Have you ever asked yourself "What is healthy eating?" Does it just mean to get enough calories and eat from the current government endorsed guidelines.

That sounds simple enough. But advertisers have created confusion in an effort to sell their products.

Let me give you an example...

 

A drink promoted as "made with 100% fruit juice" is not saying it is 100% juice. No, this statement only says that 100% juice is in it. So, if it had one tablespoon of 100% pure fruit juice for every serving, would the statement still be true?

Yes, it would. The remaining ingredients could be water, sugar and artificial coloring, flavoring and I have even found canola oil.

This product would accurately be a "drink" and not a "juice". A product that is 100% pure fruit juice would be the healthier choice.

Now, what about the fad of putting vitamins into bottled water? Is this healthy eating?

Pure filtered, clean water is what your body needs when it comes to water. The addition of other ingredients is something you should avoid.

 

The vitamins used are not a natural source vitamin. Natural source vitamins are the form that your body can use and does use everyday from the foods you eat. Vitamins that are not natural source may appear to be the same thing, but they are man-made chemical copies of what is in nature. A difference each and every cell in your body would detect, don't you think?

Today you can buy ready made meals or frozen meals for those of us with busy schedules.

These may contain meat and vegetables or noodles and they look so good. I have bought them too.

The first thing to look at is the price. Yes, we all want to save money, but when you can buy these foods much cheaper than you could make them-be concerned.

 

Why...

This is because there are low cost ingredients that manufacturers use to keep costs down. None of which are healthy.

Avoid foods containing:

• Hydrogenated vegetable oils. These are man-made and linked to high cholesterol and heart disease.
• Avoid the man made sweeteners. Aspartame has toxic effects on your body.
• High fructose corn syrup causes cravings and weight gain.
• White flour
• MSG or monosodium glutamate

Many of the prepared foods contain MSG. This additive is called a flavor enhancer, yet good food with fresh ingredients doesn't need the flavor enhanced. Highly processed foods stripped of taste and nutrients need something to fix the taste. Further, MSG obesity is directly related to the intake of MSG.

Heavily processed flour is another common ingredient. The heavy processing strips the natural nutrients from the flour, which then has to be replaced with man-made copies of natures own nutrients. The end product is enriched flour. Please note that 'wheat flour' is just another name for flour.

Another point worth mentioning is cheap flour could quite possibly be made from genetically altered soybeans. Labeling of gm food is voluntary, so you cannot discount the possibility.

A final point to what is healthy eating would be to say that you eat the foods that contribute to good health, eliminate foods with empty calories. That is to say they contain calories, but little nutrients. Limit your intake of processed foods, ideally cut them right out. And ask questions about the ingredients used when purchasing prepared foods. A sensible approach will get you on the road to healthy eating.