Healthy Lifestyles

Back to Basics Nutrition

In our fast paced society, our food has become fast paced as well. I believe there is a tremendous need for getting back to the basic foods. Our foods have become so processed that we often have no idea what it is we are really eating, or in other words what ingredients are being added to our food. I think if we slow down long enough to question what is on the label, we will be interested in making some changes. Two questions then remain. How do I understand what is listed on the label? How do I choose a healthy meal?

How do I understand what is listed on the label?
Learning to decipher the labels at the grocery store may seem somewhat like learning a new language at first. Do not get discouraged. If you learn only five of those strange words, and know to avoid five unfavorable ingredients, then you have done your family and yourself a huge favor. A great tool in your quest to learn more is A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives by Ruth Winter. As you read labels, remember that the ingredients are listed in order of proportion. In other words, there is more of the first ingredient than the second, and so forth.

The other thing to remember is that if you make it yourself, then you know what is in it. Learn to get back to the basics. Learn to cook your meals from foods that you purchase in their most basic form. This may be a matter of buying the fresh or fozen vegetables and preparing your own in place of buying the prepared meal. Perhaps you have an interest in learning to use whole grains and beans. Buying an electric wheat grinder opened up a whole new world for me. I make everything from whole wheat bread to instant refried beans. You may be able to find classes that will help you learn to cook with whole grains and beans. If you live in the Salt Lake City area, you may find the classes offered at Kitchen Kneads to be worth attending. They offer free classes on Saturday mornings that teach you how to use grains and beans, which grains or beans to try and much more. I highly recommend these classes if you live in this area.

How do I choose a healthy meal?
Your are trying to make your meals healthier. You really cannot spend large amounts of time fixing meals every night. Does this sound familiar? One great solution that I have found is preparing several meals at once, and then freezing them. There are many books that help you learn how to do this effectively. The one I like best is Dinner is in the Freezer by Jill Bond.

As you become more informed it is easier to prepare meals that are more nutritious. Different foods should be used in different amounts.

Grains - My concern is that many people eat a slice of white bread and feel that they are eating grains sufficiently. On the other side if the coin I see people stop eating so much bread and cereal because it makes them gain weight. We need grains in our diet. If we are eating whole grains, instead of the processed grains that are so readily available, we will notice a tremendous change in our health. My sister shared a story with me from her Health Class this past quarter. The instructor told the class that if a person needing to lose weight were to eat five slices of wheat bread per day, without making any other changes, they could lose weight. One girl in the class decided to try it. She ate the five slices of bread every day for the rest of the quarter. She made no other lifestyle changes. By the end of the quarter she had lost weight. (I don't know how much.)

Vegetables - There are many choices as you wander through your grocery store, from prepared meals you can heat up and eat, to the produce department. If the prepared meal is really the best you can do, then it is certainly better than skipping the veggies altogether. However, there can be additives and preservatives in these types of meals that you should be cautious of. They also lose nutritional value in the processing. The more you process your vegetables, the more nutrition you lose. Finding ways to use more raw vegetables is always a great idea.

Fruit - I find it amusing that advertising has us convinced that if we buy a snack for our children called "Fruit Snacks" or Fruit Drink" is must be healthy. If you read the label, you will learn that the amount of fruit or fruit juice is usually minimal. It is much better to choose a fruit juice that says "100% fruit juice" on the label. Even better than that would be to eat the fruit itself. Raw fruit makes a great snack. It is one of few healthy things I can always count on my children eating.

Dairy - I have heard much talk of steriods and antibiotics being present in the milk that we drink. The more I learn, the less I believe that milk "does a body good". Milk is, however one of my weaknesses. I have, at times, purchased raw milk, which they were much more careful with. Although pastuerization may kill the unwanted germs, it also makes it less digestable. I've never been able to convince myself to stop buying milk, although we'd probably be better off without it. If you love dairy products, as I do, but you want to get more out of them nutritionally, yogurt is a great choice. Read more about this on our yogurt page.

Meat - Meat should be eaten sparingly. Though it may seem to have many nutritional benefits, we as a nation eat more meat than is healthy. When eating meat, fish or poutry are a healthier choice.

Fats - Even fats play a part in your health. They should, of course be used sparingly. Olive is one of the less processed oils. It is what I use more than any other.

To be successful don't try to change your whole lifestyle at once. Make one little change at a time.