 |
|
|
Quantity vs Quality
Quality Vs Quantity
By Brenda Jaeck -- Certified Nutrition and Lifestyle Counselor
You’ve heard the expression – Less is more? Well, let’s apply that to nutrition
and healthy eating. People who consume less food live longer. If you live longer
you can eat more food. Therefore, less IS more.
The better quality the food, the less food you need. Higher quality foods provide
more nutrients as well more flavor. Your body gets what it needs with less food;
your mind does the same. A few examples include organic foods, whole foods,
freshly prepared foods, water and everyone’s favorite food – chocolate.
Organic Food – Organic food tastes better – more vibrant and alive. To test this
conduct a taste test. Compare a regular orange with an organic orange. Organic
food contains less chemicals and as such your body does not have to work so
hard to dispose of these useless materials. Rather, your body can concentrate on
using the nutrients contained in the food.
Whole Food – Food that is closest to its natural form has the most nutrients and
fiber. It fills us up faster and takes longer to digest; therefore we are satisfied
and our nutritional needs are met with fewer calories. Compare how you feel
eating a serving of brown rice (a whole food) to a serving of pasta (a processed
food).
Freshly Prepared Food - Consuming food close to when it is prepared allows us
to garner more energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Think about the
energy in food that is lost during processing, storage and transport.
Water – We drink water to hydrate our bodies and to allow the elimination of
toxins. If you are drinking water that contains toxins – it is defeating the purpose.
It is best to drink bottled, fresh spring or filtered water.
Chocolate – I bring this topic up as I know it is near and dear to so many people’s
hearts. When you are in desperate need of chocolate (and who hasn’t been) – it
is better to have one SMALL piece of good quality chocolate than to continue to
obsess about it. One piece of nice quality chocolate (one where the % of cocoa
is greater than 57%) will satisfy the craving better than a whole bar of very diluted
commercial chocolate.
In summary always remember to stop and think about the quality of food that you
are eating. Eat the highest quality food possible. Your body, soul and mind (and
waistline) will thank you for it.
Brenda Jaeck is a Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Counselor, Lecturer and
Workshop Facilitator. She can be contacted at 917 213 9305 or
brenda@seedstochange.com.
|
|
