We have heard it all before-“you are what you eat” but guess what?A� Yes, it is true!
Have you honestly felt absolutely fabulous after eating chips, pop and a bag of candy?A� Compare that feeling to the one you have after eating “real food”- aA�fresh green salad, a delicious piece of salmon with garden fresh veggies.A� Undoutedly, the feeling after the real food is far better than the junk mentioned prior!A� Yes, the junk is easier to grab as we run from here to there but the long term effects of these “bad food binges” are usually the result of not eating properly in the first place so pay attention to what your body needs and you’ll be pleasantly surprised in your energy, your stamina and your overall well-being.
Mark Bittman, a regular contributor to Prevention magazine, a columnist for the New York Times,A�and the author of numerous cookbooks has two main principles outlining the way to eat properly: Eat real food and eat lots of plants.A� Eating real food seems simple enough but if you actually ask yourself “is what I am eating real?”, you may find yourself saying “no” more often than not.A� Just because it is sold in the grocery store does not mean it is real-be careful.A� There are so many flavoured and sugary substitutes for the real foodA�itA�actually becomes a chore toA� find the original source food!A� Make the effort and find the “true” food-your body A�and mind will thank you later!
Most important however is the second principle: Eats lots of plants and in as close to their natural form as possible. According to Bittman, “by eating lots of fruits, legumes and vegetables, you’ll reduce the amount of added sugar and unhealthy fat in your diet (and on your body), improve your chances of avoiding many chronic diseases and see your blood pressure and other readings move in the right direction.”A� He also mentionsA� that study after study has shown that metabollic syndrome-a collection of risk factors including hypertension, a large waist, and high blood sugar and cholesterol-increases your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease-the best way to combat this is to eat more plants!!
The message is simple-steer clear ofA� processed foods, animal fats and added sugars.A� By doing so, you will not only benefit your own body but you’ll benefit the world around you as well. Firstly, you’ll help reduce water use-producing a pound of tomatoes requires a mere 22 gallons of water; a pound of beef requires 2500 gallons!A� You’ll help reduce the use of routine antibiotics, 80 percent of which are fed to livestock-their use has been linked to antibiotic superbugs that make life-saving antibiotics less effective in combatting human infectious diseases. You will also reduce the ozone-depleting gases emitted from meat production (more than every plane, train and automobile combined!!)A� This is all GREAT news but most importantly for all of “us humans” eating real foodA� most certainly means you are cooking moe and are more mindful of goodA�food choices.A� Cancel that next dinner out, get into the veggie aisle at your local grocers and take that first step to a healthier you-you’ll be so glad you did!
