{"id":1088,"date":"2013-02-25T22:28:35","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T03:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/?p=1088"},"modified":"2019-05-08T16:21:50","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T20:21:50","slug":"what-to-eat-the-big-question-in-healthy-dieting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/what-to-eat-the-big-question-in-healthy-dieting\/","title":{"rendered":"What to eat? The big question in healthy dieting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is the key\u00a0keeping things out?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If I were a betting man, I\u2019d be willing to bet that all Americans at one point in their lives have considered \u201cgoing on a diet.\u201d\u00a0 How could you not?\u00a0 We live in a world that loves beauty, embraces the idea of living longer, and craves the perfect body. Yet, in spite of all of the commercials, products, gimmicks, and advice, America is still a leader in obesity rates the world over.\u00a0 So, why is that?\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are a number of studies, theories, and arguments out there that blame everything from too much fat to too little physical activity.\u00a0 But for this post, I\u2019m not even going to begin to try and suggest what the TRUE answer is. \u00a0Rather, I\u2019m going to talk about the one conclusion that all the studies have come to, and that\u2019s the fact that to be healthy you must have a healthy diet. So the question becomes, \u201cto have a healthy diet, what can<\/b><\/em> I eat?\u201d\u00a0 Well, there\u2019s a good chance that you are eating a lot of what you\u2019ve needed already, just not in the right form.<\/p>\n

In recent years, there have been a slew of studies from near and far that have shown a very disturbing trend about the food that most Americans eat: IT\u2019S BAD FOR US.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, no longer can we point plump fingers at McDonald\u2019s and the Big Mac Epidemic of yesteryear.\u00a0 Sure, they still contribute to the problem, but that\u2019s a foregone conclusion.\u00a0 Unfortunately, many of those processed foods and additives that the experts tell us to avoid are packaged and sold on the shelves of grocery stores under the guise of being healthy.\u00a0 It\u2019s sustenance and being sold in a grocery store, so it must be good for you right? Wrong.\u00a0 The secret is out that processed foods like those we buy in boxes found in the endless store aisles can contribute to our biggest health concerns and, many times, this is in spite of a label indicating otherwise. For example, \u201clight\u201d or \u201cfat free\u201d product labels on foods that provide zero nutritional value can lead to misinformed purchases.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s be clear about what we are talking about here in regards to processed foods.\u00a0 Processed foods are most often convenience foods. That is, they are empty calories that do not provide any nutritional benefit to your body.\u00a0 Some processed foods, when raw, may be healthy for us in moderation, but when processed they become an inefficient, nutrition-lacking shadow of their former selves.\u00a0 They go through many complex processing steps, often injecting additives, artificial flavorings and other chemical ingredients, and are lacking in many of the nutrients and minerals we need in our daily lives.<\/p>\n

On top of that, most processed foods, when ingested, deliver a bevy of simple carbohydrates to your body that proceed to wreak havoc.\u00a0 Given their simple make up these carbs are digested easily by the body and cause a spike in your glucose levels, which leads to a spike in your insulin production (insulin carries the glucose).\u00a0 Ultimately, this shocks the body\u2019s insulin and has been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, inflammation, and heart disease.<\/p>\n

Now, that is just one of the many problems that processed foods can cause, and we haven\u2019t even begun to talk about America\u2019s favorite unhealthy food: processed meat. Did you know that it\u2019s been estimated that nearly 70% of all antibiotics in the US are used on farm animals like pigs, chicken, and cattle? You might be wondering why, and you\u2019ll be disappointed to learn it\u2019s just so that the animals can get bigger, faster.\u00a0 Imagine an athlete on steroids for dinner and you can at least visualize how unappealing this is.<\/p>\n

So what do we do when the food in the stores is bad for us? Well, first, don\u2019t panic.\u00a0 Fortunately, the lesson being learned these days is that NATURAL, WHOLE foods are good for us, and that it\u2019s just as much about what you keep out of your as it is what you put in.\u00a0 In fact, if we just take a quick glance at some popular diets out there and look at what they leave out, it\u2019s no wonder they are associated with increased health:<\/p>\n

Low-Carb Dieters<\/b>\u00a0leave out sugars, white flour and many processed foods, which are loaded with synthetic “nutrients”. Much better! But what is the quality of the animal foods they eat – factory-farmed and sick? Antibiotic- and hormone-laden, consuming very questionable genetically-modified feeds or feeds containing other animal parts & feathers?<\/p>\n

Vegetarians<\/b> avoid meat from cows, chickens, or even fish raised in overcrowded, industrialized factory farms. But are the soy and whey products that they may consume instead grown on farms that use pesticides?<\/p>\n

Vegans<\/b> do not consume nor purchase animal products in order to avoid the hormones, antibiotics and cruel practices that are often associated with any animal product. This approach is far more humane, but for the vegan\u2019s health, other dietary risks may be in play. Seed oils (corn, soy, canola, safflower, sunflower) ALL have mega-trans fats from their processing, no matter what the label says. Unadulterated olive and coconut oils are best to eat, but harder to find in an affordable pure, high-quality form.<\/p>\n

Eating organically grown foods<\/b> may limit many of the chemical toxins found in a<\/p>\n

\"\"
Canola Oil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

majority of products that are produced in America or imported by multi-national corporations. But many items sold in health food stores that claim to contain organic ingredients also have excess ‘organic’ sugars or fake sweeteners, genetically modified foods and oils (canola), not to mention extruded grain products saturated with trans fats, or other processing.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice that even in diets that are touted as healthy, certain dangers may lie in wait.\u00a0 So the question still seems to be, \u201cWhat do I eat? What’s the key to healthy dieting?\u201d\u00a0 Unfortunately, I can\u2019t fathom being able to tell you exactly what you should eat.\u00a0 However, based on countless studies of chronic and debilitating diseases, I CAN tell you what not to eat: PROCESSED\u00a0FOODS.\u00a0 Begin your road to health by taking out as much processed food from you diet as you can.\u00a0 Start it this week. Start it tomorrow. Start it now. Take 5 days and stick to organic, wholesome and nutritious foods \u2013 nothing from a box.\u00a0 Take in the delicious taste of chemical-free fruits and veggies, savor the flavor of a grass-fed chicken breast from a free grazing, and enjoy the healthy body you were meant to have.\u00a0 After all, it\u2019s your body, your health, and your choice.<\/p>\n

If you are looking for a great resource to use to get you started, read\u00a0Recommendations for a Healthy Diet<\/a><\/p>\n

By Craig Bothwell<\/i><\/p>\n

Also check out these books we offer through our storefront:<\/p>\n

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration<\/a> by Weston A. Price, D.D.S.<\/p>\n

Eat to Live<\/a> by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is the key\u00a0keeping things out? If I were a betting man, I\u2019d be willing to bet that all Americans at one point in their lives have considered \u201cgoing on a diet.\u201d\u00a0 How could you not?\u00a0 We live in a world that loves beauty, embraces the idea of living longer, and craves the perfect body. Yet, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[230,290,284,288,289,286,285,287,228,227],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/salad-in-bowl.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1088"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3887,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088\/revisions\/3887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}