Why Eat a Natural Food Diet?
By Lynn, webmaster of A Natural Food Diet | Natural Food Articles
There are many reasons why it's important, even vital, to eat a natural food diet of organic produce and whole foods.
The benefits of eating real foods are many and varied and I have talked about them elsewhere on this site. For me, though, it's about more than just nutritional benefits. As I've said before, nutritionism isn't something I worry about. I'm more interested in the things I don't get in my diet than in the things I do get. With natural, whole, real foods, I get no chemical preservatives and no food additives. I get less exposure to "bad" bacterias. I get less calories from highly processed, overly refined food products. I have no headaches from foods that create unnaturally high glucose levels upon digesting.
How eating a natural food diet has helped me
Losing weight has been easy
I've lost 12 pounds (as I'm writing this) with minimal effort, in less than 5 weeks (my personal, in-home 5-week weigh-in date is tomorrow).
No "low blood-sugar" headaches before meals
I no longer get (but used to always get) a headache when I've had to do without food longer than usual. Because of this I actually forget to eat until I'm really hungry, and many weight-loss experts will tell you it's essential to eat only when you're hungry.
Food cravings are no longer a problem
I've stopped having almost all cravings after meals. I used to crave sweets as "dessert" and I always felt the gnawing need for a snack between meals. This has stopped almost entirely. I won't say I never crave anything, but it's almost true. I can count on one hand how many times I've craved a specific food since I started eating natural, real foods. I believe the natural sugars I get from the fruits and honey I eat must turn off those cravings—then again, it's very possible the formation of cravings are deflected by the steadier glucose levels in my blood.
More energy and better moods
I have more energy, feel calmer and less irritable, and find it easy to say no when I do have the occasional temptation come my way. Our bodies are great big chemical factories. When the body gets what it needs so that it can efficiently produce the chemicals it needs to run better, I believe it's only natural that we will feel better. The reduction in outside, bad chemicals might also be helping because introducing unnatural levels of chemicals, whether natural or synthetic, can surely disrupt the body's natural balance.
There could be other effects I haven't yet seen the benefit of, because I have not been a lifelong follower of a natural food diet. However, not that I've found it, I really believe eating real, whole foods has solved so many problems for me that I can't imagine ever eating any other way.
What this means for you
The fact of the matter is that I've seen some amazing things happening to my physical and mental well-being since I started focusing on eating all-natural, real, whole foods. I can't say for sure that you'll see the same results, and I'm certainly not a doctor who can give you medical or nutritional advice. But these are my real-life results.
I was looking for a complex answer to the question of my lack of energy, my weight problems, and more, but it turns out the answer was sitting in my refrigerator and pantry all along. I was eating the wrong foods and I was suffering for it. Now I'm not.
Related articles
- Real Food Is...
- Guide to choosing and eating real food
- Benefits of Natural Food
- What are some of the health benefits of natural food?
