Most Nutritious Foods on Earth

Healthy Food Bytes: Most Nutritious Foods

The most nutritious foods you can eat are fruit and vegetables. Most Americans do not eat enough. Summer is a great time to increase your consumption not only in quantity but in variety. In the summertime, you have much more variety to choose from and produce is cheaper – even organic produce. I choose organic whenever possible b/c I don’t trust chemicals on my food that neurologically blast the life out of insects.

Also, keep in mind, when you buy non organic produce from out of state, they can use pesticides that are banned in the US and their soils are questionable due to nutrient value and cleanliness (sewage).

If you buy locally you’re buying more nutrient rich food. Picked when they are ready to be picked and gets to you quickly. For produce that has to travel long distances – from other countries – the nutrient value gets depleted – I’m not just talking about vitamins and minerals, I’m also talking about the live enzymes the help you utilize the nutrients in foods. Also, if you buy locally, you avoid world food born illnesses from bacteria etc.

Talk to your produce guy – get tips on how to select fruit and veggies.
Buy what looks good. Buy what’s in season and has a good price. This will help you eat a variety of foods throughout the year. Shop several stores for the best price.

USDA says:
Americans eat more potatoes than any other vegetable. My friends, French fries do not count, in my book, as a veggie, even though the USDA counts it as a veggie. French fries should be consumed very rarely, as an occasional treat. And if you do eat them once in a while; don’t eat a large portion.

Everyone can benefit by eating 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
Fresh is best, frozen is also good and convenient (don’t eat frozen only). USDA says canned vegetables count as a veggie serving; not in my book; Beside the fact that it tasts horrible, the enzymes are zapped. The life of the food is dead. Enzymes in foods play a very important roll in helping you utilize the nutrients in food. You need to consume live enzymes on a daily basis.

Juices are a good source of fruit and veggies but they bring with it a lot of sugar and sodium (if your buying V8 type drinks. “Juicing” has many benefits – especially if you are mixing veggies into it. My favorite juicing method is with a Vitamix - check out my blog entry on juicing. No juice you buy in the market can compare to the nutritional value of juicing in your home, fresh, everyday. Remember, food loses nutritional value over time and with processing.

Dried fruit also counts and a fruit and veggie serving. See my link on the right to see “what’s in a serving”. You should not overdue dried fruit b/c of sugar content. Pairs well with nuts (try roasting them for a real treat) to reduce blood sugar spike.

When buying produce, shop color. The phytonutrients in plants give them their color and protect them from disease; they also protect us when we eat them. Phytonutrients provide antioxidants to fight free radical damage, and boost our immune and act as an anti-inflammatory in our bodies (note: inflammation leads to disease). Blue/purple in blueberries has anthocyanin, orange in carrots has beta carotene, red in tomatoes and watermelon has lycopene. All of these nutrients are important. That is why we must eat a variety of colorful fruit and vegetables.

Choose organic whenever possible. I don't know about you but common sense tells me that when foods are sprayed with chemicals that neurologically zap the life out of living things, i want to reduce as much of that as possible in my diet. Wash all veggies with a brush. Even if you are not going to eat the skin; you should still wash thoroughly. When I purchase oranges or bananas that are not organic, I can see a film on them. Wash that stuff off b/c it is bound to get into your food or into your mouth or eyes if you rub them etc. Also, a lot of non-organic fruit is coated with a wax that does not allow you to scrub off the chemicals; they seal the chemicals right in.

Gotta go.

Information on Food Irradiation and Genetically Modified Foods in my next blog.

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