Foods today are filled with artifical additives, chemicals developed in laboratories to enhance flavor and appearance.  Many fruits and vegetables are genetically engineered as well as infused with pesticides and herbicides.

Many of our foods are the products of highly processed ingredients.  White flour is a glaring example.  The healthiest parts of the seed (the outer bran layer and the germ) are removed.  Not only has the nutritional value been removed, but white flours are chemically bleached so not only are we eating nutritionally empty “food” but we are also consuming residual chemicals such as:  nitrogen oxide, chlorine, chloride, nitrosyl and benzoyl peroxide.

Processed foods (including white sugars) also force our body to produce more insulin.  This in turn can lead to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease.

The lack of nutritional value also requires your body to try and function on reduced fuel, meaning you end up tired, feeling drained, mentally less aware and generally less active.

When wanting to eat healthy, there are hundreds of diets being marketed to us at any given time.  There are commecials for special foods,  supplemental vitamins and other manufactured products to help of be healthy.  Do we really need these things?  No.  We have survived for many thousand years without them.

There are some very basic guidlines for better health through better eating.  First, things to reduce your consumption of:

• Refined products such as white sugar, flour and bread
• Artificial additives (flavors, colors) and preservatives
• Rock salt
• Deep fried foods
• Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine
• Certain meats such as beef, pork and lamb
• Certain vegetables such as spinach, potatoes and rhubarb

This does not mean that you must absolutely cut out all of these things, just make sure they are not a significant part of your everyday diet.

Things to increase your intake of are:

• Whole grains and products made from them
• Organic/seasonal vegetables (steamed or stir fried)
• In season fruits (not tropical and ideally dried or baked)
• Seeds and nuts (roasted)
• Tofu (soy)
• Herbs/herbal tea

Note that choosing the right herbs to add to your diet should be a precise and well informed decision.  Eating the wrong herbs can be harmful to you,  so be sure you are well educated about what you need and the effects of what you eat.  It’s not a bad idea to consult with someone who practices herbal medicine either.

Whether you are looking to lose weight, have more energy, be more alert, or just increase your overall health, what you eat is the very core of the path to these goals and should be the foundation of any body/mind wellness routine.