What are Natural Foods? We have all heard about them but not everyone fully understands what Natural Foods are. We have come to expect certain foods like White Rice, Coffee, and Alcohol, but where did our knowledge about what is real and what is synthetic come from? There has been quite an evolution in the understanding of natural foods over the past couple of decades.
Before our society was created there really weren't natural foods. People hunted and gathered wild plants and cooked them over an open fire or ate foods that their ancestors used for food. Now we have the tools to cook these same plants over an open fire and use synthetic materials to make processed foods. What has this done to our understanding of what natural foods are? Did it ever occur to people that what they were eating was not natural?
This is the issue that keeps most people from even attempting to make a change in their diets. They feel like it will be too hard or they will not be able to get the same taste out of new food as they could from natural food. It's easy to look around the refrigerator and see the endless varieties of processed foods that you have grown accustomed to eating. Many of these are in fact the exact same product that your grandmother grew up with. The problem is that you have forgotten that natural foods also existed before the convenience food explosion and are still available today.
What are natural foods defined as? What are the nutritional values of natural whole foods? How can one person survive on little or no fruit? How can a cow or chicken provide the needed protein for an animal of its size? These are all questions that scientists and enthused individuals are struggling to answer.
So why should we care? Why should any of us even want to eat anything other than natural foods? This is a question that scientists are beginning to put an answer to as well. Through their research, they have discovered that natural foods are much better for us than the ones that we eat on regular store shelves. Nowadays, it seems like anything labeled natural is automatically unsafe and potentially very unhealthy.
Do all foods labeled "natural" really meet the definition? Well, as a general rule, most of them do. However, there are some exceptions, such as the organic food label. This label often represents a type of natural food that has had minimal, if any processing. In this case, the food actually contains more vitamins and nutrients than the surrounding environment could ever provide. In this sense, it is better than processed, artificial food.
Why should I care about natural foods defined as well? Well, the truth is that processing, artificial, and food grown in the lab are all harmful to our bodies. This is especially true when it comes to our digestive system and how these products affect us. So, if you care at all about your health, then you definitely want to learn what natural foods are and why they are better for you than what you're used to eating.
Of course, you don't have to make the change all at once. Instead, try eating more natural foods and cut out the processed ones one by one. As you continue to do this, eventually you'll find that you are able to go longer between meals, you have more energy, and your skin looks and feels better than ever. When you start eating real, natural foods, you'll soon find that you'll never want to go back to what you used to eat.
