It’s common for a person to think if they watch what they eat they can stay healthy. However, while this is true, it goes much deeper than that. Many people don’t take into account the importance of food quality. While eating ‘healthy’ foods are important, it is also wise to consider the quality of the food. Eating fruits and vegetables that were not grown in nutrient-dense soil, and were sprayed heavily with herbicides and pesticides will not contain the same amount of nutrients as organically grown food. Also, because we eat what our meat eats, animals should be raised humanely, eating foods they would eat in nature, without all the added hormones.
While the types of food you eat, and how you keep everything in balance, does play a part, the quality of the food, how it’s grown and prepared does play a significant role. For example, while the Mediterranean Diet is known to be successful, it doesn’t matter if you adhere to the diet as much as the kind of foods you eat within the diet’s framework. For instance, the meat that you eat needs to be of high-quality, coming from an animal that had proper nutrition and wasn’t subjected to inhumane conditions. The animal should be eating and moving around as nature intended, and not locked up in a feedlot being pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. Those fruits and vegetables that you consume should be grown using organic methods, and not sprayed with harmful chemicals. All in all, it doesn’t matter so much which diet you adhere too, the quality of the food itself is what matters the most.
Unfortunately, nutritious foods, especially good meat, often cost more money, making it difficult for some to afford higher quality produce and meat. However, it is possible to still eat healthy, even organic foods, on a limited budget, especially if you cut out some of those unnecessary, fattening snacks. To help save money, many natural food stores offer bulk bins, allowing you to stock up on rice, beans, and pasta so you can skip the prepared foods section and there are cheaper cuts available of grass-fed, sustainably raised meats that can be made into a delicious stew. Depending on where you live, you might be able to shop local, which can be cheaper. Luckily, while this varies on the area, you live some restaurants and supermarkets are taking notice of this trend, and are making higher-quality food more accessible.
Remember, even though higher-quality food can cost more money, eating a high-quality diet now can mean reduced health care costs for you in the long run, making it important to invest in your health. So while that McDonald’s dollar menu may seem tempting now, just remember, you might pay more for it in the long run.
