Eating healthy is an important part in a lot of people’s lives. In fact, even people who don’t eat healthy usually wish they would. Some people don’t realize what’s healthy or not. Others aren’t able to afford healthy choices at the grocery store. With the growing trend of complex diets making the rounds in society, it is often difficult for someone to know what is healthy and what’s not. Not all diets are created equal, and some of them are even fraudulent, promising results even though the creators of these diets know they aren’t healthy. Some diets even limit important nutrients, causing an individual to get less healthy.
Right Ingredients.
A lot of people believe that if something is home-cooked it is healthy. This is the case a lot of times, but depending on what type of ingredients you use, you could be doing more harm to your body. Social media has even played a role in causing people to not know what is healthy or not. For example, in one recent viral video a man can be seen expressing his distaste for breakfast cereal when he discovers it contains sodium bicarbonate. He shows viewers that sodium bicarbonate is also present in cleaning products and urges people to stop eating cereal. In fact, sodium bicarbonate is baking soda: a substance that is useful for cooking and cleaning. Another example is carrageenan, which has been controversial in the past but is entirely safe. It is simply an additive, extracted from red seaweed, that gives certain foods – such as ice cream – their preferred texture. Misleading information like this is making it hard for people to know what is healthy and what’s not.
So What Is Actually Healthy?
You can’t go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables. Make your meals with fresh ingredients, only using canned goods on a need-to basis. By following this simple strategy you will be able to eat much healthier. Other things that should be added to the diet of someone who is trying to eat healthier is whole wheat products, pork substitutes, and sugar-free drinks. By simply replacing pork bacon with turkey bacon you are making leaps and bounds towards a healthier lifestyle.
What Should I Avoid?
Fast food, junk food, and preserved food is a big no-no for anyone trying to eat healthy. No one is going to persecute you for having an occasional snack, but having cake or cookies on a daily basis is not good for the body. Everyone knows that the over-consumption of sugar can cause diabetes. Pork is another big no. Pork is high in fat and often cooked in an unhealthy way. Pork raises blood pressure and increases the likelihood of heart disease. Anything that is cooked in the microwave is likely unhealthy due to its abundance of preservatives.
Is Eating Healthy Sustainable?
A lot of people contribute their reason for eating unhealthy as being single.
“Why should I go through all the trouble to cook for just myself?” is a question often asked.
Making individual servings of food can be extremely expensive, so simply make more food. Prepare an entire weeks worth of dinners in one day then freeze them. This means you will be eating the same thing for dinner every week, but these dinners will still be better than that frozen pizza you would have cooked otherwise.
You can try this yourself now. Simply find a healthy recipe that you can tolerate all week long and cook up a big heaping of food. Examples of meals that are great to prepare in this way are stir-fries, any type of meat, and certain types of pasta. Some of the things you should avoid making while following this strategy is breads, rice, and other things that don’t do well in the fridge or freezer. On the other hand, vegetables are great to freeze. You can thaw them out and reheat them extremely quick, providing you with a healthy side to any meal.
