Healthful Tips to Consider

Here is an article I wrote, published in the Equity today:

There is so much information out there that is unknown to the average person. After studying Applied Nutrition I realized that most of what I was doing with my food was wrong. I was not benefiting from what I was eating because of how I was eating or preparing it.

Knowing just these few tips could help you become healthier than you already are. I feel it is important that I share these tidbits with you so you can be a part of the wonderful world of super nourished individuals.

Steam or bake, don’t boil your vegetables, boiling removes most of the nutrients; they all go into the water and down the drain instead of into your precious self.

Eat all day, live the healthy way - Three large meals a day, as I’m sure you’ve all grown up on, is the wrong way to eat. Our bodies need room to digest our food. That full feeling after a meal might make you feel satisfied and comforted but what it’s really doing is causing a traffic jam in your stomach, system overload that results in deadly consequenses. Eat three smaller meals and snack in between.

Never drink water with your meals, water is excellent and necessary; however, it should be consumed about half hour before meals and not for about 1-2 hours following meals. The reason is that there is hydrochloric acid in your stomach that breaks down and takes the nutrients from the food you eat, distributing them to the appropriate cells, organs and glands. If you drink water too close to eating, the water dilutes this acid and most of the nutrients and minerals don’t stop along the way to do their job in keeping you healthy. How do I wash down my food, you ask? Chew chew chew. Fifty percent of digestion occurs in the mouth, don’t skip this crucial step.

Always eat fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit is a fast runner through that complex race track that is your digestive system. If fruit enters the race after heavier foods have already started to creep through, the fruit piles up on top of the other food and ends up acting like glue in your system, keeping waste in when it should be coming out.

Vary the fruits, vegetables, grains, and other products you eat in a day. Whole wheat is great and common, but shake it up and try other grains throughout your day as well, there is a vast array of delicious bread and grains such as kamut, spelt, oat, etc. Too much of something can eventually lead to allergic responses to that food you’ve loved for so long.

Reduce your intake of red meats. More red meat makes a person more aggressive. Meat also takes longer to digest. The longer the food stays in your body, the more work your body has to do to get rid of it. Most disease starts in the digestive system. Get it in, move it out.

Eat organic as much as possible, not just produce, but meats, pastas, legumes (beans, peas, etc). Give your liver a rest; pesticides and hormones are extra toxins for it to battle.

Follow these simple healthful tips, take the time to shop around and try different things. Your body will thank you for that extra ounce of effort.