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Healthy eating starts with careful planning
and organization. Since fresh produce has a very limited shelf life, regular
grocery shopping is a must. Creating a menu for the week and writing out a
shopping list will save you time and money; while helping you stick to
healthy recipes. Local health food stores and farmer markets are very
money-wise solutions. Plus, frequent visits will allow you to expand your
culinary horizons as well as mingle with other health-concerned people.
Healthy eating means using fresh
ingredients and gentle cooking methods without adding any artificial
ingredients and fats. Healthy eating requires a lot of cooking, since
take-out food often contains too many refined fats and artificial
seasonings. However, with modern appliances you will discover that cooking
is no longer an annoying chore reserved for special occasions, but an
exciting part of everyday life.
So which products should we buy when we
actually decide to begin eating healthy food? Here’s what your weekly
shopping list should include.
Vegetables.
All vegetables should be eaten young, when they are tender and not coarse.
Vegetables are best bought from fresh food markets or seasonal, when they
are sold in boxes or baskets. Supermarket vegetables are often genetically
modified or have been picked green and ripened in boxes when traveling long
distances. Sprouts and brightly colored vegetables contain the most vitamins
and antioxidants.
Fruits.
Again, the trick is to buy seasonal fruit, since exotic fruits have often
traveled long distances and ripened in their boxes, not on trees. Local,
naturally ripened or, better yet, organic fruit are the best choice for the
health-conscious cook.
Herbs.
Aromatic herbs and spices can be used fresh or dried. The best idea is to
plant the aromatic herbs in pots on your window and use them fresh whenever
you need them. To preserve flavor, you can buy spices whole and use them
freshly ground.
Cheese.
Although cheese is quite rich in fats, cheese is a great source of
vitamins and minerals. Buy only fresh cheeses in small quantities and try to
eat them at once, since gourmet cheeses don’t have a lengthy shelf life.
Eggs.
Buy only organic or free-range eggs, and shake them before buying to ensure
freshness.
Fish and
shellfish. The best way to buy fish is fresh and unfrozen. Again,
most of the fish in supermarkets comes from fish farms where it is fed with
artificial substances, and this fish cannot be used in healthy recipes. Pink
salmon and other popular kinds of fish will most likely come from a fish
farm. Shellfish is a more healthy choice, since shrimp, for example, does
not live in chemically polluted water. When you boil mussels, discard those
that do not open.
Meat.
For truly healthy eating purposes it’s better to skip meat entirely, since
it’s almost impossible to find meat that comes from an environmentally and
health conscious farmer. Most of the meat in supermarkets has enormous
quantities of growth hormones and antibiotics. The best meat for use in
healthy recipes comes from small farming communities or organic farms.
Grains.
Whole wheat and whole grains should become a staple of your healthy
eating routine, because many healthy ingredients are contained in the grain
shell. Rice is the only exclusion from the rule, because, even though the
rice grain shell is removed, many nutritional elements still remain in the
rice grain.
What we eat become a part of us. So make your kitchen a starting point for
your new healthy eating habits, and enjoy preparing healthy meals.
Kathryn Whittaker
writes articles on a number of different topics. For more information on
living a Healthy Lifestyle please visit
Healthy Lifestyle
Guide and for additional Healthy Lifestyle articles please visit the
following article page
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