Keeping in mind that I am not a professional - nutrition was once going to be my profession but now it is just a hobby - I will answer what I know and what I think:
-Where do I shop for healthy foods if I don't have a whole foods-type store near me?
If you don't have access to a Wild Oats or some equally awesome health joint, it should be fairly easy to find your healthy foods in grocery stores or even Walmart. People are becoming more aware of the health hazards that are associated with the food that is commerically prepared and stocked on the shelves and there is a great demand for everything natural and organic, therefore most stores, in order to improve or keep up with their sales, offer natural and organic sections in their stores. If their isn't a designated 'section', then you can usually find a natural version of whatever it is you are looking for right next to the regular version. For instance when I buy my chicken, whether frozen or fresh, I can find the organic chicken right next to it at my regular grocers. And if that doesn't help, it's a matter of knowing what 'healthy foods' to buy. Which I can tackle in another post.
-Just looking at the word organic makes me wary. I associate it with extreme measures that are unnecessary. Why in the world are people buying organic clothing? Isn't that a little extreme? When I go to the supermarket and see organic veggies, they almost always look sickly and are more expensive. I'd rather just buy from a farmer's market. In the winter, I don't see harm in buying regular produce. In my mind, that is still better than buying canned veggies. And are frozen veggies bad for you?
I was thinking about this question - whether buying organic is extreme or not - and I think it depends on your view on our environment and how deep you really want to go into your health. For instance, I had the opportunity to associate with a Bio-Meridian technician, one who actually knew about health and didn't just learn the computer program, and it was very common for people to come in and find out after testing that their system was full of chemicals, pesticides, metals, and all sorts of toxins. That comes from so many things around us - including our environment. While some things may be out of our control, people still want to control what they put in and on their bodies. Buying organic clothing means buying clothing that has been processed with little chemical and harmful impact on the environment as possible. Buying organic food means nourishing your body with food that hasn't been tainted with herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and many other cancer-causing chemicals. Because farmers want to prevent loss by disease or insect, they heavily treat their fields with chemicals and those chemicals come home to you in whatever you buy whether it goes in or on your body. Some people don't go as far as buying organic clothing - I know I don't - but it is true that whatever chemicals that are on your clothing can in fact find their way into your body.
As far as buying organic food in the store, it is more expensive and that's the part that sucks. It should be the other way around but whatever. Depending on what you buy you might find your produce in a slightly sadder shape. But I think it depends a lot on your grocer and their standards. Harmons has great organic produce and even Macys does from time to time. Another reason it may look that way is because it is more expensive and people on a budget will pass it up in favor of something cheaper so it may be sitting there a little longer.
A local farmer's market is a great way to shop - and a local farmer marker who believes in growing organic is even better! I buy regular produce when the organic version isn't available - veggies are still extremely important to the diet and it is far better than buying canned. As far as frozen veggies being good for you - some of it depends on how they are processed before they are frozen BUT the vegetables do get picked and frozen within a short amount of time. When you go to use those vegetables, they are still pretty nutrient packed. I found a pretty good article that goes into further dept about that here.
-You told me beans are better if fresh, frozen or made from scratch. What about when I want to use them in a recipe and it calls for several types of beans? I really like the ease of opening a can and dumping it in. Do the benefits of beans outweigh the risks of them being from a can? (This question could probably be applied to many things.) What about rinsing? Does that do anything to reduce the sodium content? What about if I buy beans with no salt added?
If you are using beans in a recipe and you need several different kinds, unless you are cool enough to have your own bean garden growing, then I would say just used the canned ones and, yes, rinse well - that is, if you are going to ease and convenience.Beans are very nutritious and full of fiber and even though they have their health benefits even when canned, I BELIEVE that canning does more harm than good.
Reasons being:
There is a substantial reduction of vitamins and minerals that are sensitive to heat during the canning process. Think vitamin C and folic acid, two important nutrients.
The amount of sodium, salt, sugar and other preservatives ARE DEFINATELY harmful to health.
And the presence of the bisphenol A (BPA) in the cans lining has negative effects on human health and environmental condition. Besides BPA, you also have the metal toxicity to worry about. Aluminum can and will find it's way into the very food that it contains.
So - I hope these help and if there are more questions that stem off these answers, then leave me a comment or email me! I'll be glad to put in my two cents or even consult with a professional that I trust to find out!!
Happy Health Endeavors!
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