One of the reasons people turn to raw food is because they are looking to eat more healthy food. That’s definitely one of my main reasons for giving raw food a try. (Remember that when I say raw food, I don’t necessarily mean 100% raw.)
Lately, I found myself giving out this little piece of advice: eating raw food doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthier than other ways of eating.
Hear me out…
There are a lot of other things that go into your health, other than just the “label” you apply to your food. Maintaining healthy diets, for most of us can be tricky. So for instance, you might be eating raw food, but eating too much of it. Or you might be eating raw food, but eating too much of one category and not enough of another.
Neither of these scenarios is very healthy.
Or, you might be eating raw food but not drinking enough water, sleeping enough, or exercising enough. And then there’s your emotional and mental well being, all of which play into your overall health.
Now, let’s take a closer look at what healthy foods are.
The Healthy Foods List
Here is a basic list of healthy foods that most people can agree on:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Fresh leafy greens
- Cold pressed extra virgin oils
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Sprouts
- Seaweeds and sea vegetables
Now we can split hairs and argue that we should include other foods, depending on what lifestyle you follow. For instance some may want to add superfoods, others may want to add in raw dairy or meat, you get the idea.
But I think we can all agree that these are basically healthy foods. Especially fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Unhealthy Foods List
- Processed “white” foods like white breads, white pastas, etc.
- Refined white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame
- Addictive substances like MSG, and other “taste enhancing” chemicals
- Processed, denatured fats and oils that the body cannot deal with
Alright, so the unhealthy foods list is incomplete. That’s partly because it would take too long to include everything that might potentially be unhealthy. But it’s also because we don’t all agree on what’s unhealthy.
Some people go around telling themselves that they’ll be healthy if they eat “Everything in Moderation“. And while the adage that eating everything in moderation probably held true 100 years ago, it certainly doesn’t hold today.
There are more chemicals and ingredients that I can’t pronounce on a label for dried raisins than ever before. Dried raisins!
Imagine what’s in super processed junk foods for a minute. It’s not pretty.
How to Include More Healthy Foods and Less Unhealthy Foods
I honestly believe that in order to eat more healthy foods we need to leave some of the unhealthy foods behind. If you’re too full from eating an entire bag of chips and a 1L bottle of Coke, then you’re not going to be inspired to eat an apple. Let alone a salad.
Letting go of foods that aren’t good for you is a lot more complex than it might seem at first. Why? Cravings. That’s why.
I’ve been eating healthy foods for over 3 years now, and I’ve learned a thing or two about cravings. Get on The Cue list, and you’ll be the first know about my cravings busting techniques.
October 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Great way to break it down. Good information!!
October 1st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Thanks Susan! You rock. :)
October 1st, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I don't believe in the “everything in moderation” myth either. Either you eat healthy or you don't. Eat crap food in moderation? Like you said, it may have been fine 100++ years ago when moderation didn't include GMO foods, pesticides, HFCS, MSG and so on. We have to be so much more mindful today.
October 1st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
You've got it Carla! I really cringe when I hear “everything in moderation” because “everything” is so different these days. You definitely hit the nail on the head with GMOs, pesticides, MSG, etc.
That's my girl!
October 1st, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Ugh, cravings. Still kicking my ass.
I fell completely off the raw wagon, and am hauling myself back up on it this month. Or at least back on the healthy wagon. Oy.
Thanks for this reminder; I sorely needed it today! (:
October 1st, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Hi Nathalie,
Good news!! As I was reading the sentence about not drinking enough water…I was taking a big drink of water. I loved the whole karma feeling to that! And I digress (before I even start)…
I really believe I've become more conscious of eating fruits and veggies since I've been visiting here. And it's not that I ate bad before, it's just that I certainly could “slip up” on a few too many occassions. And I still do… But, I know that I'm also getting more of the healthy fruit and veggies, and nuts – getting these first – giving a much better chance for success. And that's you, Nathalie…working your magic!! YOU are awesome!!
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 am
Yeah cravings are tough. Welcome back to the healthy wagon, you can totally do it. Oh, and stress (the kind that might show up when launching something big…) is totally related to cravings. ;)
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:43 am
Hi Lance! Ooh I love the big drink of water karmic feeling too! Very suave. ;)
Ohmygosh, your experience is really heartwarming. This is exactly my dream for people, to give them a leg up by giving them the tools to eat well for themselves first. Love it!
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Well it all sounds so simple when you put it like that :)
Fortunately resisting isn't a big problem for me. Having quick and easy access to the right foods, on the other hand, can be tricky (especially when traveling!).
Time for me to browse through your archive and see if there's any advice for that problem!
October 4th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Hey Colin!
I checked out your site and I can see why getting access to the right foods might be challenging. I know a lot of people who eat raw / healthy while they're traveling, and they usually eat from grocery stores instead of restaurants.
Hope that's useful for you! Thanks for stopping by. :)
January 15th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
that's true.I agree with your opinion.” eat more healthy food , and less unhelathy food”
January 16th, 2010 at 12:30 am
that’s true.I agree with your opinion.” eat more healthy food , and less unhelathy food”