Eating Healthy to Feel Good

Image by CaptQuirk via Flickr

Eating healthy isn’t about just fewer chemicals, nor is it quite as easy as just shopping the organic sections in your grocery store. You need to know the difference between healthy fats (usually vegetable based) and unhealthy fats (usually animal based) as well as what chemicals to watch out for. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Eat less meat. Even free range meat and dairy without hormones and antibiotics can be bad for you. Limit your intake to 2 servings a day of 4 ounces each. Beans and other legumes are a great source of protein and leafy green vegetables are packed with iron.
2. Eat a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables and choose organic ones for those found with higher concentrations of pesticides. At least five a day (up to nine) is sufficient for most and keep a good variety to ensure you’re giving your body a good range of vitamins and minerals. The best advice I’ve seen on this is to eat fruits and veggies in a variety of colors.
3. Check the sugar content and type of sugars used. Most people know high fructose corn syrup isn’t so good, but neither is cane sugar. Try sweeteners with a low glycemic index such as agave syrup and use them sparingly.  They tend to be sweeter, so you don’t need to use as much.
4. Don’t fall into the “diet” or “low calorie” trap. Most of that stuff is loaded with synthetic sweeteners that are known to cause a plethora of nasty side effects, such as problems with the digestive tract and headaches.
5. Avoid artificial dyes, preservatives or artificial anything for that matter. Have you ever wondered why your Mac and cheese is bright orange, but the good stuff Mom used to make wasn’t? It’s because of the dyes, which is nothing more than a marketing gimmick to make things look more attractive to you and your children.
6. Eat and cook with more whole foods. Sure, cooking and meal planning can be a little more time consuming, but there are a lot of great recipes that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes and once you have a stockpile of them, it becomes a cinch.  It also tastes about a thousand times better and is cheaper. Cook extra when you do have time and freeze it for when you don’t. Besides, working in the kitchen keeps you active. It might not be jogging, but anything that keeps you moving is a plus, especially if you’re chained to a computer most of the day like me.
7. Beware of “meat substitutes”. I’m sure a lot of them are good, but I learned my lesson with soy products. They are highly processed and as it turns out, many people cannot digest them properly. It took me a year to realize that soy milk was a big contributor to my bowel problems (as were synthetic sweeteners). Try things in small quantities and see if they have any negative impact on your digestive health.
8. Opt for natural spices and seasonings for flavor rather than preservatives, salt and artificial flavorings. Try recipes from other culinary cultural traditions that are healthier than American diets and add some great flavor. I’m a big fan of Mediterranean traditions, as they are often primarily plant based, low on cheese and meat but big on flavor. Traditional Chinese, Japanese, African and Indian cuisines also tend to be, as well.
9. Keep grains to a minimum and use whole grains whenever possible. Did you know a serving of bread is often one slice? How about those rolls? Bagels? Almost all are a whole serving or more. Try to keep it to one serving per meal. And yes, pasta is a grain, so forget about the garlic bread. Opt for a nice salad instead.
10. The only serving sizes Americans tend to under-estimate are vegetable servings. For good portion control of meat, be sure you’re measuring out whole portions of fruits and vegetables served as meals or snacks. In fact, until you’re used to what a real portion looks like, measure it. Inexpensive scales are usually available at grocery stores.
11. Look for healthier options in convenience foods. If you must buy convenience foods, check the label and opt for healthier organic options.
12. Avoid heavy use of fattening salad dressings, mayonnaise and other spreads. Most people use far more than a serving of these things and really don’t need to.
13. Keep dairy to a minimum and buy dairy that’s hormone and pesticide free or try a dairy alternative such as coconut or almond milk products. An ounce of cheese is a full serving (a thin slice or a 1 inch cube) and ice cream is only a ½ cup. A liquid serving size of Dairy is 8 oz. You only need 2-3 of these a day and most of us get our first one in our morning cereal.
14. Wash your fruits and vegetables, even when they’re organic. Organic food is just as susceptible to e-coli and other bacteria as non-organic foods.
15. Keep up with information online or in health magazines. Continually educate yourself on what you put in your body. It’s the only one you have. Take care of it.

Tags: Cook, Food, Grocery store, Health, Leaf vegetable, Organic food, Vegetable