It’s not always easy to know the right foods to eat. If you walk through a grocery store, you’ll often see food wrappers with words like “gluten-free” in big letters on the package. Are they really healthy? Just read the label. If it sounds like the ingredients for an experiment in a high-level lab, it’s probably not a healthy option. For instance, a tub of margarine may tout that it’s 100% vegan, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy or healthier than butter. Butter made from the milk of grass-fed pastured cows is extremely healthy. You have to look at the ingredients. The artificial alternative may have a list of ingredients you’d expect to find in a lab.
Eating whole foods is the key.
Whole foods are foods not significantly processed. They may be washed, cooked, frozen, or canned but don’t have additives. Healthy canned fruit is packed in its own juice and contains no added sugar. Choosing organic is best in many cases, but it’s not always necessary. Avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, and cabbage are a few on the Clean 15. Non-organic fruits and vegetables are tested each year for pesticides. Some show high amounts even after washing. Others show no chemicals or very few. They are the Clean 15. Sweet corn, pineapple asparagus, onions, sweet potatoes, and papayas are a few.
Avoid choosing fat-free or low-fat milk options.
Some people see fat-free on a label and believe it’s healthier. They also think it will help them lose weight. Both of these suppositions are incorrect. For instance, when they remove the fat from yogurt or milk, the flavor and texture disappear, too. To give your mouth the feel of yogurt or milk and provide the same flavor, sugar and thickening ingredients are added. Fat helps you lose weight. Sugar makes you gain it. Fat keeps you feeling full longer. Added sugar messes with your blood sugar level. That can increase insulin, keep you hungry, and lead to insulin resistance.
Do you carry around granola bars or trail mix for quick snacks?
Many granola bars are nothing more than glorified candy bars. You may think you’re making a healthy choice, but once you read the label, you’ll notice it contains a ton of sugar, preservatives, artificial flavoring, and refined oils. High-fiber bars are a poor contender against high-fiber fruit like apples. Make your own trail mix to control the ingredients it contains.
- Consider how you cook food. For instance, overcooked meat contains heterocyclic amines—HCA. They are cancer-causing agents. Choose your meat broiled, boiled, or baked, not fried.
- Choosing food that is naturally gluten-free is only vital for people who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance. A bag of potato chips is naturally gluten-free, but not very healthy.
- Don’t eat frozen yogurt as a healthy alternative to ice cream. Frozen yogurt sounds healthy, but it has the sugar and flavoring that makes ice cream a less healthy option.
- Don’t eat Impossible Burgers or veggie burgers because you think it’s healthier. Most are high in sodium. Find alternatives like a grilled portabella to substitute for a burger.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness