Real Food Daily
bright broccoli courtesy of terri_tu, on Flickr
With today’s diet fade and so much contradicting information, it’s really hard to know what’s healthy. Do I eat low fat, or is it low carbohydrates I’m supposed to have? Do I reduce my calories altogether, or is it that I’m supposed to be eating 6 times a day? Do I eat only raw foods, drink lemon juice and cayenne, have only asparagus 5 times a day or dance on my head under the full moon to be healthy? This whole diet thing can really be confusing, no wonder so many people give up.
Well I’m here to tell you it’s much simpler than you think… Eat Real Food! If it grows out of the ground, then eat it. If you’re eating it in its natural state you’re probably doing just fine. What does that mean? Well it means your diet should mostly consist of vegetables and some fruits, nuts, fish, and lean meats, seeds, oh and don’t forget the most important, water! Did you know that 75% of Americans are “chronically dehydrated”. Not only that but 9 out of 10 hunger pains are actually your body asking for water? You should be drinking 8, 8.0 ounce glasses of water a day, even if you have to force it. Keep in mind too, that when your diet is mostly vegetables and fruits, you are getting more water AND electrolytes, which is the only way to combat dehydration. Sounds like a win/win!
Ok, where was I? Oh yes, breads, crackers, tortillas, they doesn’t grow out of the ground so those should be reduced significantly. Milk bought at the grocery store goes through a lot of processing before it gets to your fridge, so try keeping that to a minimum as well. Even yogurt can be packed full of artificial additives and extra sugar, so read the label if its a must have. And let me just say, I do not ever recall seeing a pasta tree, but let me know if you happen to find one. Cereals, even the ones labeled as the ‘healthy’ are packed full of refined flours and sugars. Try a hard boiled egg instead, or ground flax seed as a substitute for oatmeal. As for fast food, it’s definitely lacking that grown-out-of-the-ground feeling; skip it as often as possible, if not always.
Refined foods are a staple of our society. Crackers, breads, hotdogs, soda and pasta seem to be all we want to eat, and much of the time we think we are being ‘healthy’. Well you can thank those marketing gurus in those big conglomerates for that one. No, it’s not good for you because it contains the word “Wheat” and just because it has “Only 2 Grams of Fat” does not mean you are getting a balanced diet. Low fat foods tend to be higher in sugars and simple carbohydrates, and not to mention packed full of ingredients I don’t even know how to pronounce.
It’s important to note that if you are eating mostly real foods; your diet is automatically low in sugar, high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, low in fat AND high in vitamins and nutrients. Sounds like just what the doctor ordered if you ask me. And the best part is its easy. If its in its natural state, its good to eat. It’s like putting all these crazy diet fads into one. Why didn’t we think of this earlier?
