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Easy to Make Real Healthy Food

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What is Real Healthy Food, or more to the point what is NOT. Recently there has been tremendous social media interest in articles on exercise, lifestyle, diet, added sugars and obesity as it pertains to our health. For those looking for a less processed  (fast food) Christmas here are a few ideas to balance out your eating during the holiday season ... time for a healthy change in the New Year?

Harvesting sugar cane - Queensland, Australia
Harvesting sugar cane - Queensland, Australia

What's the Fuss about Sugar

Simply - we are eating too much sugar and it is making us sick. Here is a short video on the toxicity of sugar from Dr. R.H. Lustig.   Please check out the links and watch the videos for a brief understanding of what is happening to our bodies with the food we eat today.

"In 1970 we ate 123 pounds of sugar per year. TODAY the average American consumes almost 152 lbs of #SUGAR in 1 year. This is equal to 3 lbs (or 6 cups) ... consumed in 1 week!" 
from New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services,

Health Promotion in Motion

What is Real Healthy Food & What to Do?

If you are addicted to sugar and junk food it may be a challenge changing your eating habits but it is possible and well worth it. Start with :
  1. Reducing and eventually cutting out sugary drinks - this is a big one as there is so much added sugar in pop and even fruit juices. Read the statistics on consuming just one pop per day
  2. Processed Food - 74% of our packaged food has added sugar.  Please read labels of the food you eat and if it has a high added sugar content find a (less sugar) alternative. Note that some ingredient nutrition data is given "per tablespoon"!
  3. Make your own food at home from scratch and cut your intake of processed food and fast food. It is not only the added sugars in processed food but all the preservatives, additives, artificial ingredients, colours, and other chemicals which are added to your food. For your interest here are the 15 lists of permitted additives in food in Canada We are told these chemicals are used to bleach, colour, stabilize, polish, sweeten and preserve, etc our food to keep it safe, healthy and edible!
"Cook for yourself, your family, your friends.
Cooking is not a luxury,
it's a necessity"

Photo gallery: examples of easy to prepare healthy meals:

You Can Do it!

Stay balanced. Just start by making a few changes and refine your eating habits as you continue. If you "fall off the wagon" simply return to your new Healthy For You Lifestyle by eating Real Food. This short article is just an inkling of the information to hopefully encourage you to change eating habits for you and your family.

To summarize, the main change recommended is to cut or reduce; Added Sugars, processed food and fast food. It's amazing how a change of diet and lifestyle can change every aspect of your life. Best wishes for a much healthier and happier New Year ... and check out the 11 recipes in "links" for some real healthy food.

Next week I hope to publish another article on more healthy food, some of my personal food choices and health reasons to change your diet.

I am still learning - please join me!  In good health & happiness ~ Liz

'I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity" 
~ Jamie Oliver, 2010
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Great visual aid on sugar equivalents from Dr. James DiNicolantonio

Sugar Equivalents from Dr. James DiNicolantonio
Sugar Equivalents from Dr. James DiNicolantonio

Links & References

CAP Recipes to try:

and:

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