Naturopathic Source

"Should you fail to pilot your own ship, don't be surprised at what inappropriate port you find yourself docked."  -- Tom Robbins

It is important to learn to care of your own health. Each person needs to learn what is and isn't right for their body. And, I firmly believe, that everyone needs to learn what types of foods are and are not healthy and what the consequences of the unhealthy food choices are and the benefits of the healthy food choices. Then, if you were to choose unhealthy foods, you will not be surprised at the health consequences. Many people do not know what foods are and are not good for them and are very surprised when they find out that many of the foods they are eating are very unhealthy.

Here are some guidelines to get you started:

1. Does it have a food from which it came? Eg. squeezable cheese versus real cheese.  Deli meats versus whole meats. Only take the original. The more processed something is, the more chemicals there are and the less healthy/more damaging it is for you. I once saw a show on TV demonstrating how salami was made; I came to the show as they were pouring the liquid salami into the mold. Then they let it harden and voila! salami. Meats that were once liquid are not good for you.

2. Does it have artificial colour and/or flavour in it? If it does, you can be sure that if you saw it without the colouring or tasted it without the artificial flavouring, you wouldn't eat it. Even though it's all dressed up with colour and flavour, still don't eat it.

3. Are there any words you can't pronounce in the ingredients list? Unless the language in which the ingredients are written is a language which you are still learning, words that are hard to pronounce are usually chemicals. And chemicals are not good for you, so leave it on the shelf.

4. Is sugar in the first 3 or 4 ingredients? Anything that is mainly sugar is not good for you.

5. Does it have artificial sweeteners? These are always chemicals. Again, leave it.

6. Is it made with white flour? If so, leave it and go for a 100% whole grain option.

TC