Eat Healthy

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" is the first line of Michael Pollan's latest book, In Defense of Food. Why is this simple statement so important for caregivers and others? 

Eat food, means eating real food. Processing food destroys its nutritional value, and if you read labels carefully, you'll find that salt and sugar, artificial color and flavors are used to boost taste and texture. But while taste is being boosted, important fiber is also removed. Fiber is what moves waste along in the body, keeping it from lingering and causing toxic build up. Eating processed food complicates how the body absorbs and uses what we ingest, and offers us less of what we require. 

Because vitamins are often removed in the processing, you will often see them added back. Though perhaps counterintuitive, seeing that vitamins have been added back in on a food label should alert us to avoid that item and instead purchase real food like fruits and vegetables that have no ingredient labels. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide the vitamins in the way that our body best absorbs them.

Real food, such as fruits and vegetables in their original and organic state, fuels our engine more efficiently, helps keep insulin stable and provides anti-oxidants, the most important protection we have against free radicals. Free radicals cause cell damage, which produces aging. While we can't stop the aging process, surely we don't have to help accelerate it.  Many experts, including C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General, feel that most degenerative health conditions have nutritionally based roots.  

That is the good news, because it is in our power to eat a more nutrient dense diet.

Not too much, refers to the over-eating mania that has possessed our country with super-sized portions that deliver a caloric punch that has nowhere to go but to fat storage while still not providing enough nutrients for our body's needs.  We can try to avoid too many empty calories in what we feed ourselves and those we care for.

As we age, malnourishment becomes a concern. If depression, loneliness or even dental issues are decreasing appetite, getting enough calories can be an issue. Caregivers and other health professionals may mistakenly try to solve that calorie deficit by just providing any calories. Hospital food is a prime example: the gelatin desserts, puddings and starchy over-cooked food in the name of calorie intake do not promote as much healing as would a diet rich in color, cooked lightly and served while fresh. Concentrating even a little bit on improving what contains the calories can positively impact a person's energy, mood and overall health.

Mostly plants, speaks to the enormous amount of positive energy imparted to our body through greens and other vegetables. Consider someone who does crave sweets:  warm root vegetables offer that sweetness in a satisfying and healthy way. And the root vegetables can be roasted to a softness that makes chewing easy.

Beet, Sweet Potato and Carrot Medley

This colorful combination of red and yellow beets, sweet potatoes and carrots makes a tasty and appealing nutrient-dense dish. You can make it in quantity and it will keep for several enjoyable meals, or serve it at a dinner for friends or family.

Here's the simple recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Peel the red and yellow beets, sweet potatoes and carrots, then cut them up into similar-sized chunks

3. Place the cut-up beets, sweet potatoes and carrots in baking dish with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt sprinkled on top to taste

4. Roast for 45 minutes

Eating real food can be a source of enjoyment for both the pallet and our internal body needs. As we feed our families and ourselves, let's concentrate on the food that heals-fresh and colorful organic fruits and vegetables.

Our nutritional intake maintains our body's optimal functioning and helps keep our immune system up and running. Simple dietary change will go a long way towards making us feel stronger, think more clearly and elevate our mood.

Claudia Jacobs, MSW, NourishYouHealthCounseling  is  accredited by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and holds a Certificate from Teacher's College, Columbia University.