by Brian Cannone
When you are on the path to becoming fit one of the biggest issues that need to be addressed is your health. There is no such thing as being fit and not living a healthy lifestyle. One of the best ways to stay in shape, be physically fit, and maintain a healthy lifestyle all comes down to your diet. What you put into your body determines just how healthy you are, how healthy you are living, and if you are on the quickest path to becoming physically fit. Yes, there are certainly more aspects of your fitness regimen that help to determine these very same things, but none single handedly more important than your diet. One of the main things that you can do to help yourself be healthier and eat healthier is to pick out foods that have very few ingredients; the fewer ingredients an item of food contains the healthier it is for you!
Foods that have few ingredients are indeed the healthier option. The absolute healthiest option you can choose are the foods that have only one ingredient. When a food has only one ingredient it is the healthiest option because it is the closest to nature. When you stay as close to nature as you can get you can’t go wrong with your eating habits. You also want to steer towards the foods that are the freshest! You need to do your best to avoid anything that is frozen, “flash frozen”, or canned! How are these foods not as fresh? Very simply, the additives that are included to keep these foods preserved are not nearly as healthy for your body. A good way to help put it into perspective the comparison between the two is to think of fruit; if you pick an apple off of the tree and buy canned apples, which will last longer? The longer it takes for an item of food to expire the unhealthier it is for you and your health regimen.
How are single ingredient foods healthier than those with multiple ingredients? Just like foods that are frozen and canned, foods that have more than one ingredient are farther from the freshest. The more ingredients an item of food contains the less healthy it is for you! If an item of food you purchase has multiple ingredients you need to be careful to pay attention to just how many more ingredients that item contains. If it is a drastically higher number than 1 you really need to do your best to avoid it. These different ingredients also individually contain their own benefits AND disadvantages. These disadvantages could include fat, carbs, and other additives that can be damaging to your health and fitness regimen. However, with that being said, you shouldn’t avoid foods that contain more than one ingredient altogether. You just need to be aware of how many ingredients are included in the item of food in question; a good number to stay between is 1 and 5. If an item of food has more than 5 ingredients contained within, this food is most likely unhealthy for you and it would be wise to make an alternate selection.
An even better way to help you avoid foods that contain multiple ingredients is to know where to look for foods that are the freshest and healthiest for you! There are many different sources telling you that you need to buy a certain pill, or food plan, or product that will help you eat healthier and help you lose weight faster. But the truth of it is you do not need to purchase these items that are taxing on your wallet. You simply need to know where to look. Whole food stores are a good source to help you find foods that are single ingredients. But you can always make due with a regular grocery store! If you think that you cannot find healthy foods in your local grocer or in any grocery store nearest you, you are definitely not looking in the appropriate place. Whenever you pick up any item of food you need to look at the label! Labels will tell you everything about the food you are trying to purchase. These labels will tell you how much fat is contained, how many calories, how many carbs, and also will tell you if any other ingredients are included.
The most important information when it comes to eating and living healthy is to always remember that “you are what you eat”. If you make unhealthy eating selections you can be sure that you are not living a healthy lifestyle. If you eat foods that contain well more than one ingredient you are not eating healthy and are not making smart decisions about your diet. You want to avoid foods that contain a large number of ingredients and avoid foods that are high in additives. Another thing to keep yourself on track when you are shopping is to remember to look at the expiration date of the item you are considering for purchase. If the item you have selected has a long expiration date, it is not a healthy choice for you to make. The higher the expiration date is, the less healthy it is for you! You need to always be aware of the ingredients, the additives, and the expiration date of the items of food you are purchasing. If you do all of these things and pay attention you will most certainly make healthier food selections and you will, most importantly, live a healthier lifestyle!
