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April

What healthy eating can do for you…

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I’m not going to lie to you when I hear the terms “eating” and “healthy” together I cringe. I almost always get this ugly picture of this; thin aquatic plant that I’d say tastes like the bottom of the ocean! Now I know we all have different taste buds and to some people (like my daughter) kale is delicious and quite the snack.

However, like I said for me that’s not the case and it may not be the case for you either. Which is what this blog post is all about, we’ll touch on not only what healthy eating can do for you but also changing our perspective of “healthy eating”. Don’t worry you’re not going to have to abruptly change your everyday lifestyle to achieve this!

Eating healthy is important for so many reasons, I thought maybe it’d be a good idea to go over just a few really fast before we dive into food that some would think are unhealthy for you but do offer health benefits! And of course, how you can get the most out of those benefits. Of course, eating healthy will help you live longer, boost your immunity, give you healthier looking skin, teeth and eyes plus so much more. However, we’re going to touch base on a different set of benefits that I have experienced personally!

It wasn’t to long ago that my wife Shalayla decided we were going to eat healthier that week. She made so many different dishes and although they were healthy dishes, they tasted amazing. I couldn’t tell you what they were called but it was worth her research, I believe it was day 2 or 3 where I finally noticed what was happening to my body. I slept better, I wasn’t groggy and feeling drained like I normally do after eating fast food, pizza, or fried foods. My energy levels were higher, and my mood was “cheerful” to say the least!

Providing your body with adequate nutrients and less processed foods actually provides our brains with the chemical environment needed to obtain adequate sleep. Getting the sleep, we need the most is so much more dependent on how we eat whether then how long we sleep.

Studies have shown that a healthy food diet (removal of processed foods and minimal fried foods) can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Eating healthy also helps in keeping your blood sugar stable which is important for maintaining a positive mood threw out the day!

According to WebMd the carbohydrates, proteins and fats in food provide calories to fuel exercise and energize your body. Vitamins and minerals have a long lasting myth that they themselves provide energy to our bodies which isn’t the case. While they are involved in converting the nutrients into fuel for energy and are important to a healthy diet they do not actually provide the energy we need for lasting energy during the day.

            I don’t know about you but every time I eat greasy fast food or fried food in general I almost always feel sluggish and/or sleepy! That’s because of a hormone known as Cholecystokinin or CCK for short that is released when we eat high-fat low-carb meals. I have so many things to do especially in the middle of the day (like most of you I’m sure) that I have no choice but to stay away from these kind of meals no matter how much I enjoy them!

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If your anything like me Burgers, Steaks, Fried Chicken etc. are a go to meal, the best part is 2 out of 3 of these foods can/are actually healthy for you! Lets go ahead and dig into that a little further; unfortunately for me (maybe you as well) there is nothing healthy about fried foods and that includes fried chicken. In fact one or more servings of fried chicken a day was linked to a 13% higher risk of death from any cause and a 12% higher risk of heart related deaths. I have no intentions of not eating my beloved fried chicken but after my research I do plan to cut it back a bit.

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Although surprisingly enough steak is packed with extremely healthy benefits to our bodies. Which is a good thing because I will never give up my steak; I’d eat it 3 times a day if I could! Steak is rich with micronutrients and is a great source of iron, B-vitamins selenium and zinc. If you would like your steak to be even healthier grabbing that top shelf grass fed option only increases these amazing dishes healthy nature! Grass fed steak includes a higher count of omega-3s, CLAs plus vitamins E and A on top of what grain fed steak offers. I would say that the extra couple dollars spent on grass fed is well worth it! And these are just a minor portion of benefits that eating steak has to offer.

             Americas 2^nd favorite food the Cheeseburger can also be a very healthy dish but only when made at home. When the cheeseburger is made at home you get to control how much of your food is fresh and how much is processed! (Please review our last blog about The Benefits of At-Home Cooking for more information about this topic). Cheeseburgers hit this list for the simple fact that they are made up of nutritious ingredients such as; Meat, Vegetables, Dairy and Bun! However, it’s not a meal you would want to have every day but for it to be healthy it is something you want control over to say the very least!

             Honestly almost every food has the potential to enter the healthy eating mark, it all just depends on where you get it and how its prepared! Our team at The Merry Peddler can help you get the tools you need start preparing the best healthiest dishes you’ve had yet!