Here is the thing about FOOD - it can be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison (Ann Wigmore). YES!! You read that right!! This may make you feel OVERWHELMED - what am I supposed to eat? It is actually pretty simple.
Before you put a bite in your mouth, before you heat it up, before you even decide to toss it in the grocery cart, take a moment to consider where the food came from. What was its life like before it presented itself to you for consumption (sounds a little woowoo - but you get the idea). Foods that are in boxes can by mysterious and toxic (think Hamburger Helper). The life-journey of WHOLE foods are easier to imagine.
Consider these questions when determining whether a food is whole or not.
Can I imagine it growing?
It is easy to picture a wheat field or an apple on a tree. It's tough to picture a field of marshmallows. There are no streams where one can scoop out a bucket of soda, and no trees where you can pick Cheerios.
How many ingredients does it have?
A whole food has only one-ingredient - itself. No label of ingredients is necessary on simple foods like avocados, wild salmon (not farmed salmon - please) and wild rice.
What's been done to the food since it's been harvested?
The less, the better. Many foods we eat no longer resemble anything found in nature. Stripped, refined, bleached, injected, hydrogenated, chemically treated, irradiated and gassed. Modern foods have literally had the life taken out of them. Read the list of ingredients on the label: if you can't pronounce something - DO NOT EAT IT!
Is this product "part" of a food or the "whole" entity?
Juice is only a part of a fruit. Oil is only a part of the olive. Low-fat milk is only a part of the milk. When you eat a lot of partial foods, your body in its natural wisdom will crave the parts it didn't get.
How long has this food been known to nourish human being?
Sounds rough, but what about a criterion of a thousand years, or at least a couple of hundred...? Let's face it - CHEETOS - don't meet the criteria. Putting something on my toast or in my tea that the FDA approved last month warrants caution. Time and again, the rush to put a new drug, supplement or food additive on the market has had questionable long-term effects. Most whole foods have been on the dinner table for centuries. I will keep my butter churning - YES - please.
Don't get frustrated with WHAT TO EAT - get INVIGORATED about all the amazing options that we have the opportunity to feast upon.
HAPPY WHOLE FOOD EATING!
Nutrition is just ONE of my passions. To find out how you can work with me in regards to lifestyle choices, money, business, employability, relationships, emotional and mental well-being - visit my website www.inneraxishealth.com or send me an email at lisa@inneraxishealth.com
I have some exciting things happening - stay tuned!!
