It’s easy to pick up your favorite foods from the grocery store. In today’s society, if you are cooking at home, you’re better off than most. It can be deceiving, however, to heat a prepared meal at home and feel like you’ve eaten healthy. The truth is that even meals you cook at home can be unhealthy. If you are ready to go green, to consume healthy, life-giving foods, here are some tips to get your started.
Long before Popeye advocated for it, eating spinach has improved overall health. Green vegetables are a great alternative to other side items and give your body the proper nutrients needed. While green vegetables are typically low in calories, not all vegetables give you the same effects. There are some vegetables that should not be at the top of your healthy foods lists. Because pesticide is normally found on conventionally farmed vegetables, it’s important to be careful consider where you buy vegetables and which vegetables you consume.
Vegetables like celery, lettuce, spinach, sweet bell peppers, and potatoes are all incredibly high in pesticide load. This means that though they might be good for you, if not grown organically, they have adverse effects on your body. Vegetables with the lowest residual pesticide load include broccoli, avocado, cabbage, asparagus, onion, frozen sweet peas, and sweet corn. If you notice, not all of the vegetables listed are green. Corn, for example, is very high in sugar. For those with high blood pressure, it’s best to eliminate this vegetable from your diet.
You can see from these two lists that even the most nutritious vegetables can be tarnished by pesticides. To live a healthy lifestyle, you have two choices. For those who can take on the extra expense of buying organic vegetables, your options are endless. Go green and enjoy hearty vegetables. If not, your vegetable list needs to shrink to include only those with a low pesticide load.
Ideally, all vegetables would be purchased fresh from a local organic source. But, like all of life, there are ups and downs. Did you know that wilted vegetables lose their nutritional value? So much so that it is more beneficial to buy conventionally farmed vegetables as opposed to wilted organic vegetables. With knowledge of food processing, you can better determine how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Food has a tendency to take center stage in life. It is a social event—going to dinner with friends, dinner dates, family dinners. And because it has become more social than survival, health is rarely the theme of the night. This is a major problem in America. Take a step toward health and happiness by sacrificing the nutritionally void foods and finding healthy alternatives.
When you go green and eat hearty, and hopefully organic, vegetables, you’ll notice some amazing effects. Your body will have more energy, you’ll be in a better mood, and you’ll experience a spring in your step. Go green and enjoy all that nature has to offer.
