Benefits of Natural Food
By Lynn, webmaster of A Natural Food Diet | Natural Food Articles
In this article, I talk about the benefits of eating natural food, whether that food is fruit, vegetable, meat, egg, dairy, nuts, seeds, or grains. Natural food is "real food" and doesn't include artificial ingredients or additives. Natural food doesn't have to be organic, but since pesticides, residues, antibiotics, and hormones can linger on or in food, foods grown or produced with the benefit of these things might not really be "natural food" any longer.
Fruit and vegetable produce
Fruits and vegetables are an integral part of a diet of natural foods. They fill you up on fewer calories than most processed foods and provide an abundent variety of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to your body.
Fruits and vegetables may help you...
- Cut your risk of chronic diseases, including stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, heart disease, and high blood pressure
- Lose weight
- Stay hydrated (get more water into your body)
Organic fruit and vegetable produce...
- Might contain more nutrition than conventionally grown produce (Is Organic Food Better?)
- Are not coated with the residue of pesticides or preservatives
- Supports a healthier environment, since organic farming practices usually encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution.
Meat, eggs, & dairy
Meats, eggs, and dairy foods are your best natural sources of proteins. Humans are natural omnivores and meat provides your body with a varied assortment of nutrients used in bones, muscles, skin, and blood.
Grass-fed and pastured meat, eggs, dairy, and wild game
Meats raised in conventional animal lots can receive antibiotics and artificial hormones. Finding a good organic local farmer from which to buy many of your meats should be a priority. You can go in with a relative to buy a half or quarter of an animal and store the meat in your deep freezer. (I will be buying my next beef from my brother-in-law's father). Ask around, but if you can't find someone local, there are organic food stores online. My husband, son, and daughter are hunters, and we eat wild game when it's in season.
Meat, eggs, and dairy from grass-fed animals...
- Often contain more "good" fats and fewer "bad" fats than their commercial, grain-fed counterparts
- Are richer in antioxidants, including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C
- Do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs
Nuts and seeds
- Are sources of proteins and fats
- Nuts and seeds such as flax and walnuts are excellent sources of essential fatty acids
- Nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds, almonds, and hazelnuts are good sources of vitamin E
Grains
I don't eat grains unless I'm sure they're whole grains. Many nutritionists will tell you that you need a certain amount of grains each day to a maintain a healthy lifestyle, but my personal opinion differs. I eat only 1 to 2 pieces of whole wheat bread each week. Since eliminating almost all grain products and all refined grain products from my diet, I've felt better than I have felt in any of the previous 10 years. I prefer to rely on vegetable produce, fruit produce, nuts and beans for my fiber needs. It's been working great for me. (My thoughts on this were influenced by Dr. Thompson's book The Glycemic-Load Diet (or ebook).)
Whole grains may help you...
- Cut your risk of chronic diseases
- Are important sources of many nutrients, such as dietary fiber, the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate, and the minerals iron, magnesium, and selenium
- Maintain proper bowel function, reduce constipation, and avoid diverticulosis
As you can see, the benefits of natural food and a whole food diet are many and varied. But the biggest benefit of all might be that it keeps you from having to eat processed, industrialized foods that can have serious health risks associated with them. Just remember the trans-fat debacle and how heart-unheathly it turned out to be to substitute margarine for butter—it's hard not to see how dangerous invented food products can be.
Related articles
- Real Food Is...
- Guide to choosing and eating real food
- Natural Food Diet
- Why your diet should contain natural foods
- How processed foods are killing you
- Why your diet should contain natural foods
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan is only one of the many books I've read or listened to about eating natural food. The book discuss most of the principles I've incorporated into my lifestyle and of which I talk about on A Natural Food Diet. This book is a must read for anyone who worries about what the culture of nutritionism and the food industry's special interest groups are doing to our food supply.
Buy : audio book | paperback | ebook
The Glycemic-Load Diet: A powerful new program for losing weight and reversing insulin resistance by cardiologist Dr. Rob Thompson is the first of the many books I've read or listened to that encouraged eating more natural foods and discouraged the eating of refined foods. The book discuss the increase in insulin resistance that's been brought on by the modern American (westernized) diet and how that has impacted our health. This book is a must read for anyone who worries about diabetes and what a modern diet is doing to their blood glucose levels and overall health.
More Resources
- The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook: Healthy Cooking and Good Living with Pasture-Raised Foods by Shannon Hayes
Buy : paperback - Pasture Perfect: The Far-Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Animals by Jo Robinson
Buy : paperback - Holy Cows & Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer's Guide To Farm Friendly Food by Joel Salatin
Buy : paperback
