Our health and the life that we live rely chiefly on the types of food that we eat. Living for a long time and enjoying a healthy lifestyle can be easily achieved by eating healthy food. It may seem easy for you to accomplish these goals as several types of food are sold as healthy foods, but this is not true. The process of purchasing healthy food is not as easy as you may think since several products are sold in the grocery stores and are claimed to be healthy while in fact, they are not.
The labels on different boxes, bottles, and bags claim that the products are all natural and immunity boosting, while they may have destructive effects that harm you and your family. This makes it essential for us to discover more about how to choose healthy food. Here are simple ways that will show you how to do that effortlessly to be healthy and protect yourself from the types of food that deceive by their labels.
1 Bread
The bread that you purchase should be 100% whole grains, and it should contain more than 3 grams of fiber and less than 150 milligrams of sodium and 100 calories per slice. Do not purchase the bread that is made from refined flours, and whole-wheat flour that is low in fiber than other whole grains.
2 Pasta & rice
Who does not like eating pasta and rice? You can rarely find a person who does not eat them, and this is why we should know what the best for us to choose from is. Look for rice and pasta which are rich in fiber. Brown rice is better than white rice as it contains more fiber and 100% whole grain pasta is the best choice for you. Check the serving size on the label to know whether it is for uncooked pasta or cooked one. Pay attention to the amount of added salt in packaged or flavored rice as it is usually high.
3 Breakfast cereals
They are almost the same but differ in the amount of sugar and fiber that they contain. Purchase those breakfast cereals that do not contain more than 12 grams of sugar per serving, and the amount of fiber per serving should not be less than 5 grams. The only good source of sugar in cereals is dried fruit and try to keep away from other sources such as molasses, honey and corn syrup which is rich in fructose.
4 Frozen meals
Microwave or frozen meals are known to be high in salt, so you have to look for those meals that contain the least amount of salt. Fats and calories also need to pay attention to them as each meal should not contain more than 500 calories and not less than 10 grams of protein. Avoid frozen meals with saturated fats from butter and cream.
5 Snack bars
You can eat them as a snack or as a meal, so the contents that you should get will differ depending on the purpose of eating them. Eating snack bars as a snack should provide you with more than 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein but should not contain more than 10 grams of sugar and 200 calories. If you want to eat snack bars as a meal, then you will need to get about 10 grams of protein and up to 300 calories. The total fat should not be more than 10 grams, and the best source of it is nuts. Saturated fat should be less than 1 gram.
6 Salty snacks
Most of us like eating this type of snacks for their delicious taste that makes you eat more, but pay attention to the amount of salt and fat that you are going to consume. Salty snacks are of course high in salt, and those fried ones are rich in fat, so it will be better for you to choose those baked salty snacks instead of the fried ones.
7 Yogurt
Yogurt is perfect since it is low in sodium. Choose yogurt which contains more than 6 grams of protein and is low in fat and sugar that should range from 6 to 12 grams per serving. Greek yogurt is known to be higher than plain yogurt in protein and saturated fat that reaches up to 18 rams in full-fat Greek yogurt.
8 Sports drinks
Drinking more sports drinks means consuming more calories since most of these drinks are sugared water and contain more than 60 calories per serving. If it is necessary for you to drink sports drinks while exercising, then try to pick those which contain less 60 calories per serving, and it will be better for you to drink water instead of this type of drinks.
