemical additives or sweeteners. Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, walnuts, filberts, cashews, pine nuts, and seeds of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and suchlike should be eaten raw. I know that it is very delicious to have dry roasted nuts and seeds, but avoid eating them because they are not healthy for you. Also make sure that you choose animal products, such as eggs, milk, and meat that are free from antibiotics and hormones and also are grass fed.

When you are buying fish, opt for those that have least amount of exposure to mercury, as mercury is poison to all human beings, especially pregnant women. It is to your advantage to consider eating organic foods over those that are modified by human beings. Nutrition experts say that organic foods are the purest and healthiest foods that are available to us since they are not yet contaminated with pesticides or chemical agents and therefore, have higher percentage of nutrition.