Tags
autoimmune disease, grass-fed, healthy diet, healthy foods, inappropriate stress response, inflammation, local produce, nutrition, optimum health, organic food, real food, seasonal produce, unprocessed food, unrefined food, whole food, wild-caught
A huge part of what I talk to my patients about is nutrition. And I am certain that you have heard it a countless number of times that you should eat healthy, which is a great notion.
However, what does eating healthy actually mean?!
First, let’s start by deciding what “real food” is:
- whole, unprocessed, unrefined
- local, seasonal, organic
- grass-fed, wild-caught
Therefore, if it comes in an industrialized package, it is NOT real food!!!!
Industrially processed foods have included a number of additives that are harmful to our health, which include white flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, processed soy, industrialized seed oils, toxic chemicals, and preservatives. Another current issue are the GMO-crops that are not labeled and used in much of the processed foods; that’s why buying organic is essential.
Organic produce in your region during the season for a particular crop contains more nutrients, such as polyphenols and antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E and quercetin, since the nutrients retain the majority of their value while they are exposed to light during photosynthesis. Buying locally allows for a shorter amount of time between the harvesting of the produce to the consumption by buyers, while it also supports the local economy. Organic farming practices play a large role in how the food is grown and handled without pesticides, herbicides, and other harmful chemicals, which particularly significant to those with vulnerable immune systems – children, pregnant women, and immuno-compromised adults.
Consuming pasture-raised meats and wild-caught fish is significant to maximize the nutritional benefit with a better Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid profile, and higher levels of vitamins and micronutrients (vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin D, riboflavin, thiamin, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, B12, and folate). Another consideration is cooking meats on a healthy traditional fat like butter or coconut oil. Pasture-raised animal (meat, fat and dairy) products are the richest known source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which may have anti-cancer properties.
The side effects of consuming non-real-food with the nutrient-stripping additives, toxic chemicals, and genetically-modified-organisms begins the cascade of an auto-immune response in the body that leads to systemic inflammation that may result in DIS-EASE.
So consider the source of your food next time you shop for yourself and your family as you want to provide the best fuel for optimum health!
Feel free to contact me here with any questions regarding nutrition and how to maximize your health, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!
Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana
*****UPDATE ON 3/29/2012:
Check out localharvest.org and eatwild.com to help you find where you can find local farms and farmer’s market for your own supply of local, organic, seasonal produce!
–Shared via Holly
Thank you, Holly!
–Dr. Tijana
