Nutrients are what build and operate your body. You’re probably most familiar with Macro-nutrients which are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. What you may not be aware of is that not all proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are created equal.
Take beef for example, a grass-fed cow is a much better source of protein, fat, and provides many more micro-nutrients than grain fed cows. And because grass fed beef is not full of toxins, your body is able to utilize these nutrients instead of using them to combat the toxins that come with grain fed beef.
Vitamins and minerals are micro-nutrients, they are equally important, but your body only needs small amounts of them. Vitamins and Minerals are naturally in unprocessed food, but because of over farmed soil many of the foods that once were abundant in these nutrients no longer provide enough of them to stay healthy.
Luckily there are still plenty of ways to get healthy, nutrient rich food. It’s also important to understand that healthy food for you is also healthy for the planet. When you work with nature, you get food in harmony with you and the earth. Every person that eats healthy takes away from the production of unhealthy growing practices and moves it over to the farmers that do grow healthy food.
Protein
There are 9 essential amino acids and 12 non-essential amino acids. The 9 essential amino acids your body cannot make and must get them from your diet. A complete protein has all nine essential amino acids. Meat, eggs, dairy, soy, quinoa, and buckwheat have all 9 essential amino acids and therefore are a complete protein.
Any one food may be a good source of protein but may or may not be a good source of micro-nutrients. Just like I mentioned above about the difference between grain-fed and grass-fed beef, all 9 amino acids are in both, but the fat and micro-nutrients are much better in grass-fed beef and the toxicity is much lower, therefore grass-fed beef is the healthy option.
This is also true with eggs, chicken, pork, fish, dairy, soy, and quinoa. The micro-nutrients are much more abundant, and the toxins are much lower or nonexistent when they are organic, free range, and/or grass fed.
When it comes to eating protein, the micro-nutrients that come with it, also activate the digestive enzymes that break the protein down into amino acids for your body to use. If the micro-nutrients are absent or there’s not enough to fully digest them, then this can lead to many digestive health issues.
A great example of this is, eating egg whites without the yolk. The egg whites have the protein, but the yolk has the vitamins needed to break down that protein. Animals raised in cages and feedlots are depleted of these nutrients and do the same thing, leave your gut with undigested proteins that cause problems.
So, when it comes to eating protein, make sure you choose the best options such as grass-fed beef, pasture raised chickens and eggs, wild caught fish, organic pork, grass-fed dairy (preferably unpasteurized), organic soy, and organic quinoa. And make sure to eat the egg yolk too, it’s full of important nutrients and good cholesterol.
Fat
For years we have been told to avoid fat, that it is unhealthy and increases bad cholesterol which is terrible for the cardiovascular system. In truth, fat is extremely important and is essential for good health. But just like proteins and carbs, there are good fats and bad fats.
Unhealthy fats such as vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, and fat from grain fed beef increase LDL’s (bad cholesterol) and are high in toxins. These fats are most commonly used in fast food, snacks, dressings, and more.
Healthy fat increases HDL’s (good cholesterol), brain health, supports a healthy heart and cardiovascular system, essential for hormone production, used for energy, protects cells and organs, essential for fat soluble vitamin absorption (A, D, E, K), and much more.
Animal fats are some of the healthiest but only if they’re raised on a healthy diet, just like I mentioned when talking about protein. Grass-fed beef, pasture raised chicken and eggs, wild caught fish and fresh dairy from grass fed cows are all great sources of healthy animal fat.
Healthy plant fats include organic extra virgin olive oil, organic avocados, and organic coconut oil. Organic nuts and seeds also provide healthy fats. But some of them such as almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts have phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that pulls minerals out of the body, so they should be consumed in moderation.
Next time you’re at the grocery store, check the labels to make sure you’re staying away from the unhealthy fats and getting more of the fats that support your health. Look at the ingredient list to make sure the fats used are healthy.
Carbohydrates
There is no essential carbohydrate but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat them or that they are not beneficial.
Your body uses carbs for fuel, breaking them down to their simplest form for energy. Unfortunately, most carbohydrates in today’s diet are processed and unhealthy, with GMO corn, wheat, and potatoes being some of the most consumed.
Carbohydrates are the most abundant nutrient in most foods eaten in this country. But just like protein, they also need micro-nutrients to be broken down to their simplest form for the body to be able to use them. And just like everything else, most carbs are depleted of these micro-nutrients and full of toxins.
The best carbs for you are always marked organic. Healthy carbs such as sweet potatoes, millet, einkorn wheat, sprouted grains, fruits and vegetables are all nutrient rich and provide amazing benefits.
In most cases you don’t have to change your diet, you just need to use healthier ingredients. You can increase your nutrient intake and lower your toxin consumption just buy making sure your carbs are organic, that your protein comes from grass-fed beef, free range chicken and eggs, and wild caught fish, and that your fats are from a healthy source.
We are losing more and more vitamins and minerals in our food every year and because of it our health is dramatically declining. But it doesn’t have to be this way, you can join me and many others bring the health back to the people and the soil just by eating healthier.
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