Eat food for better health - HealthyLife

Have you ever wondered how our grandmothers cooking taste so good and delicious? How they used to cook everyday with seasonal produces? How their cooking was so healthy?.  Present day we are addicted to processed food for easy access. We complain that we do not have time to cook & we consume so much processed food so that we have almost forgotten about importance of consuming seasonal fruits and vegetables. Our health depends on the food that we eat – the relationship between health and food is very complex. The more we consume processed food the more we subject ourselves to complex diseases.

Processed food: There are three big problems with processed food: what is added, what is removed and what is left. Look at every ingredient the next time you pick up a jar, package or bottle and if you do not know what all of the ingredients are then Google to find out more before you put that food inside your mouth. Additives are used in processed food to give it a longer shelf life and to make it taste, look and smell good. Additives enable food to sit on a supermarket shelf, or in our cupboards, for several months without going bad.  In nature, if a food is left long enough, it loses its nutritive qualities and is no longer fit for human consumption, so it spoils, or insects and bacteria consume it.  However, when food is pumped with additives, the insects and bacteria find it too poisonous and toxic; in fact, it would kill them if they ate it.  Although additives prevent our food from spoiling, allowing us to eat foods that would otherwise have gone bad, they do not help the food retain its original nutritional value; often by the time, we eat a processed food, it has no nutritional value whatsoever.

Many processed foods that are highly refined are recognized by the body as sugars such as white flour, white rice, white pastas, white breads, white crackers, cakes and cookies. Therefore, when you eat these highly processed foods your blood sugar level goes up and your body releases insulin which basically alerts your body to hold onto its fat and burn off the sugar in your blood stream to decrease your blood sugar and bring it back to normal.  When this is done repeatedly  several times a day you increase your risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

“Foods are complex and the ways that our bodies interact with them to create health are complex too “.

Unprocessed food: An unprocessed food diet helps you avoid added sugars, refined flours, excess sodium, preservatives, colorings and other additives that can cause weight gain, bloating and sluggishness. Unprocessed bulk food is one of the most effective ways to not only stay fit and healthy but it is a great method to lose weight as well. There are several advantages for the body and mind when we consume unprocessed foods.

When you eat natural foods like nuts, brown rice and fresh fruits and vegetables what happens? Observe. Studies show that eating unprocessed food helps in various ways.

Happiness: A sense of happiness comes to mind. People had noticed that depressed mind will slowly turn to be happy and relaxed. Mind feels more balanced.

More energy: Eating natural foods brings more energy. Not only do unprocessed foods usually contain significantly higher levels of known essential nutrients than processed foods, but they also contain hundreds of health promoting compounds that are currently not considered essential and that are largely missing from processed foods.

“Eat more foods that look like something nature made”

Increased memory: Studies have shown that eating nuts and fruits helps in memory increase.

Good hair growth: Need healthy, shiny hair? Then try unprocessed food. Fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts helps in growth of hair.

Less bloating: Women who suffer from bloating can get rid of that bloating by consuming more nutrient dense foods. Eating almonds, cumin seeds, drinking coriander soaked water helps in reducing bloating.

Regular motion: The strain of constipation on the body can be removed by eating fresh vegetables and fruits. Eating unsalted seeds helps in easy bowel movement and makes it easy for the body.

Take advantage of unprocessed food for a better health.

References:
http://www.fourriversclinic.com/
https://aklasiccommotion.wordpress.com
http://www.forbes.com/
http://www.consumerreports.org/