New Food Rules

I have been neglecting the old blog lately. Life and its problems tend to throw a wrench into cogs and disrupt the normalcy. However, there is no point in wallowing in them. Dust it off and move on.

For one thing, years of bad eating habits and junk food finally caught up with me. So I’ve turned into a bit of a health nut now. Well, more of a “forcibly turned into” one. That is why I thought I’d share this article from the Reader’s Digest. It’s written by Michael Pollan, and offers a few simple rules to eating healthy without losing your appetite. I’ve put down a summary of it below, and you can read the full article here: http://www.rdasia.com/2011-the-new-food-rules

Rule #1: Eat Food
Eat real food and try to avoid processed foods.

Rule #2: Eat food that will eventually rot
Real food is alive and it should eventually rot. Rotting happens when bacteria and fungi start feed on it. In processed food, some of these nutrients are taken out to extend their shelf life. The more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is.

Rule #3: Eat your colors
The colors of fruits and vegetables reflect the different antioxidant phytochemicals they contain, which helps protect against chronic diseases, but each in a slightly different way. So the best protection comes from a diet that contains many different phytochemicals as possible. The more colorful (naturally, not with artificial coloring) the food is, the healthier it is.

Rule #4: “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’d be dead”
As far as the body is concerned, white flour is not much different from sugar. It offers non of the good things in wholegrain and is little more than a shot of glucose.

Rule #5: Eat mostly plants, especially leaves
By eating a diet that is primarily plant based, you’ll be consuming fewer calories, since plant food are usually less “energy dense” than other things you eat.

Rule #6: Stop eating before you are full
Various cultures have different sayings on this. The Japanese counsel people to stop eating when they are 80% full, and Indian Ayurvedic tradition advises eating till you are 75% full.

Rule #7: Eat sweet food as you find them in nature
In nature, sugar almost always comes packaged with fiber which slows their absorption levels.

Rule #8: Break the rules once in a while
You don’t have to be a stickler for the rule. Break them once in a while and enjoy the food. My idea is stick to the rules at home and then you can break the rules when you are out, unless you always eat from out.

Rul3 #9: Pay more, Eat less
If you spend more on better quality food, then you are more likely to eat less of it and treat it with more care. Choose quality over quantity.

Rule #10: Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients
The higher the number of ingredients, more likely they are to be highly processed.

Today, our lifestyles have changed from that of our grandparents, even our parents, times. For lives always on the go, junk food has become the dietary norm. I remember my grandparents always had balanced diets for all their meals. Even my mother is like that. I, on the other hand, am quite the opposite. Believe me; it will eventually catch up with you. Once you are on a healthier diet, you will actually feel the difference.

Pic from here: http://dreamzs.net