Nutrisystem Stuff
All you want to know about Nutrisystem
Do You Know Which Foods Are Healthy?
A lot of people find it difficult to know which foods to choose for the best health. Do you know which foods are healthy and which ones you should avoid?
I know it can seem pretty difficult to eat healthily when you have to contend with so many confusing labels stuck on so-called "healthy" foods that you find at every grocery store.
The bottom line is that you are always and ultimately responsible for your health, especially if you're over the age of 30. The choices you make now can support your health for the future.
I will take a look at a some truly "healthy foods" below and give you some insight into how your diet provides you with the nutrients that you need, especially when you're goal is to lose weight.
Which Foods are Truly Healthy?
Although there are many food trends, some fundamental principles of healthy eating remain the same.
Healthy foods provide nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy and maintain energy. Healthy, balanced eating means that you get enough water, carbohydrates and fat as well as vitamins and minerals.
Fresh foods should be a priority to provide our bodies with the necessary nutrients.
The food industry does not make much money on fresh foods. They prefer processed foods. Even the largest food companies have lobbied against public health plans. For example, a campaign calling for the elimination of junk food from schools.
These junk food products, which are made from crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans (fillers), are high in calories and don't provide the nutritional value that your body needs. They are also derived from intensively farmed crops so it is difficult to determine if they're healthy.
Additionally, labels can make misleading claims that they are healthy when they are actually not.
How to Read Food Labels
A Nielsen study found that nearly 60% of consumers misunderstand and have trouble understanding nutrition labels.
The most important thing to do when reading food labels is to examine the serving size. Although 160 calories might not seem like a lot but could only be used for two small cookies.
You can read on to find out more important things to remember when grocery shopping for healthy foods.
It is possible to be misled by the use of "zero trans fat", "all natural", and "contains whole grain" as a way to convince yourself that the product you are buying is healthy, when it is in fact not.
Some packaged products also contain added salt, sugar, or trans fat. This means that you can forget about the extra calories.
Along with the above added ingredients come a barrage of "E" numbers and substances with names that are often hard to even say! My rule of thumb is if it contains an additive that I can't pronounce, or I simply do not know what it is, I put it right back on the shelf!
Specialist Diets
Of course, there are the home delivery meal replacement diets like Nutrisystem that I review here that should get a mention.
I'll admit that most of these meals are made up of processed foods. The ingredients are almost certainly derived from intensively farmed produce.
You have to decide if you can go the whole way and change your diet dramatically to only eat fresh, organic produce by preparing and cooking your own home-cooked meals. Or if you are at a point where you are overweight and unable to make that change, at least right now.
I am biased toward the Nutrisystem diets for men and women because I know that their food does avoid some of the worst additives, like monosodium glutamate (MSG), high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and aspartame.
And if you choose their Uniquely Yours plans, you can choose from a good selection of fresh frozen meals that are of higher quality than what you get with the cheapest plan (Basic).
The cost of Nutrisystem is often a deciding factor for many people's when they look at their budgets and have to weight up what they can afford and what they can't. To be honest, I find it cheaper to find organic fresh produce for my meals that I cook myself than the processed alternatives at the grocery store.
What to Eat to Stay Healthy?
Healthy eating plans are those that provide all the nutrition your body needs daily without adding any extra nutrients.
A healthy, balanced diet includes:
- Vegetables with dark green, orange, or red colors
- Legumes, such as beans, peas and starches
- Whole fruits and berries
- Whole grains, such as quinoa and millet
- Full-fat milk from grass-fed cows
- Proteins, such as grass fed and naturally raised, organic meats, fresh caught fish, eggs, beans and seeds
- Healthy oils such as olive oil, flaxseed, coconut, avocado, black seed or borage
Only a quarter of the population eats the recommended daily intake of fruit, vegetables and dairy. However, more than half of the population meets or exceeds the total grain and protein recommendations.
Consuming whole grains should only be done when they contain the entire kernel, bran, or germ. The bran and germ of refined grains (or processed grain) have been removed. This removes the iron, dietary fibre, and other important nutrients.
Summary
Your focus should mainly be on obtaining your food from organic farms that allow their animals to graze in pastureland naturally and that use minimal chemical sprays on produce.
Most grocery stores do not stock this type of food, as it is more expensive and not widely available via their normal transportation and delivery system.
You just have to face facts here. Grocery stores are there to make money and they make most money by selling you pass produced, intensively farmed and processed food.
Seek out farmer's markets and go the extra mile to source organic produce wherever you can. If you're a little more adventurous and possess even a small plot of land, you should grow your own vegetables and keep some chickens that can range free and eat what chickens are supposed to eat for the healthiest eggs!
Posted: Mar 6, 2022
