One of the best ways to make your body feel good is to eat more natural ingredients. Yes, we know how good it feels to sink your teeth into a hot cheesy pizza, we know that eating chocolate can give you a buzz of excitement. But real, natural food is the food that you buy that’s as close to natural state as possible. Fruit, vegetables, proteins in the form of meat and nuts, these are all natural foods. These are unprocessed, free of chemical additives, packed with nutrients – but since processed foods became the norm in the 20th century, we do what we can to have food that’s convenient. Sometimes, that means eating pre-packed food that you chuck in your microwave to warm in 30 seconds.
There is nothing wrong with balance. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have that microwave lasagne at the end of a very hard week of work. But eating more natural ingredients is good for you in so many ways. We drink certain drinks for the medicinal properties – think about resources like The Cacao Club. We drink chocolate, coffee, tea because we know that these beans and leaves have been treated in a way that will make us feel good on the inside and on the outside. Ceremonial cacao, for example, makes us focus on sleep and feel calm. There are so many reasons that we should be eating more natural ingredients, and here are some of those below.
- The nutrients. When we eat unprocessed animal and plant foods, we are eating ingredients and foods that have never been touched by hormones, chemicals, or any other additives. Of course, we are not talking about pesticides here, because a lot of foods are touched by pesticides. However, if you buy organic foods that haven’t been forced to grow, and things that have naturally fallen from the bush, you are eating ingredients that are in their natural form. These are packed with nutrients that we need to be able to survive and thrive.
- Natural sugar. We know that eating an abundance of sugary foods can increase risks for insulin resistance, liver disease, and other kinds of issues with the body that really nobody wants. The real foods tend to be lower and without added sugar, which means that they’re not being treated in the way that makes them even more sweet than they already are. Fruit for example is loaded with sugar, however the sugar is naturally occurring and not added.
- The heart. We need foods that are packed with nutrients and antioxidants as well as magnesium and healthy fats. This is because it supports our heart health. Unprocessed diet foods that are nutritious can also help you to reduce your inflammation. Did you know that inflammation is one of the leading causes of heart disease?
- The world will thank you. As the world population grows, the demand for food is also increasing. The problem with producing food for this many people is the toll that it takes on the world around you. The destruction of rainforests, the increased need for fuel, the greenhouse gases created, the packaging that ends up in the landfills at the end of it all. All of these things are a danger to society. When you eat more natural ingredients, this has less of an impact on the world around you.