Nutrition Q&A

What is nutrient dense food? They are unmolested foods that have been produced or raised naturally in the whole form in nature. They are foods that are Dense (compact, heavy, stuffed) with Nutrients. What are Nutrients? Chemical substances found in food that is necessary to sustain life. Nutrients provide structure to the body and give your body the ability to function. Nutrients (found in food) provide you with the energy, endurance, hydration, balance, strength, clarity and restoration. Nutrients give you the ability to “Live Life” and “Enjoy it”! The question then becomes, how do we still find these nutrient dense foods? Searching among the painted, waxed, mutants that the food industries have so sweetly packaged up for us, with ribbon and bow can be a challenge. So we ignorantly and willingly consume their products, believing that we are actually eating food and not some foreign counter parts. To make up for that tantrum I have some Ideas of how to get started: Guidelines For Proper Nutrition! Properly balance your Carbs, Fats, and Proteins. They need each other! Carbs- coming mostly from vegetables, fruits and unrefined whole grains that have been soaked for easy digestion like, Ancient grains, sprouted grains, , quinoa farro and brown rice. Stay away from refined sugary carbs! Any thing that has Added Sugar Like processed breads, sweets, cereals, donuts, crackers, chips with fake sugar. You know we like to call it Junk food! Fats- Most foods have a combination of fats. Some great food sources for fats are nuts, avocados, eggs, butter, raw dairy, animal fat, fish oil, coconut oil, nut oils, pumpkin seeds. FATS TO AVOID Read the Labels almost all packaged foods contain one or more of these fats. *Hydrogenated fats *Partially hydrogenated fats. *Highly processed vegetable oils. *Fried Fats • Trans Fats are a by-product of the hydrogenation process (toxic) These fats are toxic and interfere with the essential roles fatty acids play within a healthy body. Here is a great site by Eric Armstrong that sheds light on how bad fats are made and why they should be avoided. http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html Protein- Animal products have the best source of protein! Organic Free Range red meat, poultry, Wild fish, Free ranch organic eggs, raw dairy, Soaked Beans, Soaked Whole grains that have not been refined or processed Soaked Nuts and Seeds. Look for “Complete Proteins” Foods that have the 10 essential amino acids your body needs and only gets from the nutrients in your food. Stay away from meat that has been “Genetically Modified” (GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism) Leave the Hormones for the pro athletes, the wanna be pros and the gym junkies. Okay! Summarizing what to stay away from? *Processed *Refined *Altered and *Heat processed foods- *GMO (Hormones) *MSG (toxic flavoring). *Hydrogenated oils *Trans Fats *Vegetable oils. *Infused *Dyed *Synthetic. Foods that have been stripped of their nutrients and replaced with *SUGARS *Chemicals and *Toxins!!! Corn syrup products-
White flour products-
Canned and packaged foods Pasteurized and homogenized Whole, skim, low fat and NON FAT milk. Sadly the list goes on! But yet there is hope!! Here are some ideas of how to start. Wherever you are, take a look and see where you can start. Just starting to be aware of how you feel when you eat can go a long way: How to Start? “Perimeter Shopping” If you only shopped the perimeter you would be staying away from most foods packaged or processed. You would find your produce, fresh fruits and vegetables. You would find your meat department, your dairy and grains. Slowly…. start switching out non-Organic for Organic. “Quickly” Cut out all sugar filled packaged foods, restaurants and fast food. “Shop Local and Seasonally” The two go together! If you can get produce, meat and dairy from your local farmers and farmers markets you will also be eating what is in season. Try New Things- try adding new vegetables, fruits, meats, or ancient grains you haven’t tried before. Try a new recipe with mysteries spice, with a name you cannot pronounce. look it up, and see what the benefits are. Maybe if you find out you are deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral you can research which foods provide what you are lacking and then try it out! Choose Raw unadulterated foods- not empty calories stripped of nutrients and filled with toxins foreign to your body, which robs it of resources. Organic- Free Range- Raw- Cold Pressed- Unrefined- Unprocessed- GMO Free- MSG Free- Put these words at the top of your grocery list and read labels. These words represent foods that have not been altered or deviled. They are naturel whole foods that supply all the nutrients your body needs to function and heal as it was designed to. When and How Much? Eat moderate portions giving your body time to digest and utilizes food properly. 1.Balanced Meals three times a day. Don’t skip meals! Add more vegetables to your meals as the main source of your carb in take. Don’t eat added sugar, just appreciate what is already there in nature☺ 2.Snacks between meals- fruits, nuts, cheese, and vegetables, only if needed and only if they are healthy! 3.Add Natural Colors! See if you can get five different colors on your plate. This helps you insure you are getting a good variety of nutrients. Tossing a salad together is a good way to add “just a splash of color!” 4.Drink water throughout the day!!!!!!!! Take your body weight and divide it in half. Also add ounce for ounce of other liquids you drink with extra water. That will give you a good idea of how much water you need. Example; if half your body weight is 70pds and you drink 12oz of coffee in the morning you want to drink 82oz. This is really the bare minimum of water intake. Keep in mind that most liquids besides water are actually dehydrating that’s why you have to replace OZ of OZ with extra water. 5. Prepare your own meals! Know what is going into your body. Use fresh foods! Not frozen or packaged. 6. Relax! Sitting down, enjoying and chewing your food completely helps your food to digest more quickly. Throw a dinner party! Take from the steps above. Invite your loved ones. Try a new recipe with nutrient dense whole foods. Put on some music! Open a bottle of red wine! Lay the stress on the shelf put a smile on your face. Take a moment…. Appreciate what you have and Give Thanks!