Back to Basics: Nutrition Rule 2

Rule 2, eat whole foods, is pretty directly related to Rule 1.  Whole foods are unprocessed and unrefined foods, things that come as-is from mother nature, such as whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy, eggs, and meat, or that are minimally processed, like oats and brown rice.

Ideally, no ingredient labels should be necessary, because a green pepper should have nothing it but green pepper. But, some things, like sour cream, will have more than just “sour cream,” (I really wish that wasn’t the case, but it is). Look for foods with no more than 5 ingredients, none of which you cannot pronounce, and none of which you couldn’t get at home. No High Fructose Corn Syrup, MSG (monosodium glutamate), etc.

Why is this Rule #2?

-Whole foods almost always have fewer calories than processed foods.

-They also almost always have far more nutrients,  including immune boosters, to keep you healthy.

-Whole fruits and vegetables contain a lot of fiber. This not only helps keep you full and regulate blood sugar, it also makes sure things pass through your body in a timely manner, lowering your risk of certain cancers (or, the less polite way to put it: it keeps you regular, and if you’re not emptying your bowels at least once a day, you really need to up your fiber intake).

-They don’t contain additives that are going to make you fatter, hungrier, or more likely to develop cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, or all the other crappy-food related illnesses that are skyrocketing today.

-They trigger a “satiety” feeling that processed foods usually do not, so you’ll eat less and fell fuller, longer.

-You prepare them at home, so you can control what goes into your food. This means you can cut excess calories, preservatives, and chemicals.

Eating whole foods does require some forethought and preparation, but eating shouldn’t be automatic and easy. What goes into your body profoundly affects your health, and deserves a lot more consideration than Americans tend to give it (hence, the booming rate of obesity and related issues).

Related Articles

• Back to Basics Series: Rule 1 (eclecticedibles.wordpress.com)
• Stop Complicating Things. Eating Well Isn’t Magic. (eclecticedibles.wordpress.com)

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