You At Your Best

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 | MARCH - ALL NATURAL NWADG.COM/YOUATYOURBEST | YOU AT YOUR BEST | 11 BY SARAH HANEY NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE There are many benefits to eating a natural diet — how your food is grown or raised can have a major impact on your mental and emotional health. For a crop to be considered "organic," it must be grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Any organic livestock raised for meat, eggs, or dairy products must have access to the outdoors and be given organic feed. They may not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal by-products. Benefits of organic food • Organic foods have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally-grown counterparts and people with allergies to foods, chemicals, or preservatives often find their symptoms lessen or go away when they eat only organic foods. • Produce that is considered organic contains fewer pesticides. Fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides are widely used in conventional agriculture and residues remain on the food we eat. • Organic food is often more fresh because it doesn't contain preservatives that would make it last longer. • Feeding livestock animal byproducts increases the risks of diseases such as mad cow disease and the use of antibiotics can create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Organically raised animals are not given antibiotics, growth hormones, or fed animal byproducts. They are also given more space to move around and access to the outdoors, which helps to keep them healthy. • Organic meat and milk are richer in certain nutrients. Results of a 2016 study show that levels of certain nutrients (including omega-3 fatty acids) were up to 50 percent higher in organic meat and milk than in conventionally raised versions. • Organic food is GMO-free. A heavily debated topic, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) foods are plants whose DNA has been altered in ways that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding, most commonly in order to be resistant to pesticides or produce an insecticide. Natural foods are better than processed One of the great benefits of eating natural foods is that natural foods are generally not processed foods. Processed foods have been stripped of one or more of their original elements and are missing valuable nutrients, fibers or water. Processed foods also usually contain all sorts of chemicals, preservatives and byproducts, high fructose corn syrup or too many omega-six fatty acids that are just not healthy for regular human consumption. When you eat foods in their natural state, you avoid many of these unwanted additives to your diet and end up getting more of all the healthy nutrients the body desires for optimal health and performance. Natural foods (fresh whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, beans and legumes) contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancer. Nutrients should come primarily from foods. Foods such as fruits and vegetables contain not only the vitamins and minerals that are often found in supplements, but also other naturally occurring substances that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Get more fiber The best way to get more fiber is by eating all natural fruits and vegetables. Not only does fiber help to keep your intestines in good shape, but fiber also plays a critical role in helping to remove waste products from the blood. In fact, when you juice fruits and vegetables, the fiber in these juices gets into your blood stream and goes to work quickly. One area of health where this is most beneficial is in helping the liver by removing old toxic bile so that the body will create new cleaner bile. Natural foods are typically low calorie If you are trying to lose weight, eating natural foods can help. Not only are natural foods typically low or negative calorie foods, but they help to eliminate cravings by providing the body with real nutrients. By reducing caloric intake and getting more beneficial nutrients out of your food choices, this will ultimately go a long way in helping you to drop those unwanted pounds. Natural foods are becoming a more popular option in today's health conscious society. Eating natural comes with a host of amazing health benefits. Whether you are trying to detox your blood or simply cut your caloric intake for a while, eating a diet rich in natural fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts can make a big difference on your overall health and quality of life. You may even start to notice you have more energy, because many of the natural foods you eat help to conserve your energy by providing you with critical enzymes to aid in their being properly digested by your body. Implementing an all-natural and organic diet has many health benefits

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