Cynthia Barbour – Article Archive

We might imagine the foods we consume are in reality nutritious. We know they taste good. They are delivered fast. And, nobody wants to harm us, do they?

Nevertheless, it could astonish you to learn that our food industry is a profit making segment of our society. They fight for every last dollar they can get. Their stockholders have an interest in the optimal rate of return on their investment. The pressure, therefore, is on the food industry to supply a product that's both tasty to keep you coming back for more and profitable at the same time.

Nutrition is just not uppermost in the judgment of the stockholders or the food manufacturers. But, it should be critical to you since your health and life depend on you getting nutritious food.

Consequently, that brings us to a few qualities of healthy, nutritious food. Good foods possess these four characteristics:

1) Good foods retain their nutrient qualities. This means they go through as little processing as possible. Processing regularly extracts fiber and other nutrients from whole foods. White flour, for example, has the beneficial bran and germ removed. This produces a more "pure" looking product with a higher concentration of calories and a higher glycemic index. White flour is used in making most baked goods. You should know that lots of these processed foods have had nourishing components removed.

2) Good foods don't have refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, added to them. Seemingly nourishing foods, like multi-grain cereals, frequently have several forms of sugar added in order to make them more tasty. All of the sugars and sugar alternatives lack dietary value and may even cause harm.

Sugars help make people fat and have been associated with numerous ailments such as type 2 diabetes, heart problems, hypertension, osteoarthritis and some cancers. There is probably no good health reason to consume foods with supplementary sugar.

3) Good foods should not have chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or drugs included with them. Fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones are a negligible portion in any particular meal we consume. Nevertheless, the continual introduction of these chemicals into our bodies produces alarm in some circles. The European Union has banned growth hormones in beef production due to potential human health risks. A Consumer Reports inspection found unsafe levels of pesticides on some fresh produce, including items grown in the United States.

4) Good foods are combined together to deliver each of the essential vitamins, minerals and fiber for a nourishing diet. To remain healthy we need the appropriate nutrients every day. These include vitamins, minerals, fiber and complete protein. Eating foods for the reason that they taste good and are convenient may not supply optimal nutrition.

In general, each of us needs to look at our diets to reduce processed foods and manufactured foods with refined carbohydrates. Organically grown vegetables, fruits, and meats help eliminate contaminants that could produce illness. And, we ought to learn to combine foods in a systematic way to produce optimal nutrition. These steps allow more good food into our bodies and result in better health and a longer life.

Fast foods having high concentrations of fats and sugars are not nutritional. They help fuel the weight loss and medical industries. The lead to medical problems such as diabetes and high cholesterol and heart disease. People go on diets to defeat the effects of what they consume every day. Just eating healthful foods can improve health and save money on supplements and medicines.