Information About Healthy Meal

Putting together healthy meal plans each week may seem like a lot of work, but with a few simple rules, people can spend less time planning and more time enjoying! Healthy meal plans are really as much about avoiding bad foods as they are about steering towards good food, but first, people have to know which foods to avoid.

The basic rule is to opt for whole foods, meaning foods in their unaltered pure or natural state.

In other words, frozen chicken and dried pasta are superior to a packaged chicken or pasta meal but fresh chicken and homemade pasta are even better. People must avoid packaged foods as much as possible. Canned or boxed foods lose a lot of flavor during processing, so this flavor is re-added in the form of unnecessary salt and sugars. To keep these foods shelf-stable, they also contain many added preservatives. The body has a difficult time processing these artificial additives and they are empty calories.

Packaged foods generally tend to contain lower-grade ingredients, hydrogenated fats, and bleached flour rather than whole grains; even they also lose vitamins in the processing. People might feel like they are feeding their family well if they are sure to incorporate one or two servings of vegetables at each meal, but if they are serving them from a can, they might not be doing them much good. People must take a look at the label and they will find carbohydrates, fats, and sugars, and only trace amounts of vitamins. Frozen foods usually carry a similar problem, although it is generally a bit more healthful. If people are in hurry should try to purchase them in the bagged, pre-made area of the produce section, they will contain less of the bad stuff and more of the good! Still, fresh foods are always best.

Particularly in the produce section, always look for natural organic produce. People should not expect signs by the non-organic produce, advertising the presence of pesticides, growth hormones, and other undesirable ingredients, since the USDA does not presently have laws mandating nutritional information in this section, it is especially important to be cautious about what people may be putting into their body. Not all produce types actually feature organic options, but steer toward those that do, especially with softer produce, which absorbs more pesticide.

Also even with store-packaged meat in the meat department or at the meat counter, special attention needs to be paid to the label or sign, the chicken might be free of additives, or it might contain, for instance, 15% solution, which could mean practically anything. It certainly means added salt, possibly MSG and it means that these additives do not need to be in the meat. Pass that item up and need to move onto the next one.

Healthy meal plans actually cost more. They are not as shelf stable and therefore more expensive for the store to maintain. Without properly added pesticides, more of the produce is lost to pests. No growth hormone means better taste and flavor but also less bulk. All of these combine to increase the price of the food. But the payoff is in the health benefits; people will not only feel better, but will also look better!

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