Natural Foods

The expression ‘you are what you eat’ seems to have lost its meaning for many years now. However, our diet and eating habits are very important to our overall well-being.

Certainly if we eat only processed, refined and polluted foods our diet and consequently our health will be affected. Very few people realize that our skin acts as a purifier for our bodies and so if we eat nothing but greasy, fatty, polluted foods then we can not expect to have healthy skin. So what we eat is very important.

I know that it can be very difficult organizing meals and shopping for yourself and your family when you are working, have children, rushing between family, work and home.

However here are a few simple tips on how you can improve the quality of your diet which can be implemented very easily.
· when possible buy food that has been organically produced
· store food in glass or china containers – avoid plastic or cling film – and avoid using aluminium foil wrappings on acidic food such as fruit or fruit cakes
· Steam or stir-fry vegetables to retain their nutrients
· Do not used microwaves for any food containing dairy products as it affects their molecular structure. Also do not heat food covered in plastic wrapping as this can encourage the migration of toxic chemicals into your food.

· Avoid all food additives (eg E numbers and artifical colourings)
· Avoid using aluminium cooking utensils. Use glass, stainless steel or high-quality enamel.
· Do not consume large quantities of salt, refined sugar and animal fats
· Increase your daily intake of fresh vegetables, raw food and fruit.

Today it is not always easy to buy fresh, unprocessed and unrefined foods but the healthier option is without doubt the better one and it does not have to be boring. There are many advertisers selling healthy alternatives and the search for cheaper foods provided by the supermarkets has led to some alarming health outbreaks in recent years.

The naturopathic approach to health is the need to clean out our bodies from its impurities or toxins that may build up and lead to disease. Often this is done by our bowels, bladder and skin but often the toxins that we take in from our diet makes the toxins levels in our bodies too high and can result in illness.

A detoxifying or cleansing diet can help clear out your system and by following the few simple steps outlined above you and your family can make a start to improving your diet and overall health.

Do you have any tips or recipes that you would like to add?