Saturday, April 21, 2012

Food Glorious Food

I might not look like it, but I love food. Love making it, cooking it, and LOVE eating food. But I am fanatical about what kind of food I put in my body. I have not eaten red meat for over twenty years. It's not because I don't like the idea of killing animals for food, it's because I don't like the taste. I will kill it and wear it, I just don't want to eat it. I love fish and fowl, but even that I only eat a couple times a week. I truly enjoy eating fruit and veggies of almost all kinds. The more colorful the salad the better. They are discovering that all the different colored veggies are good for you in various ways. Why? Because the different colors have different vitamin, fiber, minerals, and protein in them. RED: contains Things like lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin. These foods reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support join tissue in arthritis. ORANGE & YELLOW: contains beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These foods reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, support retinal health and vision, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones. GREEN: contains chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and Beta-carotene. These vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight free-radicals, and boost immune system activity. BLUE & PURPLE: Contains lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, and quercetin. These nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumor growth, act as an anticarcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells. WHITE: contain beta-glucans, EGCG, SDG, and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity. These foods also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers, and balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers. All of these different colors mix together to keep you healthy, so eat a rainbow! And try to eat fresh fruit and veggies as the processed food are NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Yes, processed foods are easy, but look at the ingredients and if you can't pronounce them or have know idea what it is, then it is generally not good for you and you should not eat it. I don't eat fake sugars or foods with them in it. I would rather buy original Greek yogurt and add a little fresh fruit with a drizzle of honey, than eat the fake flavored and sweetened yogurts. It might take 5 more minutes to prepare but it is so much better for you. BUT..... I do worry about genetically altered foods as they don't know what it will do to out bodies years later. The genetically modified corn is amazing as it grows faster and fends off bugs and has the ability to feed the world. This corn is in so many foods we all consume like corn starch and the questionable "modified corn syrup." But really how is it affecting our bodies? Truth is we don't know, and we will not really know for another 10-20 years. I hope that these genetically engineered foods work out for mankind, as it is the future of feeding this world. Either way I hope you enjoy your food as much as I enjoy mine. I am off to eat a bowl of homemade soup, I made enough for everyone. For more information about the food color wheel (it's where I got my facts) go to: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml

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