Combat the Junk Food Blues With Healthy Nutrients

by Rosalie Moscoe

You may not want to hear this, however, while junk foods are fast, convenient, and tasty, they rob you of energy and a healthy mind and body. Each cell in the human body is powered by healthy nutrients; proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthful fats and their vitamins and minerals that are inherent in natural foods.

The body doesn't know what to do with chemically engineered foods. These 'frankenfoods' do not hold the promise of the real thing - nutrition health benefits. These benefits include: healthy skin, nails, teeth, emotional and mental balance, better energy and health and the possibility of less disease..

Within the past 75 years, the denigrated state of our food supply is unprecedented in human history. The majority of foods in the grocery stores are now treated. For the purpose of longer shelf life, oils are often heated to high temperatures that destroy nutrients. White flour crackers with little nutrients have added sugar and salt and are beautifully packaged. Margarines are often pumped with hydrogen, making the product more saturated and less healthy. Chemicals are added to many products to enhance flavoring; coloring is added to make foods look and taste pleasing. We must not forget processed sugar, excess salt, nitrates and pesticides that are added to the chemical mixture. Are these highly processed foods the making of a healthy diet or dietary deficiencies?

Our polluted world has spread to our food supply - our lifeline, and it's time to wake up and take charge of what goes down the gullet as much as possible.

Too Busy to Shop Wisely or Prepare Food?

• Keep it simple. Shop for organic produce as much as possible or at least use organic dairy products, since pesticides tend to reside in the fat of an animal.
• Become a label reader. If there are many items on the package that you cannot understand - don't buy it! Look for natural products, meats, fish, or even peanut butter without added salt and sugar.
• Use more fresh or frozen vegetables each day. Use fruit as snacks, 2 - 3 pieces a day.
• Use brown rice, sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, whole grain breads and pastas..
• Make an oil change. Take a cue from those who live long and healthy lives in the Mediterranean. Use olive oil as your chief oil. Add raw almonds, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds for a quick and healthy pick-me-up.
• Cut out soda pop. Resist store bought baked goods. Make your own muffins or buy healthier products.
• Brown-bag-it, instead of eating at fast food outlets. You'll save the added fat and calories.

Junk food blues? This all too common syndrome doesn't have to happen to you.. Rather than a pasty, tired, down-in-the-dumps life fuelled by fast food or processed food, choose an enriched life with a dietary intake of whole foods. The payback? An energetic, healthier, happier you.

Rosalie Moscoe helps people manifest productive, interesting and energetic lives. Stress Relief and Nutritional Consultant, she is author of print and e-book, Frazzled Hurried Woman! Your Stress Relief Guide to Thriving...Not Merely Surviving. Visit:
http://www.healthinharmony.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=82
http://www.healthinharmony.com

3 Reasons to Snack on Dried Fruit and Nuts

by Thomas Parker

When most people are hungry they start to snack on chocolate, crisps and candy. Whilst snacking is not inherently bad you have to choose your snack foods carefully. In this article I am going to introduce you to dried fruit and nuts and discuss three reasons to snack on them.

1) DRIED FRUITS ARE SWEETER THAN MOST OTHER FRUIT:- One of the reasons a lot of people turn to processed snacks is due to their high sugar content. Chocolate and candy are a lot sweeter than most fruits. For most people an apple just does not cut it when compared to a chocolate bar. However, dried fruits are a lot more concentrated and have most of their original water removed. Therefore, if you want a healthy snack but still want to satisfy your sweet tooth you should try dried fruit.

2) THEY ARE BOTH RICH IN FIBRE:- Dried fruit and nuts are both fibre rich food choices and therefore offer a number of health benefits. First, it acts as an appetite suppressant and helps fill your stomach by absorbing water and expanding in your digestive tract. Secondly, it promotes regular bowel movements and helps reduce constipation. Fibre also helps you fully absorb vitamin and minerals and moderate blood sugar levels. Processed snacks contain little dietary fibre so by substituting them with dried fruit and nuts you can start to enjoy the above health benefits.

3) THEY ARE A GOOD SOURCE OF VITAMINS:- Nuts contain high levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin B12 and vitamin E. Dried fruit is also rich in a number of water soluble vitamins including vitamin C. Each of these vitamins have a number of health benefits. Vitamin B6 helps your body break down protein into an energy source that it can use. Vitamins B9 and B12 work together to assist your body in the production of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) which play a key role in the production of new cells. Vitamin C helps your body produce the connective tissue collagen which is essential for the proper healing of wounds. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant which protects your body from harmful free radicals. Processed snacks are relatively low in vitamins so by switching to dried fruit and nuts you can make sure you are getting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for a number of vitamins.

As you can see there are many good reasons to make dried fruit and nuts part of your diet. Whilst they are not substantial enough to constitute a full meal they are a perfect, natural and healthy alternative to processed snacks. So if you have not made the switch already drop the crisps, chocolate and candy today and start eating dried fruit and nuts instead.

Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. You can learn more about dried fruit and nuts and the benefits of fibre by visiting his websites.