Healthy Food Is Not Only About The Food You Buy But Also How You Cook And Store It

Unfortunately, the food you eat is not always healthy food (unless you are already on the healthy eating path). Also if you live a very busy life style and tend to rush into the store and buy ready cooked or pre chopped food, there is very little in the form of nutrients left, by the time the food lands on your table.

I’m sure you genuinely believe that you are feeding your body when you eat, but most of the time you are only feeding your appetite as there is a staggering range of nutrient content in the fruit, vegetables and packaged food found on your supermarket shelves!

Here are a few examples;

·An orange may provide from 60mg of vitamin C to 180mg (some provide none at all)

·A hundred grams of wheat germ (about 3 cups) provides from 2.1 mg to 14 mg of vitamin E

·A large carrot (100gram) can provide from 70 to 18,500iu of vitamin A

·Vitamin B5 found in whole wheat flour from 0.3 to3.3mg

·Spinach can contain 0.1 to 158mg of iron

·Lettuce can contain from 0.1 to 16.9mg of manganese

While it is important for you to eat healthy food such as fruit and vegetables, the quality is paramount, in order to supply the nutrients that your body needs. For this reason you should look at the following guide lines when it comes to choosing and storing the food that you eat;

·Buy locally grown produce in season

·Store foods in cool dark places to delay oxidation

·Avoid refined oils stored on supermarket shelves for weeks and exposed to light as they are already damaged when you buy them

·Consume food soon after purchase

·Eat organic, where possible, as it has higher levels of vitamins and minerals and other anti oxidants

·Eat as much unrefined food as possible as manufacturing practices cause the loss of vitamins and essential fats

·Cook at low temperatures as 20% to 70% of the nutrients can be lost in cooking

·Frozen is better than canned if fresh is not available. Canning is done at high temperatures which decreases the nutrient content

·Store grains (flour and cereals) in the freezer, if you have space, in order to protect them from rancidity, insects and moulds

·Alternatively glass containers on a cool dry shelf will do

·Remember that nuts contain oil and should be stored in the freezer to stop them going rancid

For more information on the food that we eat I really recommend that you have a look at Healthy Choices and read the shocking story about our food production. (This page will open in a new window behind this page, so do return to me when you are done.)



For more anti aging tips and advice on healthy food go to cooking methods, food storage and healthy cooking