The Importance of Nutrition and Lifestyle
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to obtain optimal wellness. Most people roll their eyes or moan when confronted with these ideas, but, in reality, taking care of yourself is not as hard, time consuming, expensive, or dull as most would have you believe. In fact, once people decide to choose a healthy life, they notice more energy, increased self-confidence, more time to do things that really matter, and they spend less time in the doctor's office or hospital. It is less expensive to buy organic foods and shop for most items at a health food store than it is to buy candy, soda, chips, pizza, alcohol, and cigarettes.
Not only do people consume less food on a healthy diet (you really can't just eat one Pringle), they help their bodies to become stronger and more able to fight disease, which makes their health costs lower as well. The foods are not dull or tasteless either. It does depend on what you like, but, in general, unprocessed and whole foods right from the garden (or produce section) are the tastiest and most satisfying. If you don't like fresh snap peas, maybe you've not had them done right!
In our current society of hustle and bustle, we often go for the cheapest and quickest foods to get rid of that nasty hunger sensation. But what does that do to you? Really? Most people don't know and they don't care. They will care more when they discover they have heart disease or diabetes or the variety of other conditions caused by this type of lifestyle. But patterns get established and it is so difficult to stay away from the burgers or sodas for long. Tastes get perverted (yes, that is the word for it) to like too much fat, sugar, and salt in our diets. Foods don't taste as good without additives.
In reality, they don't taste as good because cheap food is cheap food and you wouldn't eat it if you weren't fooled by the extras added in to either make it look, taste, or smell better. A McDonald's thin hamburger is grayish to begin with, never mind that it has comparatively loads of fat in its small size. Try just the burger without the cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions, or pickles. Pretty bland. That cheese (if you could call it that) is what they call 'cheese food'. They cannot call it 'cheese' because of the processing. This 'cheese food' makes up most of the sliced cheeses in supermarkets. Look at the labels. The ketchup has corn syrup (sugar) and sugar added. I could go on, but I won't.
The point is, these additives are added to make an inferior product taste good enough to sell at a cheaper price so the public will buy. I guarantee in a taste test of a more expensive, yet organic ketchup made with tomatoes that taste good, and regular ketchup without any added sugar to either sample, you would choose the organic one over the non-organic based solely on freshness of taste. The same goes for burgers, ice cream, breads, and many processed products. The better the ingredient quality, the better it tastes and the healthier it is for you.
It is best to limit the use of anything processed (processed meaning things were done to it, it is not directly or closely linked to the whole, natural food; usually these foods are in boxes or bags), but whole grain rice with spices and herbs in a box with no unnatural additives is much better for you than the usual Rice-a-Roni, mac and cheese, and the like. Read those labels as well. If you cannot pronounce or understand what an ingredient is, do not consume it. If a product says 'enriched', this does not make it a better product.
In fact, things are enriched when they have had those enriching items taken away. Processing foods uses heat, cold, light, drying, or crushing which all serve to deplete vitamins and minerals in the food. To replace these essentials means the food was already compromised. Look for foods that are as close to their natural state and as fresh as possible. The best foods are fresh straight from the earth. The next best is fresh from the produce or bulk section. Then comes frozen, dried, and canned, respectively.
You may wonder how the Standard American Diet (SAD diet) affects your health besides flavor and price. Processed foods, as mentioned above, typically contain less vitamins and minerals than the original foods that made them up. If you eat food mostly from packages or boxes and are not reading labels, not only are you not getting valuable nutrients, but also you are consuming items that may be depleting nutrients in your body. Sugar uses B vitamins from your body. Preservatives and additives put an extra burden on your liver, whose job it is to break these compounds down so your body can get rid of them.
What your body cannot get rid of, it will store in fat, so these chemicals will not be running around causing harm where they do not belong. No where in nature will you find a body needs 'blue dye 2' or 'propylene glycol' necessary and good for survival. Fat is the best storage place for these toxins. Fat is found not only right under your skin but also lining your nerves and in your brain. These may not be places you wish toxins stored.
We commonly hear that fat is bad and cholesterol is bad from the media. We do need fat and cholesterol to live. Fats and cholesterol are large components in healthy skin, all your cells, hormones, and your brain and nerves. They are also a good source of energy when needed. It is not good to severely limit these items from the diet. It is the quality of the fats that you consume that makes the difference. Some fats that are good for your body are called essential fatty acids, or EFA's. Your body cannot make these fats, therefore the essential aspect. You can find these helpful fats in flax seeds, fish, evening primrose oil, borage oil, and some other oils and foods.
If you eat fat mainly from grass-fed animals, butter, fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, and get some EFA's in your diet, you will do well. Margarine contains fats called 'trans fatty acids' which helps it stay solid at room temperature. These trans fats contribute quickly to atherosclerosis and heart disease. Trans fats are also found in many processed foods like chips, fries, and some diet foods. Please read labels. Do not eat any foods that say 'trans fatty acids' or 'hydrogenated' or 'partially hydrogenated'. Hydrogenation is the process that forms the trans fats.
About The Author
For more information or questions on related topics, please visit www.MyWebND.com. Get all your health questions answered from a licensed Naturopathic physician without the wait for an office visit. Well-researched, reliable information is now available and easy to find.
 Google News Updated : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:45:43 GMT Live Press Tour Diary: CW Day One (Shannen's Officially Returning!) - Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly - MIA: Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Shannen Doherty, David Silver, Steve Sanders, Brandon Walsh, Dylan McKay, Andrea Zuckerman and Valerie Malone. Shannen Doherty Returns to 90210 Shannen Doherty back in '90210' 'hood this fall Publ.Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:11:43 GMT Music, co-op games the dominant trends at E3 - CNET News
CNET News - Among the dominant trends at E3 in Los Angeles this week was music games. Everywhere you looked, publishers were announcing new ones and players were rocking out to them. GameSpot News Blog Postal 3 Heading to PlayStation 3, Slightly Delayed Publ.Date : Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:51:54 GMT Yahoo proxy may come down to battle of big funds - MarketWatch
MarketWatch - By MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - It looks like the bar room tete-a-tete in Sun Valley, Idaho last week may have helped one of Yahoo Inc.'s biggest institutional shareholders make up his mind. Yahoo takes on Icahn on its web page Major investor sides with Yahoo board Publ.Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:02:11 GMT Economy Down, PC Sales Up - New York Times
New York Times - By Eric A. Taub The worldwide economy may be faltering, but PC sales are in growth mode, according to numbers released Tuesday by Gartner and IDC, two information technology research firms. Apple Now Third In US PC Market As HP, Dell Lead Sales Increase PCs Show Double Digit Growth in Q2 Publ.Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:55:43 GMT McCain paying down primary funds in advance of cap - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - WASHINGTON (AP) - Faced with a spending cap for his fall campaign, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is aggressively spending more money than he is raising during summer months and methodically reducing his cash reserves. A Deputy Dilemma For McCain McCain paying down primary funds in advance of cap Publ.Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:51:07 GMT Norman ties Choi on blustery day at British Open - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - SOUTHPORT, England (AP) - Tiger Woods and Kenny Perry couldn't have picked a better place to be on Saturday. Anywhere but Royal Birkdale. Video: Greg Norman Surprises at British Open Norman and Duval turn back the clock Publ.Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:41:24 GMT What Should Uncle Sam Do? - Newsweek
Newsweek - NEWSWEEK's Business Roundtable takes stock of the real damage—and offer solutions to the economic crisis. Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link. Freddie Mac Paves Way For Major Stock Sale Publ.Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:06:17 GMT How to Earn Money At Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Food in general has the distinction of being probably the... Read More Salt was used long before recorded history began. One of... Read More While packages of the artificial sweetener Splenda claim, "made from... Read More I start from the premise that eating instinctively means eating... Read More You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to... Read More The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More Since the 1930's the western diet has dramatically changed. This... Read More I don't understand people sometimes. You know, there is a... Read More THE RISKThe primary symptom of acid reflux is obvious to... Read More The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes... Read More These are questions we have to ask ourselves? because after... Read More Health is the thing. And no matter how many ways... Read More The Omega Zone Diet and specialists' opinion"Omega RX Zone -... Read More First of all you have to have a bucket. You... Read More You must add some fresh cherries, which are now in... Read More Proper hydration is extremely important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake... Read More Picture yourself in one of the following scenarios.You're cruising along... Read More They're not only good for you, but they taste good,... Read More Nutrition facts have become a part of everyday life because... Read More Carbohydrates - found in grains, breads, pasta, and sugar, as... Read More Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news,... Read More When it comes to planning a healthy diet, fat is... Read More Copyright © 2004 Priya Shah Glutathione, the body's... Read More Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years... Read More
Adsense
websites
Surrender To The Spell Of The Pyramid
The Skinny on Salt
Lesser of Two Evils: Splenda or Equal?
Eating Instinctively
How to Use Flax Seed
Guerilla Health Tactics: 5 Snappy Rules For a Healthier, Happier You
Immunity and the Immune System
What You Should Know About
Acid and Digestive Disorders: Breaking the Vicious Circle
Aggressive Behaviour Seems To Be Triggered By Early Age Diet
Sugar Consumption Itself Has Become a Disease
The Benefits of Healthy Eating
7 Things To Your Health
The Omega Zone Diet and Fish Oil
Blueberry Picking Techniques
Cherries Taste Great and Build Health
Water - The Natural Choice
Minimum Health or Maximum Health? That is the Question!
Got Sprouts?
Nutrition N Diet
Try a Slow-Carb Habit
Nutrition, Evolution, and Having a Healthy Diet
Fat: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Food Sources That Boost Glutathione Naturally
Good Meal Sizes and Frequency
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Enjoy The Holidays Healthfully
How To Have A Healthy ThanksgivingEnd of the year holidays... Read More
Starbucks and Children Health Risks
Do you know the risks to daily intakes of Starbucks... Read More
Helping Your Immune System Win The War Against Disease
Just as our country is currently engaged in a war... Read More
5 Secrets of Reading Food Labels Revealed
Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More
Is It Possible To Follow a Strict Diet Program and Still Have A Normal Lifestyle?
Following a diet program of any sort can sometimes be... Read More
What Would You Think if I said that You could Overdose on Water?
You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More
The Tibetan and Chinese health Secret: If you read one health report a year, this should be it!
It seems as if the health of America is failing.... Read More
Boost Your Immune System
The Immune System is probably the most important system in... Read More
Toxic Metal Removal Through Restored Protein Anabolism. Focus: Mercury Toxicity
Toxic metals exist in our environment as pollutants in our... Read More
Acid and Digestive Disorders: Breaking the Vicious Circle
THE RISKThe primary symptom of acid reflux is obvious to... Read More
Where Does Your Drinking Water Come From?
Have you ever thought about where your drinking water comes... Read More
Sports Nutrition Made Simple
Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose... Read More
The Importance of Nutrition and Lifestyle
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More
Buying Organic Produce: 6 Tips on How to Shop Wisely and Save Money
Some say they don't or can't buy organic foods due... Read More
Understanding Nutrition
With the release of the new dietary guidelines, in the... Read More
A Heart Healthy Diet Makeover
Heart Disease remains the number one cause of death in... Read More
High Acid Levels Lead to Cardiovascular Disease
THE RISKWhen you consume food that's high in acid or... Read More
Enzymes and Raw Food ? Can You Cheat Time and Stay Young for Longer?
I'm going to be a bit radical here, but know... Read More
Factors that Affect the Nutritional Requirements of an Individual.
The factors that affect the nutritional requirements of an individual... Read More
Nutrition Secrets Never Before Revealed
The topic of nutrition is one that is always present... Read More
What is Organic Farming?
Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More
The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup
High Fructose Corn SyrupBefore we get to high fructose corn... Read More
Food for Potential Energy
FOOD (Macro-nutrients)One of the most important aspects of hill walking... Read More
Free List of Fat Burning Foods
This free list of fat burning foods will help you... Read More
Creating Your Target of Health
Creating Your Target is easy.What I use to help create... Read More
Nutrition |