The food that we should eat to promote health is whole food in it's most natural state. For example, I just ate a carrot that I just picked from my organic garden. That carrot is fresh and whole and at it's most nutrient rich state. Unfortunately we can't go to the garden and eat when ever we are hungry and we can't eat everything raw or we would be starving all the time. The next best thing to do is keep foods as whole as we can.
Some things to look for:
1. If you can't get garden fresh, frozen fruit and veggies are better than eating fresh that was shipped across the country or from Mexico. The older they are the more they lose their nutrients.
2. Don't boil your food like potatoes and carrots because the nutrients end up in the water that you throw away. The exception is soup because you are eating the broth. Steaming, broiling and microwaving is the best option for veggies that are not palatable raw.
3. Avoid pre-packaged foods that are processed in a plant even if they are labeled all natural or healthy. Cereal is a great example, it is not whole grains as they claim, not even close and the chemical make up of the fiber has been altered so much through processing, that it does little or no good at all.
4. Always read the ingredient list of what you are buying. Whole food doesn't have an ingredient list.
5. Natural flavoring is produced in a chemistry lab. It is not coming naturally from food.
6. Always eat a variety of different grains, legumes, fruits and veggies everyday to get the synergistic effect needed from the many nutrients for optimal health and disease prevention.
Written By Ocean Robbins
Here's a look at the top three fake food scams:
1) “Blueberry” Products: Blueberries have been getting some great press recently because they’re packed with antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. But many “blueberry” products on the market today contain no blueberries at all. Kellogg’s “Blueberry Muffin” Frosted Mini Wheats cereal, for example, contains sugar, artificial dyes and genetically engineered soybean oil, but not a single blueberry. The same is true for many other foods being eaten by millions of Americans every day. Blueberry muffins, bagels and pastries by Kellogg's, Betty Crocker and General Mills all show blueberries on the box. But they contain no fruit. Zilch.
2) “Made With Whole Grains”: The bran and germ contain most of a grain’s fiber, vitamins and minerals. White flour (which is generally called “enriched flour” or “wheat flour”) has been stripped of these vital sources of nutrients. Knowing this, about 2/3 of Americans prefer to buy breads and cereals made with whole grains. Why, then, are less than 11% of the grains consumed in the US actually whole?
If you’re like most Americans, you might be getting tricked.
Products that advertise themselves as “100% whole wheat” are legally required to be just that. But there is currently no definition on the percentage of “whole wheat” required to advertise a product as “made with whole wheat.” In many cases , manufacturers will incorporate a small amount of whole wheat, and then add caramel color to white flour-filled products, knowing consumers will fall for the dark look and the “made with whole wheat” claim.
3) “All Natural”: Just like “whole grain or “whole wheat”, the FDA fails to define what “all natural” actually means. In fact, the agency lets anything be called “natural” so long as it doesn’t contain artificial flavors or synthetic substances. Currently, foods that are called “natural” on supermarket shelves include such health-lovers’ delights as high fructose corn syrup, or beef that’s been raised in a feedlot, given growth hormones, administered antibiotics, and fed genetically engineered corn. Sometimes “natural” foods are healthier than their “unnatural” counterparts, and sometimes the claim is little more than hogwash.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/12/is-your-food-fake/?utm_source=Is+Your+Food+Fake%3F&utm_campaign=Is+your+Food+Fake%3F&utm_medium=email#ixzz23S6vEoV3
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