Is This Food Healthy? Research, Research, Research.

When I research anything, It takes hours, sometimes days to search for everything I need to establish whether a food product I'm eating is healthy for my needs and lifestyle, and what I need to be aware of when buying, storing, preparing, cooking and eating them. It's impossible to just type, "is this food healthy. Googling any query is never a walk in the park. Finding all the information you need to be entirely satisfied with the results.

Each food consumed, research has to be done to ensure a healthy food item I'm about to prepare does not become toxic or deficient in its nutrients during the cooking process.

Is this food healthy? Sometimes the obvious, is not entirely obvious after extensive researched to this question. I find out by 'researching extensively. If I typed  - "the health benefits of this food" into the search engine, I'll get 90% healthy, nutritious information (results), and 10% negative (the health scares.) Next, if I research the following - "the dangers of eating this food",. This time, 90% of answers (results) will be negative, detailing the dangers, and only 10% positive, the nutritional information. Only this way will you find out everything you need to know, to make a final decision.

What's good for the Goose, may not be good for the Gander.

Should I buy organic? Why organic food isn't always best. Most foods are better to be organic, although not in every case.Just because something is labelled as 'organic', it still has gluten, additives, E number, and other junk, so buying organic is pointless for ultimate health. The solution is to buy organic animal produce like meats and dairy products, fruits, potatoes, peppers, beans, berries and vegetables. Having said that, it's still possible to have pesticide residue on them. Thoroughly washing, scrubbing, and peeling fruits and vegetables if possible helps, although some studies suggest eating the skin for extra nutrients not found in the fruit. Fibre and nutrients in skins can be healthy, but healthy fibre and nutrients can be obtained from other food sources like bran, beans, whole-grains, nuts and dried fruits. usda.gove.organic allowed and prohibited substances.

Your body "may not" react immediately to a food-allergy item you consume. It may have a long-lasting effect that may take its toll on your body as you age without you realising. 

Am I allergic to this food? Your body's immune system will react to any foods you eat. You may experience mild wind symptoms, to an upset stomach, to more serious problems like vomiting, abnormal stools and even life-threatening conditions. As you age, foods that your body could tolerate, becomes less tolerable as you age. Carefully monitoring what foods you eat, and researching if this food is a common cause of allergy can help.Common food allergies include nuts, dairy (milk), wheat and gluten.

How much of this food should I consume each day? We all know the well-known phrase, "too much of a good thing." To consume something healthy and tasty, can become unhealthy and dangerous. Take avocados. They are very healthy, but food scientist once said, "don't consume more than one avocado per-day because you want to 'vary' the amounts of good fat you consume from other natural sources like nuts, fish, seeds and extra-virgin oil". Eating too many oranges or tomatoes can lead to acid reflux disease symptoms. Over-consuming a specific food item that exceeds the 'recommended levels as advised by the UK's National Health Service.

What times of the day are best to consume 'this food'? Lack of sleep is a very common cause for many health problems, so avoid eating or drinking any surgery or spicy foods during the evening. Pizza is high in calories, carbohydrates and saturated fats which won't digest in time and will stay in your stomach while you try to sleep. Rene Ficek, a registered dietitian and lead nutrition expert said, “Typically, snacking at night is not caused by hunger but, rather, boredom.”. Ana Goldseker, director of nutrition for Nava Health and Vitality said, “The body should have plenty of time to properly digest its last meal before going to bed. You want the body to be resting at night, not digesting."

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld.

What variety of this food has the highest nutritional content? No scientist or nutritionist in the world will be able to monitor the nutritional food value of foods they eat without scientifically analysing and testing each crop they buy, because one crop of cabbage or tomato for example will have varied amounts of nutritional content, which varies greatly from one crop to another, to the region, the whether, and farmer. I now buy different varieties of the same produce from many sources to maximise my chance of obtaining the goodness from this food.

When is it best to avoid eating this food? Even the most healthiest foods in the world have to be avoided at some point in our life. Garlic thins the blood, so avoid consuming it when either pregnant, injured, or about to have an operation. Eating meat should be avoided by pregnant woman for many bacteria reasons which could harm the baby, as well as sushi and sea foods that are high in mercury. Foods to avoid when pregnant - mericanpregnancy.org. If you're prone to kidney stones, acid reflux, anxiety, depression and many other problems, find out what foods to avoid.

Foods have amazing health benefits, but only if you buy, prepare, cook and consume correctly. I:E, chewing foods thoroughly.

What's the best way to cook this food? Take a tomato for example. As you cook it, the vitamin C decreases, yet the healthy component 'lycopene' increases. Poaching and slow-boiling chicken is healthier than frying or roasting. Knowing the facts about the food you eat will make a world of difference to your overall health.

Consuming the 'correct' amount of vitamins and minerals are vital. Too much, and not enough can cause problems.

Should I eat this food raw or cooked? Many foods have to be cooked. Others can be eaten raw. Research and extensive studies has showed me that cooking/steaming cruciferous vegetables for example will remove some of the bacteria and vitamins. Cooking also releases more nutrients, which can help the body absorb more of its cancer fighting properties. Yet over-cooking will destroy them. Eating too much raw kale and spinach increases your chance of kidney stones. Some say, eating raw cauliflower is fine, other say don't. Knowledge and research has taught me to consume carrots and turmeric cooked, and raw for ultimate nutritional values.

What other foods can I get this compound from? Many foods have 'something' in them that makes them special. Chocolate has flavanoids, wine has resvertrol and carrots contain carotene, so any of these foods that I don't eat, I'll have to find another food I like, to introduce these healthy 'compounds' into my diet from other food-sources.

Will freezing this food make it less healthy. What are the health benefits of freezing 'this food'?  Freezing some foods will diminish some the antioxidant and vitamin content. Fruits frozen at source will contain their freshness and nutrients, unlike fruit from the supermarket which is not always fresh. Some produce months or even years old before they hit the supermarket. They are placed a modified atmosphere that prevents ripening (smart fresh). The solution is, consuming frozen 'and' fresh foods from local farmers markets, and knowing the history of your produce helps.

The majority of chickens sold by supermarkets contain potentially lethal bugs that affect half a million people every year.

Should I freeze this food before consuming? Is freezing this food important? The loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing effects most foods that are frozen. Chicken is best to freeze prior to thawing and cooking. Public Health England said, "consumers can help protect themselves by freezing chicken after purchase and thoroughly defrosting it before cooking to kill up to 90% of campylobacter bugs" and other bacteria."

What other foods is best to eat with this food for ultimate nutritional value? A scientist said, "eating peanut butter on wholemeal bread or toast increases the nutritional content." Also, black pepper which has a bio-chemical compound called piperine. When added to foods has scientifically been proven to increase the nutritional values of them as well as increasing the potency of pharmaceutical drugs. www.naturalnews.com.

It's highly unlikely that the majority of any vitamin pill, supplement capsule or powder can replicate 'all' the exact natural goodness from consuming a food - unless you destroy all the compounds by over-cooking.

Can I buy vitamin supplements for this food? & What is the best, supplements or fresh?  I don't like garlic, and would like to introduce this food into my diet. The healthy compound 'allicin' in garlic gets destroyed during the manufacturing process so maybe it is best to actually eat fresh garlic. However, the 'good' compounds in fresh garlic and other foods can be destroyed while cooking.

Like most healthy foods, you pay for what you get. So eating intelligently really is an art, an art I'm always learning.

Your guide to healthy living from natural organic foods. health and fitness e-book. a must read for all persons interested in getting good nutrition by eating healthy organic foods. learn about which foods are packed with the required amount of vitamins and minerals for healthier living.

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About TOWP - theonlywayproductions.blogspot.co.uk - tinyurl.com/towpblog - 4.01.2018.