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7/17/2006
By Brenda Jaeck -- Certified Nutrition and Lifest
Quality Vs. Quantity
You’ve heard the expression – Less is more? Well, let’s apply that to nutrition and healthy eating. People who consume less food live longer. If you live longer you can eat more food. Therefore, less IS more.
The better quality the food, the less food you need. Higher quality foods provide more nutrients as well more flavor. Your body gets what it needs with less food; your mind does the same. A few examples include organic foods, whole foods, freshly prepared foods, water and everyone’s favorite food – chocolate.
Organic Food – Organic food tastes better – more vibrant and alive. To test this conduct a taste test. Compare a regular orange with an organic orange. Organic food contains less chemicals and as such your body does not have to work so hard to dispose of these useless materials. Rather, your body can concentrate on using the nutrients contained in the food.
Whole Food – Food that is closest to its natural form has the most nutrients and fiber. It fills us up faster and takes longer to digest; therefore we are satisfied and our nutritional needs are met with fewer calories. Compare how you feel eating a serving of brown rice (a whole food) to a serving of pasta (a processed food).
Freshly Prepared Food - Consuming food close to when it is prepared allows us to garner more energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Think about the energy in food that is lost during processing, storage and transport.
Water – We drink water to hydrate our bodies and to allow the elimination of toxins. If you are drinking water that contains toxins – it is defeating the purpose. It is best to drink bottled, fresh spring or filtered water.
Chocolate – I bring this topic up as I know it is near and dear to so many people’s hearts. When you are in desperate need of chocolate (and who hasn’t been) – it is better to have one SMALL piece of good quality chocolate than to continue to obsess about it. One piece of nice quality chocolate (one where the % of cocoa is greater than 57%) will satisfy the craving better than a whole bar of very diluted commercial chocolate.
In summary always remember to stop and think about the quality of food that you are eating. Eat the highest quality food possible. Your body, soul and mind (and waistline) will thank you for it.
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