For products for a long life, you need to rush to the market, not to the supermarket

Everyone knows that proper nutrition is the key to good health and longevity. But figuring out what products are really useful is not so easy. Well, in this matter we will help the book of the famous publicist Michael Pollan called “In Defense of Food”. In it, the health food activist suggests, How to learn to eat properly And where does the path to a healthy diet begin?



In his book, Michael Pollan provided readers with clear recommendations that are very easy to follow. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plantsThis is the formula that is the main idea of the author. Let’s dig deeper and consider in detail the principles of healthy eating, which are outlined in the book.

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Don’t eat what your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t have taken for food, and the confusion in matters of nutrition has touched not only the last generations, but also our mothers and even grandmothers. To recognize healthy food, You have to think like a great-grandmother.who lived at least a hundred years ago. In those days, most of the products we find in the store today did not exist.

Some scientists recommend following culinary traditions that were the norm five generations ago. British Nutritionist John Yudkin Advises adopt the diet of our ancestors who lived in the Neolithic era. But how do you put all this into practice? We go to the supermarket, not to hunt. We don’t know how people ate in the last century.



© Freepik In fact, everything is very simple. When you go to the store, imagine that Next to you is your great-grandmother.. Let’s say you show her a package of yogurt in a tube of fruit filler, and she can’t figure out what the product is. Maybe it's toothpaste, not food. You'll say you can eat it. But her great-grandmother will look at the ingredients list and think she's being cheated.

Over a hundred years, yogurt, understood by our ancestors, has become something completely different. It is no longer a simple product made from milk and sourdough. compound. And such mixtures in modern supermarkets are much more than real food.



© Freepik Do not eat foods that do not spoil for a long time Mixtures with unknown composition contain modified substances and chemical additives. And these cocktails are just plain. fool our body. Fragrances, dyes, and sweeteners lie to our senses to prepare the body to absorb the surrogate. So what happens as a result? We cease to trust our feelings and believe what is written on the packaging and said in advertising.

Of course, the processing of products is a process quite ancient and necessary. Some food is stored longer if it is marinated, fermented or smoked. However, processing It has other purposes. Most companies affect our so-called “weak spot”. The fact is that the craving for sweet, fatty and salty is due to evolution.



In ancient times, food with a pronounced sweet or salty taste was difficult to find in the wild. But the scientific data and achievements of modern industry make it possible to obtain such products in huge quantities. That's how we're encouraged. eat more and more foodwhich is not found in nature. In most products that are manufactured industrially, there is no water, no fiber, no trace elements, no vitamins. But a lot of bad fats, sugar and additives.

"Delicious, but not hearty."This is how you can briefly describe most of the products from the supermarket. Eating "empty" food, we are not saturated, and the body requires more. Therefore, it is so easy to swallow a whole package of chips, cookies or candy in one sitting. But try to eat five apples at once. The body will certainly give a signal “stop” and tell you that saturation has taken place.



© Freepik Don’t be fooled by claims of utility Don’t trust companies that write about their incredible benefits on their product packaging. Such food is most often sold in packages or boxes, which means that it has been exposed. substantial technological processing. The fact is that large companies have enough resources to enlist the support of officials and pay for research that is profitable for them. In this way, they have the official right to place utility statements on packages.

Loud and bold statements are often based on superficial and in general. highly questionable scientific evidence. For example, when margarine first appeared, scientists claimed that it was healthier than butter, and urged to switch to a new product. And then it turned out that the novelty has a bad effect on the cardiovascular system.



© Freepik Avoid the central part of the hall in the supermarket On the perimeter of the hall there is real food - vegetables and fruits, dairy products, meat and fish. But processed food is mainly on central shelves. So, It is better to buy goods displayed along the external walls of the store.. However, you should not lose your vigilance. After all, some harmful substances have already managed to get into good food. For example, high fructose corn syrup can be found in some dairy products.



© Freepik If possible, buy food in the market To quickly join a healthy diet, you should avoid places where harmful products reign. For example, instead of a supermarket go for food at the farmer's market. There you will find homemade eggs, natural dairy products, fruits and vegetables carefully collected by grandmothers in the villages. It is even better to grow your own food. But this opportunity is, unfortunately, not everyone.



Now you know, How to learn to eat properly And where to start. Yes, the search and purchase of natural products sometimes need to spend a lot of time and money. But food is not something worth saving on. Remember that your money will go to either an industry that focuses on volume and profit at the expense of quality, or local farmers or small businesses that seek to sell people real, wholesome food. Whose side will you be on?