0 Make Sense of Bread Labels!

WHOLE WHEAT bread BEATS the pants off "wheat" bread and of course white bread!

Five Fabulous Reasons WHOLE WHEAT WINS!

                                         #1 Fiber!
                                         #2 Vitamins!

                                         #3 Minerals!
                                         #4 Phytochemicals!
                                         #5 Protein!
                                         (often protein is higher in whole wheat/grains)

This the Anatomy of a GRAIN.

BRAN and GERM are REMOVED when whole grains are REFINED.

NOTE that the BRAN PROTECTS and the GERM NOURISHES!

Adapted from image by Earnest Holistic Health.

White bread, wheat bread (that isn't WHOLE wheat/grain), and traditional pasta and most cereals

are made from REFINED GRAINS.

Click here for some healthy pasta alternatives :)

What to AVOID on a BREAD FOOD LABEL:

1. LOW fiber (less than 2 grams)
2. ENRICHED
3. Sugar early in the list, by any name, including HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

Click on HFCS to read some highlights from Michael Pollan's Food Rules.

Plus, more on food labels HERE!

Click on image to enlarge label.

White bread photo in image came from Chicago Tribune.

Here is an awesome post from 100 Days of Real Food that shows a nutrient comparison between refined, enriched, and whole grain flour and rice!  Thanks to Lisa of 100 Days and the Whole Grains Council!

HERE is an example of a great choice (Lawash tortillas)!

The whole HUGE tortilla had 10 grams of fiber, AND 10 grams of PROTEIN,
for only 120 calories!  Low fat (none actually!), sugar late on the list (none actually!), short LIST!

Lawash tortillas are awesome!

Lawash products are located in the Midwest, distributed by Sysco, GFS, and more!
Heinen's sells these awesome tortillas!


Try a simple roll-up with a whole wheat tortilla!

ROASTED RED PEPPER SNACKER with a delicious FARM-FRESH tomato and lettuce! 

COMING SOON: Great Grains!!, simple sandwiches!

Detail: Make Sense of Bread Labels!

0 Food Labels for Smarties!

No one who takes the time to LEARN is a DUMMY!

Cartoon by Mike Adams at naturalnews.com.

Don't be fooled by POSITIVE messages all over the package!  The proof is in the NUTRITION FACTS and the INGREDIENTS list!  Know your numbers on food labels!  Easy as 1,2,3, ...4!

#1  FIBER
If you ever count anything, try counting fiber grams!
Increase fiber intake gradually, but nearly EVERYONE can benefit from more fiber!

#2  Avoid saturated fat and trans fat, and also look under ingredients for sneaky culprits! (click HERE for more on these fats)

#3  Look for a product with more protein since this increases the energy you need to digest and metabolize the food; click here for a bit more on PROTEIN.

#4 INGREDIENTS!
Short list is great!  NO list is even better!
Avoid the following words: enriched, hydrogenated, any sneaky form of sugar

Here a few more pointers about ingredients care of Food Rules by Michael Pollan:
Avoid also: anything your great grandma wouldn't recognize, a third grader couldn't pronounce, or you couldn't picture in its natural form.

For MORE GREAT FOOD RULES click HERE!

Plus, another post discussing some GREAT FOOD RULES!

NOTE: I am actually NOT concerned with calories, though SERVING SIZE is something to check on...often a single serving is much smaller than what one normally eats in a single sitting.  If you're following the 4 recommendations above, it really won't much matter about calories or serving size because you'll certainly be eating a healthy food -- NOURISHING your body!  GO YOU!

COMING SOON: let's look at the Example of Bread...
White, Wheat, Whole Wheat, Bread v. tortilla, Sprouted Grain...

COMMENTS: Do you look at labels?  What do you watch, count, etc the most?

Detail: Food Labels for Smarties!

0 More Food Rules Wisdom -- Eat Up!!

Michael Pollan wrote Food Rules which is an awesome manual for how to eat in a healthy way!

He answers three questions.

WHAT should I EAT?  Eat food.

Here are 4 really effective and simple tips anyone can follow!


WHAT KIND of FOOD should I EAT?

#39 Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

Years ago, in order to eat most sweet or salty treats, one had to work hard, for quite a while, to prepare such goodies.  Take chips/fries for example, ... think of all the peeling, slicing, frying, and clean-up required.  Today, chips, fancy cakes, and more, are very readily available, and cheap!

by Maira Kalman

So, the rule here is that if you want some French fries, ice cream , or pie, just make it yourself!  More than likely, this won't be a daily occurrence.  However, if you're a professional baker, this rule might not be the best for you!


HOW should I EAT?

#46 Stop eating before you are full.


Lots of other cultures do this regularly.  In fact, many cultures even have names for it!  ...including Chinese, Japanese, Ayurvedic traditions, and more!  Think of it the way the French do, ask yourself "Is my hunger gone?"  It's a different way of thinking that many of us are used to; still, it can certainly help!

by Maira Kalman

#49 Eat slowly.  ..."Drink your food, chew your drink." -- Indian proverb.  "Put down your fork between bites."


Eat slowly of course needs no explanation.  Let me expand on the above Indian proverb.  Drinking your food means to chew until it's liquid, and chewing your drink means to swish it around in your mouth to really taste it.


#50 "The banquet is in the first bite."


The first bite we take tastes the best, and the last tastes the worst.  So enjoy that FIRST bite!!  As I always say ... SAVOR!


#60 Treat treats as treats.


As an extension of #39, a quote from the book under this rule: in the past..."The amount of work involved kept indulgences in check."  Having "treats" on special occasions is a great pleasure in life, just be sure that every day is not a special occasion for our purposes here!

COMMENTS: Read any good books lately?  I'd love to hear about a good book!

Detail: More Food Rules Wisdom -- Eat Up!!

0 Eat FOOD! 4 Rules to Help You Do It!

Food Rules by Michael Pollan is an awesome book!  Read it today, and take a taste NOW!

Pollan's book now has an illustrated edition by Maira Kalman :)

It can lead anyone in the right direction toward nutritional health if they follow just ONE of the 64 rules described in the book!  The first section of the book states to EAT FOOD!

I've chosen a few RULES for you to think about as you grocery shop, prepare food, and EAT this weekend!

#3 Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.

Companies add preservatives to make foods last longer, make old foods look fresher, and who knows the long term safety for humans, so let's not be the Guinea pigs!

#4 Avoid high fructose corn syrup.

HFCS is basically only in highly processed food.  Avoiding it will help you steer clear of lots of unhealthy stuff.  Companies are catching on.  Watch out if a product brags "No HFCS"; it has likely replaced it with some other form of sugar!  Better that you don't see HFCS anywhere on the package.

by Maira Kalman

#12 Shop in the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.

The majority of grocery stores are set up so that the fruits, veggies, meat, and dairy are all around the edges, while the processed foods fill the aisles all through the center of the store.

#19 If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.

One more way to avoid processed food!  Just pick the "rule" that is easiest for you to remember, or makes the most sense to you :)

by Maira Kalman

HERE are some MORE GREAT FOOD RULES to learn from!

COMMENT:  If you're going to try out one of these or another rule, tell me that you're going to, and then tell us how it goes!  Good luck!  I'm happy for you that you will soon be feeling better than you have in a long time!

Detail: Eat FOOD! 4 Rules to Help You Do It!

0 Awesome Website -- 100 Days of Real Food!

Tonight I simply want to share a SUPER website!  Have you ever considered eating healthier?  Since you're reading www.fresh-you.com, I know the answer!  100 Days of Real Food is a fabulous resource!

It is strongly based on the works of Michael Pollan:

And mainly, as far as I know, the website is specifically based on Food Rules and In Defense of Food.  Food Rules, by the way, is awesome!  Talk about concise -- there are, I think, 64 rules, each with a page or so explanation, and that’s it!  Good rules too!  If you began following just ONE of these rules, you would be doing yourself and your health SO much good!

Here are just a few examples from Food Rules:

• Don’t eat foods your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as a food -- like packaged products, such as Twinkies.
• Don’t eat foods with ingredients a 5th grader couldn’t pronounce -- avoiding nasty chemical preservatives so common in many foods today.
• Don’t eat anything with a face -- avoid animal products...this is can be a healthy option :)

100 Days of Real Food therefore focuses on WHOLE foods and eliminating processed foods from one's diet.  Both excellent choices for your health!

There are many tips and tricks, recipes and more available on the website!

They also offer a 10-day pledge which might be just the thing you need to jump start your way to a healthier you!  10-Day Pledge

Lisa Leake, the author, is a mom, so a lot of the suggestions and tips are kid-friendly.  This is an example of just one of the website's tabs!  Real Food Tips

The comments in her posts are also rich in quality as there is a large community that reads and participates in 100 Days of Real Food!

I was thrilled in January when I saw that this awesome website recommended www.fresh-you.com as a “REAL-FOOD BLOG”!  SO COOL!!  At the time, I wasn’t familiar with the website, and now I am a regular visitor/reader/lover of the site!  THIS list alone is a GREAT resource:

It’s been a pleasure to help more and more people (many who came from 100 Days of Real Food) become more and more healthy and happy!  Every time you “like” a picture, post, recipe, or other information that you enjoy from www.fresh-you.com, you help someone else discover my website!  That means I can make someone else healthier and happier, and that is what I really want to do!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! ...Thank you TOO to the angel who recommended my website to 100 Days of Real Food!

COMMENTS: Which other healthy living blogs do you love?  Please SHARE, so we can all enjoy them too!

Detail: Awesome Website -- 100 Days of Real Food!