Organic and gluten free are two labels that are becoming more and more popular these days. Don’t get me wrong it’s
great to be able to have choices when one needs to eliminate certain foods from ones diet for health reasons. However, just because something says that it’s organic or gluten free does not make it healthy, don’t be suckered in to these “healthy labels”.
So what do I really mean by this…food items such as potato chips, cereals, pre-made waffles/pancakes, cookies or crackers (just to name a few) don’t all of a sudden become healthy food options just because the organic or gluten free label has been attached to them. As most of you know who read our blog on a regular basis we believe that healthy foods are foods that are alive, not foods that can remain in your pantry for weeks, months or even years.
As with any food item purchased get into the habit of reading labels and nutritional contents. Anytime you purchase items such as potato chips, pre-made waffles or anything as such flip over the box and read how many carbohydrates/sugars are found in each item. Don’t forget to also read the ingredients. As we say here at Replenishing Soul if you cannot pronounce or recognize any of the ingredients it’s a good idea to not purchase that item. If you cannot recognize the ingredients, guess what…your body doesn’t recognize them as well. Your body is built to break down nutrient, vitamins, and minerals not chemicals.
Remember it’s not about deprivation but it is about balance. Does your diet consist more of processed foods (foods that are typically found in the center of the grocery) or live foods (foods that are found on the outside perimeters of the grocery store? If you’re looking to get healthy this is a great place to start. You can also attend our workshop entitled “You are what you eat” coming to San Francisco in June.
Lori Metroka Yu
Nutrition & Wellness Specialist
Picture by: http://img4.realsimple.com/images/food-recipes/tools-products/0813/label-organic_300.jpg
Tags: gluten free foods, healthy labels, Nutrition coaching Los Gatos, nutrition coaching san francisco, organic labeling, reading labels, tips for grocery shopping