One of my guilty pleasures is watching grocery hauls on YouTube. I like to watch people show-off the groceries they just bought. Why? I’m nosy. I like to see what people buy and eat. Turns out many Americans love to buy processed foods, especially snack foods. Then they buy supplements to stay “healthy.” That’s a little backwards in my opinion. It’s better to take that money spent on supplements and buy whole foods instead. Because eating whole foods improve your health.
What Are Whole Foods?
First off, I’m not talking about the pricey grocery store (although I go like to shop at Whole Foods for certain items). When I talk about “whole foods” I mean raw and unprocessed foodstuffs like meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Thus, you have to prepare or cook these to eat them. Or you can also eat some of them raw. Depending on your taste.
Whole foods can be fresh or frozen. There’s plenty of unprocessed frozen meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, and fruits you can buy in the store. Some of these may be priced lower than their fresh counterparts. Again, what you buy is going to depend on your tastes.
Why Eating Processed Foods Harms Your Health
I think the main reason many people like to buy processed meals, and snacks, and even meats, vegetables, and fruits because they’re time-savers. You can pop them into the microwave or the oven and within minutes you can eat.
The problem with processed foods is this:
- Many contain seed oils which cause inflammation in our bodies.
- They’re made with high levels of sugar which destroys our gut bacteria.
- There’s too much bad table salt in them which increases blood pressure.
In addition, eating processed food often slowly decreases our health and cause diseases like Type II Diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Also, it leads to weight gain and obesity is now a worldwide epidemic. Unfortunately, processed food makes up the majority of the average American’s deit.
Recent research shows that 57% of Americans’ calories contain ultra-processed foods. Why is that? Because these foods are inexpensive and designed to be tasty. That’s why people can’t stop eating potato chips when they start. Or they crave cookies or some other sweet treat. I find myself unable to stop eating processed food once I start, which is why I don’t buy them.
Eating Whole Foods Improve My Health By Allowing It To Heal
Eating whole foods improve my health because I controlled the following:
- The ingredients used
- Cooking methods
- The type of whole food
Since I was in control I was able to eat better which helped my body to heal. Thus, I lost over 80 pounds and kept it off till this day. Yes, I know this route takes more time and energy. Not only did I have to cook my food and keep it from spoiling, I had to retrain my palate to enjoy “real” food.
So how can you start this journey and improve your health? Go to whatever store you like to shop at and buy the unprocessed meats, fish, seafood, vegetables, and fruits that are sale. Next, create a meal plan around those foods. Use a recipe if you need too. After that invest in good spices that don’t contain fillers. I tend to use only pink salt and pepper but you are probably different. An inexpensive way to buy spices is to buy them from the bulk section in your store. There you only buy the amount you need.
Finally, eat foods you like. If you’re unsure about a particular fruit or vegetable then buy a small amount and try it out. That way if you don’t like it then you won’t waste that much food and you’re not out that much money.
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