Like the old saying goes, “you are what you eat.” You may not consider processed convenience foods as “junk,” but they are in fact not a whole lot better. Unfortunately, many of these convenience foods contain a whole host of artificial additives, flavorings, MSG, and preservatives -- none of which are beneficial to your health.

If you want to maintain good health, strive for a diet consisting of about 90 percent non-processed food, and maybe 10 percent from other food sources.  

Whole fresh foods are your best bet for benefiting your health, whether your nutritional type is protein type, carb type, or mixed type.

Why?

Because whole foods (whether meat, vegetable, or fruit) do two things, besides eliminating hunger.

First, they provide all the nutrients that nature put into the food. Whole foods contain a synergy of nutrients that work together, providing benefits that are greater than the sum of its parts. The second advantage of eating whole fresh foods is that their sheer bulk will limit the amount of chemicals and denatured food derivatives that you might otherwise fill yourself with.

One of the questions raised in the article above was “why do we rely on commercially prepared foods so heavily?” One of the potential answers they touched on was the lack of pre-planning.

Do you use a shopping list? If not, getting back into that habit might help you get back on track to a healthier lifestyle. A huge part of the problem is not knowing what you’re going to eat on Thursday night until... Thursday night. The key to getting out of that trap is to pre-plan what meals you will serve the coming week, and create a shopping list to match, so that you have all the ingredients you will need.

The first link below contains a terrific guide by Colleen Huber on how to cook with whole food, without having to quit your day job. Here are just a few of the recommendations included, which could set you free to create great, healthy meals from scratch:

1. Once you’ve planned all your meals for the week, go to the supermarket once to purchase the whole food ingredients in one trip. Remember, when shopping for whole foods, you only need to go around the periphery of the supermarket where they are located, rather than taking time to go up and down the interior aisles where the processed foods are.
   
   
2. Cook all your meals for the week at the same time. The trick is to cook big portions, but freeze in the smaller quantities that you and your family will eat throughout the week. 
   
   
3. Place pre-cut vegetables in glass jars (if you evacuate the air), or in freezer bags, so you can defrost as needed during the week. One jar might contain pressed garlic with coarsely chopped string beans, which a few days from now you can sauté in coconut oil for a few minutes. 
   
   
4. Fall in love with the crockpot all over again. It really lends itself well to a whole foods diet. Colleen Huber gives you some great tips in this article on getting the most out of this valuable appliance.
   
   
5. During the week, defrost one of the meals you prepared on the weekend. When you’re ready to cook it, place it into a serving dish in a toaster oven rather than a microwave. Toaster ovens have major health advantages, since microwave rays are unhealthy radiation, and when you microwave in a plastic container, it drives the phthalates of the plastic right into your food, which gives an otherwise excellent meal a toxic twist that you definitely do not need.

Last, but not least, once you’ve decided to improve your health by taking charge of your food choices, remember these three essential cooking tips:

• When you cook, use a stable oil like coconut oil (vegetable oils are easily damaged by the heat)
• Avoid using aluminum or non-stick cookware, but if you do, never heat them to high temperatures
• Avoid overcooking your food 

To your health -- Bon Appetit!