My last two articles (Article I and Article II) addressed certification schemes used to label processed foods as healthy. These programs can be harmful, and don’t fully promote the foods people should be eating on a daily basis.
This article will discuss why eating naturally is better for your health. I will define what it means to eat naturally and how this can improve your daily life, and discuss some tips to help you shop for natural food and determine proper portion sizes.
First, lets discuss what eating naturally means. I define as “natural ” foods that do not contain chemical preservatives, artificial flavouring or artificial sweeteners. Others, such as Michael Pollen, define it as something “your grandmother would recognize as food” or food with less than 5 ingredients.
The way food makes you feel is another aspect. Some natural foods may cause you stomach pains, irregular bowel movements, or make you feel lethargic. In such cases, you should avoid those foods as well.
Eating naturally is better for your health. The reason we want to eat naturally and minimize processed food as much as possible has to do with nutrients. The more a food is processed, the less nutritious it becomes. Fresh vegetables (even lightly steamed or lightly cooked) and fruits have proteins/enzymes, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Meats/eggs/dairy from farms free of antibiotics and hormones are also a good choice for non vegetarian/vegans. Meat can provide a good portion of your protein intake. Protein is vital for many things, especially repairing and developing new cells through out the body. All of these combine to help us have a complete and healthy body.
There are several factors to keep in mind when shopping for healthy natural food items. When shopping for your food, try to stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store. This is where the fresh stuff is stored. Of course, if you go to an outdoor food market all your food will likely be fresh and natural (and local - which has the added bonus of helping reduce your carbon footprint and supporting your local farmers). Once your groceries have been purchased, you can also make some big meals and freeze them for days you don’t have time to prepare dinner. Keep in mind that, because you will be buying food that is free of preservatives, you will have to buy groceries more often.
Eating a healthy natural diet also requires that you understand proper food portions and serving size. A portion is any amount of a certain food you choose to put on your plate, while a serving is a recommended amount of food based on health and nutrition guides like the Canadian Food Guide or the USDA Food Pyramid. Over the last 30 years, food portions in North America have gotten bigger and bigger. As a population, we eat way too much and consume way more calories than our nutritional needs require. When eating out, try to consume only half of the full serving if the food establishment serves a lot of food.
Here are a few more tips for controlling portion sizes:
· If you like to snack while watching TV, measure out one serving of your snack - don't take a whole bag of chips with you into your TV room.
· Serve dinner by the plate, rather than family style (serving dishes on the table). You'll be less tempted to load up on second servings if they're not right in front of you.
· Start your meal with a clear soup or green salad to ease your hunger a bit so that you aren't as likely to overeat.
Eating naturally will be beneficial to your overall health. Learning serving and portion size will make your daily food consumption healthier. Take things slow – integrate more natural food items into your lifestyle each time you go to the grocery store. Most importantly, have fun with your meals and try mixing new food combinations – you’ll be surprised what you come up with!
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