Food: The Simple Truth
By Sara Butler
Food – you must have it to survive. Eating is something you’ve done your whole life and yet myths and misconceptions about food still make their rounds. Sure, some may seem pretty plausible, but getting your facts straight about food has a huge impact on your health and wellness. Here are a few truths about the food you need to commit to memory.
You Should Eat Frozen Foods
Let’s clarify: Frozen foods are good for you. Not the frozen meals, those are loaded with all kinds of health-busting additions, but plain frozen vegetables and fruits are actually really good for you and can save you time in the kitchen.
The reason? Fruits and vegetables start to lose nutrients the moment they’re picked. When you’re dealing with fresh fruits and veggies that aren’t local, they then need to be shipped to you and lose even more nutrients in the process. Frozen fruit and veg are flash frozen right at the peak of their freshness, so they won’t lose anything in transit.
Not All Processed Food is Bad
There’s this idea floating around that prepackaged and processed food is universally unhealthy. While it is true that most of these foods are laden with sodium, preservatives, added sugars, and calories, you shouldn’t dismiss a food simply because it’s packaged. Judge a food not by its packaging but by the nutrients on the label. That’s the only way to truly judge the quality of a food you’re eating.
Some examples of packaged and processed foods that are actually healthy include:
- Brown rice
- Milk
- Greek yogurt
- Frozen vegetables and fruit
- Whole-wheat bread
As long as you choose foods with good ingredients, you can’t really go wrong.
Potatoes Have Their Place
The low-carbohydrate craze over the last couple of decades has given white potatoes a bad reputation. You shouldn’t avoid white potatoes at all because they’re a healthy whole food. Most people associate white foods as foods poor in nutritional quality such as white rice and bread, but white potatoes don’t fall in the same category as those highly processed carbs.
The truth of the matter is that potatoes are full of fiber and nutrients. You just need to eat the right portion and remember that the skin is where all the good stuff is. And if you fry your potatoes in oil, then that pretty much does make them unhealthy!
Eating healthy is all about what you know. If you have the right information, then eating healthy is a breeze!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Los Angeles, Calif.