Before Big Food got its grubby hands on our diet, just eating REAL food was the way to go.
And we’re bringing it back. Big time. Want to know why we JERF? Franziska Spritzler sums it up pretty nicely in this edited article for Authority Nutrition.
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1. Real Food Is Low in Sugar.
Research suggests that eating sugary foods can increase your risk of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and heart disease…
Even though fruit contains sugar, it’s also high in water and fiber, so it’s much less concentrated than sugar in soda and processed foods.
2. Real Food Is Good for the Environment.
The world population is steadily growing, and with this growth comes increased demand for food.
However, producing food to feed several billion people is taking a huge toll on the environment. This is mainly due to increased fuel needs, greenhouse gases and packaging that ends up in landfills.
On the other hand, developing sustainable systems based on real food may help improve the health of our planet by reducing energy needs and decreasing the amount of non-biodegradable waste humans produce.
3. Real Food Is Good for Your Skin.
In addition to promoting better overall health, eating real food nourishes and helps protect your skin from the inside out..
Studies suggest that eating more vegetables, fish, beans and olive oil may help reduce wrinkling, loss of elasticity and other age-related skin changes.
What’s more, switching from a Western diet high in processed foods to one based on real food may help prevent or reduce acne.
4. Real Food Provides Variety.
Eating the same foods over and over can get old. It’s also healthier to include many different foods in your diet.
There are hundreds of different real food options, including a wide variety of meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains and seeds.
Make a point of regularly trying some real foods you’ve never eaten that look or sound interesting, such as kiwi, chia seeds, organ meats, kefir or quinoa. You might just find a few new favorites.
5. Real Food May Reduce Disease Risk.
Making real food part of your lifestyle may help reduce your risk for a number of chronic diseases.
Eating patterns based on whole, unprocessed foods — including the Mediterranean diet — have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
In addition, several large observational studies link a balanced diet with a high intake of fruits and vegetables to a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease.
6. Real Food Is Good for Your Gut.
Eating real food may be beneficial for your gut microbiome, the bacteria that live in your digestive tract.
Indeed, many real foods function as prebiotics — food that your gut bacteria ferment into short-chain fatty acids. In addition to promoting gut health, these fatty acids may improve blood sugar control and provide other health benefits.
Real food prebiotics include garlic, asparagus and cocoa. For an extensive list of prebiotic foods, read this article.
7. Real Food May Help Reduce Sugar Cravings.
A diet based on real food may also help reduce cravings for sweets, such as cake, cookies and candy.
Once your body adjusts to eating whole, unprocessed foods, cravings for sugary foods could become infrequent and even disappear altogether.
When you limit or avoid processed foods and high-sugar foods, eventually your taste buds adapt and learn to appreciate real food more.
8. Eating Real Food Sets a Good Example.
In addition to improving your own health and well-being, eating real food can help the people you care about stay healthy as well.
Leading by example can help encourage better eating habits for your family members. It’s also a good way to help your kids learn about good nutrition.
9. Eating Real Food Gets the Focus off Dieting.
A dieting mentality isn’t good over the long term. It makes you focus on the number on the scale too much.
Nutrition is about way more than just dieting. It is also about feeling good, having enough energy and being healthy.
Focusing on real food instead of dieting can be a much healthier, more sustainable and enjoyable way to live.
Instead of focusing too much on weight loss, let weight loss come as a natural side effect of a better diet and improved metabolic health.
10. Real Food Is Delicious.
In addition to all of the other reasons to eat real food, it truly tastes delicious. The amazing flavor of fresh, unprocessed food is undeniable.
Once your taste buds have adjusted to real food, processed junk food simply can’t compare.
This article was originally published in full on Authority Nutrition.
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