21 Reasons to Eat Real Food
Real food is food that is as close to its natural state as possible.
It is primarily:
- unprocessed
- free of chemical additives
- rich in nutrients and flavour
- fresh
However, since processed foods became popular in the 20th century, the Western diet has shifted more toward ready-to-eat meals. While processed foods are convenient,they are terrible for your health, according to actual scientific findings. So following a diet based on real food may be one of the most important things you can do to help maintain good health.
Here are 21 reasons to eat real food.
1. Loaded with important nutrients
Unprocessed animal and plant foods can help provide vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health. For instance, 1 cup (149 grams) of red bell peppers, kiwi (180mg) or orange slices (165 grams) contains more than 100% of the RDI for vitamin C. Eggs and liver are especially high in choline, a nutrient essential for proper brain function. And a single Brazil nut provides all the selenium you need for an entire day. In fact, most whole foods are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients.
2. Low in sugar
Some research suggests that eating sugary foods can increase your risk for obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease. Generally speaking, real foods are lower in sugar than processed foods. Even though fruit contains sugar, it’s also high in water and fiber, which are just 2 reasons why they are a much healthier option than having soda and processed foods.
3. Heart healthy
Real food is packed with antioxidants and nutrients that support heart health, including magnesium and healthy fats. Eating a diet rich in nutritious, unprocessed foods may also help reduce inflammation, which is considered one of the major drivers of heart disease.
4. Better for the environment
The world population is steadily growing, and with this growth comes increased demand for food. However, producing food for billions of people can take a toll on the environment. This is partly due to the destruction of rainforests for agricultural land, increased fuel needs, pesticide use, greenhouse gases, and packaging that ends up in landfills. Developing sustainable agriculture based on real food may help improve the health of the planet by reducing energy needs and the amount of waste that we humans produce.
5. High in fiber
Fiber provides many health benefits, some of them we just start to understand. Fiber is not just passive ballast as we thought for a while, fiber plays an active and quite complex role for our gut biome and that's why its boosting digestive function, and metabolic health. Foods like avocados, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and blackberries are particularly high in a specific kind of healthy fiber, alongside beans and legumes. Consuming fiber through whole foods is better than taking a supplement because from those fiber you also get added nutrients from the fruit or vegetable.
6. Helps manage blood sugar
According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 450 million people live with diabetes worldwide. That number is expected to rise to 700 million by 2045. Eating a diet high in fibrous plants and unprocessed animal foods will help reduce blood sugar levels in people who have or are at risk for diabetes.
In one 12-week study, people with diabetes or prediabetes followed a paleolithic diet combining fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and nuts. They experienced a 26% reduction in blood sugar levels.
7. Good for your skin
In addition to promoting better overall health, real food will nourish and protect your skin. For instance, dark chocolate and avocados have been shown to protect skin against sun damage. Studies show that eating more vegetables, fish, beans, and olive oil 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 often prevent or reduce acne.
8. Helps lower triglycerides
Blood triglyceride levels are well known markers for health issues, which are strongly influenced by food intake. Since your triglyceride levels increase when you consume sugar and refined carbs, it’s best to minimise these foods. In addition, including unprocessed foods like fatty fish, lean meats, vegetables, and nuts has been shown to significantly reduce triglyceride levels.
9. Provides variety
To keep your diet interesting, you can include diverse foods, such as trying vegetables that you have never had. Hundreds of different real food options exist, including a wide variety of meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and seeds. Make a point of regularly trying new foods. Some unique options include pumpkin, chia seeds, buckwheat, yogurt, and quinoa.
10. Costs less in the long run
It’s said that real food is more expensive than processed food. In an analysis of 27 studies from 10 countries, it was found that eating healthier food costs about $1.56 more than processed food per 2,000 calories. However, this difference can be minimal when compared to the cost of managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. For instance, one study noted that people with diabetes spend 2.3 times more on medical supplies and other healthcare costs than those who do not have this condition. Thus, real food costs less in the long run because it’s more likely to help keep you healthy, minimizing your medical costs.
11. High in healthy fats
Unlike the trans and processed fats found in cheap vegetable oils and many spreads, most naturally occurring fats like butter are better to have. For example, cold pressed coconut oil is a great source of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that promotes heart health. Seeds and nuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids help fight inflammation and protect heart health and fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, are also excellent sources. Other real foods that are high in healthy fats include avocados, and nuts.
12. Reduce the risk for disease
Making real food part of your lifestyle will reduce your risk for disease. Eating patterns — like the Mediterranean diet — based on whole, unprocessed foods have been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. In addition, several large observational studies link a balanced diet heavy in fruits and vegetables to a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease.
13. Contains antioxidants
Antioxidants are compounds that help fight free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage your body’s cells. They are found in all real foods, especially plant foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and legumes. Fresh, unprocessed animal foods also contain antioxidants — though in much lower levels. For instance, egg yolks offer lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help to protect against eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration.
14. Great for your gut
Eating real food is beneficial for your gut microbiome, which refers to the microorganisms 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 management. Real food sources of prebiotics include garlic, asparagus, and cocoa.
15. May help prevent overeating
According to research, a high intake of processed and fast foods has been linked to a higher rate of overeating, particularly in those who are overweight compared to those who are not. By contrast, real food doesn’t harbor all the sugars and flavorings which processed foods are loaded with. These are the ingredients from which we know, that they drive overeating.
16. Promotes dental health
Healthy teeth are another benefit of real foods. Surprisingly, good cheese seems to help prevent cavities by increasing pH and hardening tooth enamel. One study found that eating cheese dramatically improved enamel strength in people with limited saliva production.
The sugar and refined carbs in the Western diet promote dental decay by feeding the plaque-causing bacteria that live in your mouth. The combination of sugar and acid in soda is the perfect recipe to cause decay.
Green tea has also been shown to protect tooth enamel. One study found rinsing with green tea significantly reduced the amount of erosion that occurred when people drank soda and brushed their teeth vigorously.
17. Fights sugar cravings
A diet based on real food also helps reduce cravings for sweets like cakes, cookies, and candy because sugar is highly addictive and once your body adjusts to eating whole, unprocessed foods, cravings for sugary foods will become infrequent.
18. 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. Leading by example will encourage your friends and family to adopt a nutrient-dense eating pattern. It’s also a good way to help your kids learn about good nutrition.
19. Gets the focus off dieting
A dieting mentality often becomes harmful, because it just limits your focus to your weight. In fact, good nutrition is about much more than losing weight. It’s also about having enough energy and feeling healthy. Focusing on eating balanced meals rich in fruits and vegetables instead of dieting can be a much more sustainable and enjoyable way to live. Instead of having weight loss be the focus, let weight loss come as a natural side effect of a nutrient-dense diet and improved metabolic health.
20. Helps support local farmers
Purchasing produce, meat, and dairy from real-food.shop, supports the people who take the effort to grow organic food in our community. In addition, local farms and health food creators generally provide fresher and healthier foods than supermarkets.
21. Delicious
On top of everything else, real food tastes delicious. The amazing flavour of fresh, unprocessed food is undeniable. Once your taste buds have adjusted to real food, processed junk food will simply disappear from your diet.
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