What is Healthy Food?

What is healthy food? That’s a good question. It’s not what you think it is. Too many food-like-product manufacturers try to convince you that what you’re picking up in the supermarket is good for you. They have fancy words like “fat free”, “diet”, and “natural” but they’re actually some of the worst things you can put into your body.

Discover Healthy Food by Reading Food Labels

One of the easiest and best things you can do to find healthy food is to read food labels. Not just the front of the box but the ingredient list on the back. If the food you selected has more than 5 ingredients or if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, it’s not healthy food. Even if it’s granola, whole-wheat bread or yogurt!

Here are just 10 food additives you should avoid at all costs:

1.     Aspartame – A potent neurotoxin that can lead to MS

2.     High Fructose Corn Syrup – Caused the obesity epidemic

3.     MSG – An excitotoxin that over-stimulates brain cells to death

4.     Food Dyes – Causes hyperactivity and learning disorders

5.     Trans Fat – Leads to high cholesterol and heart attacks

6.     Nitrates/Nitrites – Responsible for colon cancer

7.     Potassium Bromate – Banned bread additive causes cancer

8.     Magnesium Stearate – Destroys your immune system

9.     BHT/BHA – Has been linked to cancer development

10.    Propylene Glycol – Causes heart and kidney problems

What is Healthy Food?

There’s a saying going around on health websites, “Don’t eat anything you’re great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” Healthy food is food that is filled with vital nutrients to keep your body running smoothly and stave off disease.

Here are some examples of healthy food:

• Organic produce
• Organic meat, poultry, and fish
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes
• Whole grains
• Dairy (hard cheese, yogurt)
• Healthy fat (coconut oil, olive oil)

This isn’t to say you can’t have any tasty snack foods when you’re trying to eat a healthy diet. It just means you have to read labels so you’re really know what you’re putting into your system. Your favorite band of potato chips or candy bar may be absolutely loaded with toxic chemicals you can easily avoid.

The next time you go to the grocery store, spend time reading the label on all the foods you commonly buy. If it contains more than 5 ingredients or if it contains any of the above-mentioned ingredients, put it back. The health food section of the store should have something similar to replace it with.  

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life eating “rabbit food”. It’s more about being aware of what’s going into your body. Reading food labels, understanding ingredients, and knowing how to use food as fuel instead of a distraction, are your keys to lasting health and wellness.

When you decide to make healthy food a part of your life, don’t quit junk food cold turkey. Junk food is a drug you’re addicted to and suddenly stopping can cause serious side effects. Instead, get familiar with food labels and replace your junk food products one at a time over the course of a month or two.

You’ll be amazed at the difference in your health.