What is "Real (Beautiful) Food" & Why Should You Eat It?
What is “Real (Beautiful) Food?”
Last night’s rotisserie chicken given a new look for today’s lunch as a simple—albeit beautiful—chicken salad
When you take a bite of your meal, does it visually make you pause to admire it? Hey, I get it. Not every eating experience is necessarily a photo-worthy moment. BUT, did you know us humans are innately wired to like what we see when we go in for that first bite of nourishment? “Real” food is eye appealing for a reason– to get us to eat it! (Picture the vivid colors of veggies/fruits, the enticing golden crust on roast chicken or the bright yellow yolk of an egg.)
But what makes something “Real” food? To me it is food created from minimally /non- processed ingredients. Eating meals that are free from overly refined components benefit your health. Real Food hasn’t been depraved of it’s nutritional powerhouse potential (i.e. being cooked to death and preserved before it lands on your plate.)
A Handful of Basic “Real Food” Tips:
Cook your own food a majority of the time
Buy protein that hasn’t been marinated in sweetened/processed sauces
Use the whole version of an ingredient (i.e. choose brown rice instead of white rice or rice flour and eat smaller fingerling potatoes with the skin on vs. mashed potatoes)
Use a majority of ingredients that are fresh instead of already prepared
If you need a time saver, incorporate frozen veggies into your meal ( like frozen riced cauliflower!)
When using sauces, choose ones that have only a handful of (pronounceable) ingredients
When incorporating dairy, choose the whole fat versions without “stabilizers or extra ingredients”
Here is how you’ll benefit. Real food is full of:
Antioxidants to help fight free radicals
Minerals for musculoskeletal health
Brain protective good fats and amino acids
Energy-producing complex carbs and fats
BOTTOM LINE : When I’m eating foods that (MOST OF THE TIME) are boosting my whole body wellness –that is a beautiful eating experience (that benefits my BODY + MIND).
Are you unsure about how to incorporate Real Food into your daily life? Let me help!
TAKE A MOMENT: what came to mind for you when I said beautiful food? PAUSE… does it invoke a memory, is it the taste … or just a visual?