Harmful “Healthy” Foods

The food we eat can offer a rich tapestry of tantalizing olfactory sensations. Food can be an emotional experience. It has the power to change the way we feel almost instantly.

It’s called “comfort food” for a reason.

It has the ability to connect us with all sorts of wonderful feelings. Our brains are uniquely wired in a way that allows food to access nostalgic memories that are otherwise hard to remember. Maybe there was a particularly cake your mother used to make that made you happy. You awoke to the rich aromas of butter and sugar. Or maybe there’s a particular cookie you associate with Christmas that you still make today in order to reconnect with that childhood sense of magic.

Without a doubt, food is emotional, but it is also physiological and sometimes we eat emotionally rather than practically. And when we do try to follow healthier eating habits, such as those presented at Our Paleo Life , we often slip back into old ways.

What is Healthy?

There are so many different diets, superfoods, and hyper driven claims of the next best thing.  We often find ourselves somewhat confused as to what is good for us and what isn’t.  That is, of course, very subjective, as any nutritionist will tell you.  What is and isn’t healthy is completely dependent on your individual needs. For instance, someone diabetic that drinks tons of freshly squeezed orange juice might be thinking they are doing something positive by nourishing their body with tons of Vitamin C.  But all the fructose within orange juice would spike their blood sugar levels similar to that of a chocolate bar.

Hidden Sugar

We often assume that fruit juice is fantastic for us, and while on the one hand, it does provide us with many vitamins and essential nutrients, it also delivers a lot of fructose, which is a natural form of sugar derived from fruit. The fact fructose is natural, and hasn’t been added to the drink itself, doesn’t make it any less of a sugar. We could be forgiven for not seeing it as a “sugary drink” except for those with diabetes or who are prediabetic (like me). Many nutritionists strongly advise people to stay clear of fruit juice due to its high sugar content.  

The sugar in fruit will effect your body just the same as the sugar found in soda. While the benefits of drinking fruit juice shouldn’t be overlooked, the sheer amount of natural sugar in fruit is something that can’t be ignored either.

A good alternative

In contrast, vegetable juices are one of your greatest allies – they pack an incredibly potent nutritional punch. Raw,fresh pressed juices are particularly good as the nutrients will be much more ‘alive’ and ‘bioavailable’.

Green vegetables such as Kale, Spinach and Cabbage have an alkalizing effect on your body This is incredibly good for you and probably why we are seeing so many “green juices” hitting the shelves. But making your own is the best way to keep more nutrients in the drink. The process of pasteurization often reduces the amount of nutrients.

Finally, if we look to isotonic sports drink, one bottle of Gatorade contains over 30 grams of sugar! While it’s doing a good job of giving you an energy boost while exercising, it’s not a particularly “healthy” drink.  A better alternative is a bottle of water and a banana.

In fact, a good post-workout treat is a dark chocolate covered frozen banana.  The dark chocolate provides a rich supply of antioxidants while the banana provides slow release energy that replaces the electrolytes and nutrients lost through sweat.

So think about what  you put in your body.

Educate yourself on what is healthy and what isn’t. You’ll feel so good you’ll be glad  you did!

 

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