FOOD SHOPPING STRATEGY THAT BOOST OPTIMAL HEALTH

Here are some simple and easily digestible (ha!) strategies that will enable you to quickly become a true ‘health boost shopper’. It will mean you experience health in a fun and exciting way – every day!

I intimately understand why eating plant-based whole foods can contribute to the prevention and reversal of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. I have been eating and shopping for plant-based whole foods (PBWFs) for a very long time and I can therefore share with you from personal experience why eating PBWF is the way to go if you want to experience true health.

So please buckle up and enjoy the short but fun ride with me today! But first, some simple rules that quickly cut through all the smoke and mirrors about healthy food shopping.

1. Fully engage all of your five senses when shopping. I’m sure you’re aware that wherever you place your attention when you shop for food is what is going to show up in your pantry and fridge. So, therefore, I am going to make it very simple for you. I want your senses to be fully engaged when you’re shopping for your plant-based whole foods.

2. Try to buy what’s in season, fresh and what grows in the ground, on the ground, and above the ground.

3. Try and purchase all your food from Farmer’s Markets, local markets, and health food shops. This is where you’ll find real-food and where I recommend you do most of your shopping. Eating PBWF’s actually makes your food choices easier as it automatically eliminates most of the unhealthy/unnecessary food you are not meant to eat.

4. Don’t worry about calories, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, etc. When you eat a variety of PBWF’s you get everything that your body needs and buying into fears about calories and vitamins you no longer need to pay attention to.

Are you unsure about what PBWF’s are? Put simply, they are nature’s foods in ‘whole form’ meaning that it has not been processed! Below are some foods that I often get asked about as people are unsure if they’re considered PBWF’s:

BREAD
If you want to eat bread, eat bread where the grain has not been processed i.e. 100% Rye or Spelt bread so you know that the kernel with all its parts are still intact

PASTA
As with bread, choose pasta where the kernel is 100% intact. i.e. spelt or buckwheat pasta is great to cook with and you can buy it at most health food shops.

DRIED FRUIT
Also OK to eat as long as it is not processed (other than by the sun) – this is considered as whole food.

FERMENTED VEGETABLES
You can make your own fermented foods with structured water and unrefined sea salt.

OILS
All the oil your body needs come from the PBWF’s you eat. Does that mean you don’t need any liquid processed oils? That is correct! You gain all the oils from your PBWF’s. How simple is that! What about cooking you ask? A great way to cook your veggies is either to steam them or cook them with a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan (adding spices and herbs for flavor). Alternatively, you can roast veggies in the oven without oil – try it, you’ll be surprised! If you do want to use oil to cook with Cocus oil unrefined cold-pressed (can withstand high temperatures) is a great oil.

JUICE
The juice is considered processed food. There is a reason why you can’t eat six apples in one go! Apples contain fiber and the juice does not. As soon as we take the fiber out, it is no longer what nature intended for you to have. The trick is not to try to outsmart nature. Instead, let nature nurture you as it was meant to!

When considering what to eat, the food should look almost exactly the same as when it is harvested. It’s preferable to buy produce from farmers who farm organically (or from farmers who do not spray but are not licensed organic). It’s a great idea to build a relationship with the farmers at your local Farmer’s Market – ask them plenty of questions and get to know them – they generally love to tell you all about how they grow your food!

Your body and brain will begin to thrive as soon as you provide them with what nature intended for you to have.

Food that does not come in its whole form is not considered as food. You might wonder why our supermarkets are full of processed foods? It’s really very simple. Processed foods last for longer periods of time than non-processed food which means they are much more profitable because of the longer shelf life.

“Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.” This was a quote from Henry Kissinger, a powerful political figure in the 1970s. The control and management of global food supplies have been a corporate and political priority for decades, with US-based conglomerates leading the charge.

A plethora of harmful chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones are used in growing and farming to boost production and they end up in your body and nature.

It’s time to stop looking the other way and start taking full accountability and responsibility for your own health. Stop believing in the non-sense stories that producers of processed food tell us. Stop believing that your Government is there to look out for your health and overall well-being.

Be in charge of your own health and happiness.

Eating PBWF’s creates optimal health — as well as the prevention and reversal of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Who says so, I do as well as a few of my colleagues in the field…