Why Choose Healthy Foods?

Food is one of three essential needs (food, clothing, shelter) humans need for survival. But exactly which specific foods should humans consume? How much should humans eat and how often should humans consume food? For children raised in homes where meals are served on a regular basis, there is the belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides your body with the energy needed to begin your day. Yet, recent reports from physicians and nutritionists published online provide details that some foods that humans consume are not healthy and should be avoided because of the effect it has on the body.

Nutritionists have always recommended that individuals consume foods that contain the necessary nutrients to support a healthy body. Ideally, fruits and vegetables are strongly recommended because of nutritious ingredients they contain, some more than others. It surprised me to learn that individuals should avoid drinking concentrated fruit juices because some fruit juices contain high levels of sugar which is unhealthy. Orange juice was the first juice mentioned because of the misconception that it’s high in Vitamin C even if it’s from concentrated. Not true! So, now I’m wondering what to do with my giant container of Hawaiin Punch (Juicy Red) that I recently purchased. According to the label on the jug of juice, it contains 100 percent Vitamin C and that’s supposed to be healthy for the body. Concentrated fruit juice is one of the five foods considered the worst foods humans should eat according to researchers. Because I’m a person who can appreciate the professional views and recommendations of reputable professionals like physicians, health experts, and nutritionists, I consider their professional opinions and conduct research occasionally on foods that I’m considering trying for the first time. I’m more encouraged to eat foods that are beneficial to my health when I can see its nutritional value in numbers, with details of how that specific nutrient helps my body.

Conventional families may be accustomed to having three meals a day beginning with breakfast, then lunch and supper at the end of the day. As a child raised in both Chicago, Illinois and Franklin County, Mississippi, I was blessed with a mother who made sure my sister and I were served three meals a day. Fortunately, my mother has always made sure that there was a balance of proteins and carbohydrates in the meals she prepared. Nutritionists and health experts agree that the right balance of carbohydrates and proteins eaten during meals allow individuals to eat what they want because their bodies are in fat-burning mode if they are active.

And then there’s the premise that margarine is a food that should be avoided altogether because of high levels of saturated fat content which is unhealthy because it essentially clogs the arteries. After reading this helpful tip about margarine’s effect on the body, I was speechless. This poses another problem for me as a cook because I use a lot of margarine when I cook because it holds in the flavor of the seasons that I add to the foods I prepare. The smell of butter has never been appealing to me so the thought of using it as a substitute for margarine is something I’ll have to think over before I try using it.

I was stunned when I learned that the bread that I had to force myself to start eating more often was not good for me because it’s high in calories, whole wheat bread. I thought this information was a contradiction to other information that I had read from previous research I had conducted. For a moment, I thought maybe I didn’t read the information correctly. I decided to google the nutritional value of eating whole wheat bread to support my belief that it wasn’t bad for me. According to the information I found online, as long as wheat bread is whole grain, it is healthy for the body. Since reaching my 50s, I have begun checking the nutritional value of all the food that my husband and I purchase because I vowed to only prepare healthy foods for our family.

It's helpful to know that some foods which contain fat are good for the body and some are not. Ultimately, humans are going to consume whatever food their bodies are craving and should not be condemned for their choices. On the flip side of that coin, health-conscience individuals will remain careful to eat only healthy foods in hopes of adding more years to their lives. The number of meals an individual consumes a day is likely determined by their metabolism and how much energy is burnt throughout his or her day. In this era where there is an increased number of health-conscience individuals, eating certain fruits and vegetables such as apples, grapes, carrots, and broccoli are replacing the craving for traditional junk food snacks like chips and candy. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a member of that health-conscience group of individuals who have pledged to eat only healthy foods because my past was filled with lots of unhealthy eating. Of course, every now and again I feel the need to satisfy my cravings for chips and chocolate. I can only hope that by watching what I eat and eating healthier now, any harmful effects to my body caused by unhealthy eating can be reversed and more years can be added to my life.