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The Whole Story on Whole Foods: Why they’re important for a healthy bodyBy Elizabeth YarnellNo, not the grocery storeBut what exactly does the term “whole foods” mean, and why are they so important to a healthy body?Why are whole foods so important?Our bodies — our systems for digestion, absorption, and metabolism – evolved to utilize nutrients in the amounts and combinations provided by the food that grows naturally on this planet. Foods are made up of hundreds of different, health-giving substances that work together synchronistically to deliver health. The only way to take advantage of this packaging is by eating the whole food itself rather than a product that is a derivative of it. Many biochemical researchers, nutritionists and herbalists believe that the body will never achieve maximum nutrition and an ultimate healthy state without whole foods. Vitamin supplements do not replace the nutritional value of whole foods because vitamins only resemble selected parts of a food. They do not contain the complex, interwoven structure of nutrients and other substances found in one bite of whole food. Additionally, whole foods are alive with enzyme activity while isolated vitamins are not living substances. And even so-called “natural” vitamins are often more than 90% synthetic. Here’s an example of the different effect of vitamins versus whole foods: The medical community has long known that a diet full of plant-based foods that are rich in beta-carotene can help protect against cancer. But a recent large-scale study that administered beta carotene supplements to lung cancer patients actually proved harmful. It seems that beta carotene is only one of the many substances contained in the whole foods that was providing the protection against cancer. They actually had to stop the study early because it was causing so much harm. The safest bet for getting the full benefit out of nutrients and other substances in plants is to consume them in their original packaging as designed by Mother Nature. The opposite of whole foods are processed foods. The more steps away from the original plant, the more processed the food is and the fewer nutrients remain. Processing increases our ability to store food for later use, allowing communities to live farther away from the source of the food. Let’s look at the transformation of the whole food of a potato into a highly processed potato chip: First, the potato is peeled, losing fiber, iron and calcium along with the skin. Then it is washed, rinsing away carbohydrates, vitamin C and minerals. It’s sliced, washed again, and fried, removing water and destroying B vitamins while adding fat. Then it is salted, flavored with spices and given artificial colorings, and finally it is preserved with chemical preservatives. The result of all this processing?Shelf-life, crunch and convenience, along with 70 times the fat, 20 times the salt, 1/2 the carbohydrates, and less than 1/3 the fiber, iron, vitamin C and thiamin of a baked potato. And
we haven’t even begun to look at partitioning, which is
when some part of the food is taken or separated from the rest, such as
sugar
from beets, oil from peanuts, or refined flour from whole grains.
Nearly 70% of
the Adding whole foods to your diet enables you to enjoy all the nutrition offered by nature’s bounty, leading to better health and better eating habits. Here is a recipe that uses only whole foods to make a flavorful, satisfying and nutritious meal. Cajun FishServings: 2 Ingredients1 potato: russet or sweet or 1/2 of each 1/4 onion, peeled and sliced thinly 10-15 green or string beans, washed & trimmed 1/2-3/4 lb. white fish (catfish, sole, cod, halibut...) Creole or Cajun seasoning 3-5 whole garlic cloves, peeled 4 small Roma tomatoes, washed & quartered Instructions< Preheat
oven to 450 degrees. Spray inside of a 2-quart cast iron Dutch oven and
lid
with olive oil or canola oil spray. Scrub
potato well and cut out any bad spots or eyes. Cube potato into 1"
cubes.
Halve beans or leave whole, as desired. Line
base of pot with onions. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Lay
the fish
over the onions in the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the top side
liberally with
Cajun seasoning mix according to taste, and then sprinkle with garlic.
Make a
layer of potatoes and then one of green beans, interspersing sprinkles
of
spices as desired. Tuck the tomatoes around the top. Cover and bake for about 40 minutes, or until fish flakes easily and potatoes are fork-tender. You should smell the aroma wafting from the oven that tells you everything is done. Tips: We love Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Seasoning, but any Cajun or Creole seasoning mix from the grocery will do, or mix together equal parts paprika, salt, and a dash of cayenne to make your own. Careful with the cayenne as a little goes a long way and you may find that this unique cooking method intensifies spices. This cooking technique will accept any frozen elements without any change in cooking time or flavor. Feel free to substitute frozen green beans and frozen fish filets straight from the freezer. Don't feel like having fish? Just substitute the fish layer for chicken pieces, turkey tenderloin or pork tenderloin.
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