A Healthier Approach to the Foods We Eat

We want to live happy and healthy lives. Some may turn to the Internet for help to learn more. Books are also a great way to learn about healthy living. We now frequent the local markets to buy fresh items. We now turn to buy brown bread and grains or even skipping gluten. We may have even turned to growing our own vegetables and fruits. It is all a great start on a path that is for our own health.

Some healthy ways of living that are often overlooked are what we will review. Below we share ways that you may not have thought of to further your healthy trails. Besides eating well, there may be some things that you have overlooked. Let’s review.

A, B, Z…

These alphabets apply to your vitamin intake. Adding vitamins to your daily routine may be the key to adding all you need for keeping your body up to a healthy level. Many people complain about not being able to get through a workday without being tired. Of course, some people may not totally enjoy their jobs, but the energy should still be up in order to be more productive. Trying SmartyPants Vitamins and their varieties will get you on the right course.

Avoid the Additives

Almost all food in the grocery store has an additive. The additive is most likely added to preserve the shelf life, but as we become healthier we do not want additives. Some ways to avoid additives in your food is to make your food from scratch. Instead of going for the boxed cake or pancake mix, you can easily whip up pancakes in your own kitchen. These will be even tastier because you made them.

Another way to skip the additives when you buy from the grocery store is to make certain to thoroughly wash your fruits. The additive is a covering to protect the fruit during shipping and handling to the store. You can rid the fruit of all of this by taking the time to wash the fruit. You can also skip this type of fruit and only buy organic food. These foods were grown especially without chemical pesticides or herbicides so no chemical residues will be on them. One factor to remember with the additives is that chemistry and technology have brought us to expect full flavor in our mouth. Nature has the best natural ingredients, but with science, we have come to expect a flavor-filled party in our mouths on every bite and with each fruit or food item. There is a reason we reach for the bag of chips instead of the carrots. Synthetic flavors have heightened the taste and, at the same time, have made it appear that whole and natural foods have no flavor. We have tricked ourselves into this thought process. It can all be corrected with some retraining and diligence.

When you are going to buy an item, take time to read the food labels. It is a requirement by the USDA that companies share the ingredients of products and foods. Look for artificial food colorings and dyes. Some words to look for are BHT, BHA, MSG (also known as monosodium glutamate), aspartame and saccharin. You will want to avoid packages and foods with these words. With a quick search of the Internet, you could also find your favorite foods and what they contain. It may be painful at first to realize that your favorite comfort food may not be all that comforting to your overall health. It is better to prepare yourself now instead of having to quit everything at once too. Food colorings and dyes sound harmless – perhaps just something added to make the illusion of a better dish. Food colorings and dyes have been proven to be harmful to our bodies. Three widely-used culprits are Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40. They each contain compounds that have been linked with cancer. Food dyes have shown to be associated with problems in children including allergies, hyperactivity, learning impairment, and being aggressive.

Our foods taste good and delicious but are not backed by many nutrients. It is now time to retrain our taste buds and our bodies to know that what we need is more natural. Lessening your intake of these foods will lead to a healthier lifestyle.