Natural foods?

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jlz_jlz
jlz_jlz Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I just watched "Hungry for Change" a documentary and it got me thinking about a natural diet. There are so many chemicals in everything we eat. I LOVE the concept of eating natural foods but it just seems so huge and unrealistic to me, how do I change that? Is anyone eating all natural foods that can give some pointers or help me get on the right track?

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    That was a documentary slanted to a particular point of view....but it was a pretty good documentary as far as food documentaries go. Some of them are pretty extreme.

    Just start moving toward better choices, this whole thing is a lifelong process. Trying to overhaul everything at once is too overwhelming. Start reading about nutrition and lean toward less processed foods.

    So, shop on the perimeter of your grocery store. Fresh produce, meat and fish, (some) dairy, raw nuts, butter, olive oil and coconut oil. Stay away from anything in a box, or anything containing more than a couple ingredients. Frozen vegetables are a good substitute for fresh.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
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    the whole "natural" thing kinds of ticks me off...

    eat as many "whole" foods as you can and don't sweat the small stuff.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
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    That was a documentary slanted to a particular point of view....but it was a pretty good documentary as far as food documentaries go. Some of them are pretty extreme.

    Just start moving toward better choices, this whole thing is a lifelong process. Trying to overhaul everything at once is too overwhelming. Start reading about nutrition and lean toward less processed foods.

    So, shop on the perimeter of your grocery store. Fresh produce, meat and fish, (some) dairy, raw nuts, butter, olive oil and coconut oil. Stay away from anything in a box, or anything containing more than a couple ingredients. Frozen vegetables are a good substitute for fresh.

    Well stated and gets a thumbs up from me!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Dont look too far in to this you'll start to realize the only good food is food you grow yourself or actually see being grown. It's amazing and sad at the same time what has happened to a tomato in the last 100 years.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Dont look too far in to this you'll start to realize the only good food is food you grow yourself or actually see being grown. It's amazing and sad at the same time what has happened to a tomato in the last 100 years.

    this is absolutely true. in a perfect world when i have millions of dollars i'll own a ranch and do it myself, but in the mean time, you do the best you can.

    keep in mind that a label saying "organic" only has to be something like 13% organic. the FDA is pathetic.
  • SaShmy1022
    SaShmy1022 Posts: 38 Member
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    So I just watched "Hungry for Change" a documentary and it got me thinking about a natural diet. There are so many chemicals in everything we eat. I LOVE the concept of eating natural foods but it just seems so huge and unrealistic to me, how do I change that? Is anyone eating all natural foods that can give some pointers or help me get on the right track?

    I love and totally recommend checking out www.100daysofrealfood.com ;]
  • VincenzaKamwendo
    VincenzaKamwendo Posts: 1 Member
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    I try to eat as natural as possible but again don't find it always affordable. With veggies - try to be seasonal which right now (depending where you live) is root veggies, broccoli, cauliflower and hardy greens like spinach or kale. In the mid-atlantic most farms will still have cold storage apples - but unless you live in central california january is not the time for any kind of berry, watermelon, etc. The winter months are hard sometimes so we do throw in some veggies from far far away. I believe that if you are going to choose some organic, its most important with root veggies as they can hold the most chemicals, etc.

    then yes for non-produce our rule of thumb is that if my grandmother wouldn't have eaten it, its probably too processed for our taste. A lot of switches are easy - like oatmeal (real oatmeal) made with a little honey instead of a packet of instant flavored oatmeal (really doesn't take that much longer and tastes way better!)

    good luck - you can friend me if you want
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    So I just watched "Hungry for Change" a documentary and it got me thinking about a natural diet. There are so many chemicals in everything we eat. I LOVE the concept of eating natural foods but it just seems so huge and unrealistic to me, how do I change that? Is anyone eating all natural foods that can give some pointers or help me get on the right track?

    Just try to make overall better choices. You don't have to be 100% natural to have a healthy diet. More fruits and vegetables is a good start. Prepare your own meals from fresh or frozen ingredients rather than canned and processed ingredients, etc, etc.

    As another poster stated, unless you can grow your own stuff and raise your own livestock, it's pretty difficult to be 100% natural. Just be healthy and don't sweat it.
  • jlz_jlz
    jlz_jlz Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks for the posts everyone! I've tried working into natural foods slowly and it hasn't worked for me. I'm so into the whole fast paced society that I think I have to try to go hard core for a short period of time until it becomes normal to me. Gonna try to find time to food shop at the very least once a week so I can keep my kitchen full of veggies!

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