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WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Labels are your friend...your best friend.
Look at the nutritional panels on the back or side of food packaging.
You want to look at salt/sodium content, sugar content, and what other chemicals are in your food.
Also look at the order of those ingredients. They are listed in order of quantity. First item is what is contained the most.
You can read up on what sorts of amounts are suitable for individual needs...or talk to your doctor. Here's the key to labels; make sure you look at the SERVING SIZE.
The serving size tells you how much of the container of food is being considered when they give you a breakdown of ingredients amounts.
1500 grams of sodium may be okay for a BOX of crackers, but if that's the sodium content for a serving size of 6 crackers?!?!? Put it down!
Be careful of misleading packages. The words used by companies are not regulated by the FDA. They can say it cures cancer if they really want to, but it doesn't make it so. You see a lot of claims as to "healthier" or "low fat" but those are nebulous terms. Turn it over and look and see what it says. How is it healthier...or is it all all?
CORN SYRUP and HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP are in everything these days. It's a highly addictive substance that is easily and cheaply made, so the fact that it has caused an epidemic of obesity is of no consequence to big companies. McDonald's does not feel compelled to reveal to the public that they put sugar on their french fries (which will kill you regardless, but..) and so people wonder why they just 'can't stop eating them.'
Learn what the worst offenders are, and be on the lookout.
Natural is best. The simplest rule of thumb is that if it came from the ground or the earth, it's good.
(No, sugar doesn't work because it is highly processed! Honey is better, and there are other substitutes like Stevia extract that work well.) But fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, fish, meats, and some dairy. That's basic, and it doesn't have to be limiting.
Any chemical or preservative or additive or foreign substance was not intended to be put in our bodies, and we pay the price for it. Don't let the marketing campaigns fool you. Don't let the readily available food-drugs distract you. If we needed Twinkies they'd be growing on trees. (Yeah, I know; tobacco. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.)
FRESH is best, but if you can't buy fresh, then frozen is next best.
If frozen is unavailable, then canned is next in line.
But in terms of most nutritious, that's the order.
Labels are your friend...your best friend.
Look at the nutritional panels on the back or side of food packaging.
You want to look at salt/sodium content, sugar content, and what other chemicals are in your food.
Also look at the order of those ingredients. They are listed in order of quantity. First item is what is contained the most.
You can read up on what sorts of amounts are suitable for individual needs...or talk to your doctor. Here's the key to labels; make sure you look at the SERVING SIZE.
The serving size tells you how much of the container of food is being considered when they give you a breakdown of ingredients amounts.
1500 grams of sodium may be okay for a BOX of crackers, but if that's the sodium content for a serving size of 6 crackers?!?!? Put it down!
Be careful of misleading packages. The words used by companies are not regulated by the FDA. They can say it cures cancer if they really want to, but it doesn't make it so. You see a lot of claims as to "healthier" or "low fat" but those are nebulous terms. Turn it over and look and see what it says. How is it healthier...or is it all all?
CORN SYRUP and HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP are in everything these days. It's a highly addictive substance that is easily and cheaply made, so the fact that it has caused an epidemic of obesity is of no consequence to big companies. McDonald's does not feel compelled to reveal to the public that they put sugar on their french fries (which will kill you regardless, but..) and so people wonder why they just 'can't stop eating them.'
Learn what the worst offenders are, and be on the lookout.
Natural is best. The simplest rule of thumb is that if it came from the ground or the earth, it's good.
(No, sugar doesn't work because it is highly processed! Honey is better, and there are other substitutes like Stevia extract that work well.) But fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, fish, meats, and some dairy. That's basic, and it doesn't have to be limiting.
Any chemical or preservative or additive or foreign substance was not intended to be put in our bodies, and we pay the price for it. Don't let the marketing campaigns fool you. Don't let the readily available food-drugs distract you. If we needed Twinkies they'd be growing on trees. (Yeah, I know; tobacco. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.)
FRESH is best, but if you can't buy fresh, then frozen is next best.
If frozen is unavailable, then canned is next in line.
But in terms of most nutritious, that's the order.
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Everything comes down to paying attention.
Even when you pick up yogurt, it's important to get one without a bunch of added sugar.
Between 10 and 14 grams is the lowest I have found.
With your carbs, you can have them but be selective.
Always pick whole grain, multi-grain, oat and bran based products that are not
filled with added sugar. When you read packages, you find that the front may
say "Whole Grain" but the contents shows it's not 100%. Do your homework.
Don't just have a serving of any old bread and think that meets your daily
requirement. Not all food is created equal.
I look at the difference between toasted and fried. Whole grain and white flour. Including a rich variety of grains, oats, rices, pastas, and cereals is crucial.
It will take some real effort initially to get used to what products are better than others.
As you get a shorthand with figuring things out, it will go more quickly. You'll start
to recognize which brands and products are superior. Even in a health food store, you have to be on your toes. Never assume anything about a product. Always read the label!
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