The field of nutrition has gone through a lot of changes (for the better!) in the past 20 years. It used to be common knowledge that a calorie is a calorie. It didn't matter what you ate, as long as you just didn't eat too much. This was the reigning philosophy and was taken as gospel.
But within the last 10-20 years, amazing researchers and scientists have done incredible things with the discovery that nutrition is SO. MUCH. MORE. than simply the amount of calories you take in. A car technician will tell you that the type of oil, gas, and parts you use for your car will determine how long it lasts and how it runs. If this is true for a car then of course this should be true for our very complex human bodies!
Today I'm sharing with you why the quality of your food counts and how you can ensure that you only eat the best of the best.
Why quality matters
Your body is so smart. It knows how to survive through some pretty extreme situations. However, the problem with this is that while your body is in survival mode, it can't be in THRIVING mode. A quick analogy - if your house was on fire, you wouldn't be focused on repainting the living room. You'd be doing everything in your power to put that fire out! It's the same way that your body functions. It's addressing the immediate situation before it works on making itself better.
So how does this fit in with the food you eat? Non-organic fruits, veggies, grains, and legumes are sprayed with pesticides that have been found to disrupt your hormones and lead to weight gain. One meta-analysis of 7 studies also found a link between pesticides and memory loss. Also if you have food sensitivities or allergies, a study shows that pesticides may be the cause of them.
What happens when you eat high quality food consistently?
When your food is organic, not only are you taking in more antioxidants that help to prevent cancer and keep your skin looking beautiful, it also allows your liver to take a break and go through detoxification of the rest of your body. Processing chemicals requires a lot of your own powerful source of the antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione is used to assist with phase 2 detox in the liver as well as keep your cells healthy and pliable. Decreasing your intake of chemicals and pesticides leaves more glutathione for your body to boost your levels of health ~ think THRIVE not SURVIVE.
Natural side effects of this process include increased energy levels, shining skin, decreased break outs, natural weight loss, and decreased stress levels.
How to pick high quality food
Ideally, you would be getting your fresh fruits and veggies straight from the farmer. Your food is most nutrient dense right when it's been picked and it gradually loses it's nutrients the longer you wait to eat it. Considering much of the U.S. food supply is shipped from all across the nation and world, it's safe to say that you aren't getting your food the morning that it was picked from the earth.
My favorite way to get my food is straight from the farmer. You can taste and feel the difference when your food is truly nourishing you by being it's most nutrient dense and chemical-free self.
I was recently introduced to BulkBox Foods and I love their mission. They were tired of the high cost of high quality organic fruits and veggies and decided to make wholesale costs available to everyone! I made a ton of amazing nutrient-dense meals this weekend for the week with my first box ~ I'm talking tahini roasted cauliflower, meatballs with homemade red wine marinara, soothing broccoli soup, and steak salad with guacamole. Make sure to check them out HERE to boost the quality of your ingredients.
When in doubt, remember that quality counts. Treat your body right by allowing it to THRIVE and not just SURVIVE.
xx
Autumn