1. Eat local fruits and vegetables in season, when possible. Local foods are fresh and alive with enzymes, have the highest levels of nutrients and contain fewer pesticides than produce imported from foreign countries. Ask the produce manager at your supermarket to purchase locally grown products. Shop at local farm stands and farmer’s markets.
2. Eat foods that are alive. Foods that have enzyme activity (fresh fruits and vegetables) are nutritionally rich and add life to the body. Biologically dead foods, such as high-sugar, processed snacks, don’t provide any nutritional benefit except calories, and actually steal such nutrients as chromium and B-complex vitamins from our bodies to metabolize them.
3. Plan ahead. Carry food with you. These are two of the greatest tools for healthful eating. If you carry a healthful homemade bag lunch, you will avoid eating unhealthy fast food or snacks during the day. Just put some leftovers or a sandwich with a salad and/or a piece of fruit in a bag. Be sure to have plenty of zipper-lock bags and small containers on hand to simplify the process. Planning meals this way saves both money and time.
4. Eat small, frequent meals to sustain energy levels. When your brain gets foggy or you feel sleepy during the day, have a healthy snack for an immediate boost. Quick snack ideas: half a sandwich saved from lunch, plus a piece of fruit; a bagel and cream cheese with tomatoes; a rice cake with peanut butter and apples; a cup of soup and several pretzels; or a handful of nuts and raisins.
5. Eat when hungry; stop when satisfied. This sounds like a simple statement, but often we eat when we aren’t hungry because we’re lonely, angry, depressed, bored or because we’re at a social event and everyone else is eating. Eating when you’re not hungry contributes to poor digestion. Let your body use what it has before you put more into it. Before you eat anything, ask: Am I hungry? If not, divert your attention to other activities. More
