When It Comes To Diet We All Need To Get Back To Basics To Feel Better Look Better And Live Longer by Paula Stone

Eating and dieting seem so complicated. Food costs a lot of money and organic food costs even more.

Restaurants have few healthy options on their menus. They want you coming back so they go for tasty, not healthy.

And grocery stores don’t have convenience foods that work for people struggling with health issues like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

There is a reason your diets don’t work. It all comes down to “shelf life”. There are only a few ways to make a food last for a long time on a shelf in the store or in your house.

It requires the addition of either salt or sugar and a few other chemicals to make that easy package last a long time.

Both salt and sugar can sabotage your diet and maybe your health, too.

The human body actually needs some salt, but it does not need sugar at all. It was never designed to process a lot of sugar or even foods, like white flour, potatoes and rice that go to sugar fast in the bloodstream.

But there is another issue.

If you eat mostly fast food or convenience foods you are probably not getting the nutrition your body needs to function well.

And if you are starved for nutrients you are probably also beset by cravings.

How often do you still feel hungry just after eating?

The only effective way to address this problem is to start making your own meals with fresh ingredients.

Don’t pick up fast food that has no nutrients on the way home from work.

Put some chicken in the oven to roast while you check the mail. Serve it with some salad and raw veggies.

If you serve the veggies raw you get way more nutrients. But cut them up yourself. Nutrients fade with all processing or cooking.

It’s also much easier to get the kids to eat raw veggies. A vegetable’s natural sweetness is more evident. Cooking brings out the stronger scents and smells in things like broccoli and cabbage. Kids’ sensitive palates don’t find this appetizing.

But raw vegetables and fruits are better for them anyway.

Never buy soft drinks for kids. The huge amounts of sugar in drinks, even reasonably healthy ones like flavored milk, are a problem.

And drinks are a problem for adults, too. If your morning coffee has cream and sugar in it you will put on the pounds, especially if you drink more than one cup.

It is much better to drink coffee and tea straight, without cream or sugar.

Cutting down on sugar is hard in the beginning, but your body will adjust quickly.

And, just think, if you cut out sugar and get some exercise you may lose weight without any other sacrifice.

Even if you skip the exercise you will be healthier without the extra sugar stressing your body.

Real food is not difficult to prepare. Lean meats and fresh fruits and vegetables are simple and readily available.

And the big payoff is you will get better nutrition, too.