@RedMountainSpa
By By Reema Sayegh, PhD,
Nutritionist
Wow, here we are in May already! Where has the time gone? Since we are now in the fifth month of the calendar year, perhaps it’s a good idea to hear about my A-list top five healthful eating tips.
It has been said that we first eat with our eyes. In other words, we choose what to eat by what the food looks like before we factor anything else into the dining option equation. If this is indeed true, then it reinforces Tip Number One: Choose a Rainbow of Colors. It is common knowledge that a food’s antioxidants and top nutrients are found in its color. Therefore, by eating a variety of colorful red, orange, green, yellow, blue and purple foods, we can ensure we are getting a good assortment of vitamins and minerals from these rich phytochemicals.
Now that we’ve satisfied our visual appetite, it’s time for Tip Number Two: Choose a Variety of Proteins. Many vegetarians have shared with me that their toughest challenge is to find a consistently satisfying meat substitute, and that they grow tired of soy products. Who wouldn’t grow tired of eating the same food, regardless of form, day after day? While most of us would probably agree we enjoy different protein flavors and textures, there is more to it than that. By eating different meats and/or plant proteins (think cheese, eggs, cultured dairy, multi-grain tempeh, portobello mushrooms, seeds, nuts, whole-grain rice and pasta and legumes) we are providing our bodies with a fantastic balance of essential amino acids, not to mention different enzymes and other vital micronutrients. Variety means better nutrition. Better nutrition means better overall health. Plain and simple.
Tip Number Three focuses on the mind’s connection to health. In Deepak Chopra’s book, “The Ultimate Happiness Prescription,” he refers to mindfulness, or the art of being present, and its importance in the day-to-day activities in which we engage. He states that before we eat, it is wise to ask ourselves the simple question, “Will this food nourish me?” What could be simpler, or more mindful than that? Try this technique before you give in to whatever diet-derailer you may think is calling your name. Ask yourself: “Will this food nourish me?” I have done this, and it has saved me many a sugar hangover, believe me.
In this vein, Tip Number Four seems to logically follow. Since we are no longer hunters and gatherers (unless you call driving to the grocery store or food establishment hunting and gathering), we can only rely on money as the tool to obtain nourishment. Therefore, before we act on a marketing executive’s clever product placement, or on impulse or old patterns of emotional eating, we should tell ourselves this: “If I don’t buy it, I won’t eat it.” After all, despite modern technology, no one yet has discovered a way for that bag of chips or Oreos to find its own way into our pantries, and, ultimately, our bellies. The power to say "no" to the empty calories and "yes" to nutrient-dense, revitalizing foods is ours. We vote with our wallets and our eating utensils, every day, every meal.
Finally, Tip Number Five borrows from a basic tenet of macrobiotic eating: Eat Foods Grown Close to Home and In Season. First, by expanding our mind and palate to purchase foods grown in our own communities using sustainable, fair practices and unconventional methods (hydroponics, organic farming, farmer’s markets and co-ops) we can challenge our taste buds and our comfort zones to think outside the box (of burgers and fries). If we endeavor to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables, we can be sure we are getting food at its nutritional and flavorful peak, free of pesticides and genetic manipulation, and try new varieties of produce, meats and legumes that support our neighbors and enrich our sense of community.
So there it is in a nutshell: Five Healthful Eating Tips that encompass our many senses, and empower us to feed ourselves with vital fuel to keep us going long and strong, and satisfy us mind, body and spirit. Eat and enjoy!
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