Lifestyle has a lot to do with the how we look and feel. I know if Frank and I do not get our daily walk, we both feel like we missed a big part of our day, not just in the physical sense but also emotionally. This is how come we know that exercise, even if it is just walking every single day, is helpful for having a good outlook.
Look and Feel Great with Whole Foods
We would all love to stop the aging process, or at the very least, simply reduce the amount of fine lines and wrinkles we have and we’d all love to feel great and energetic every day. However, even if we’re doing everything right, we’re still going to age, only a little slower. Let’s talk about that.
What causes wrinkles? Lifestyle, environmental pollutants and genes cause wrinkles and wear and tear on our skin. But if we drink lots of fresh water, eat a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, get moderate amounts of sunshine on the skin, exercise, and eat a healthy diet we can slow down the aging process considerably; we can look and feel great!
One way we can slow down the aging process is to recognize the difference in food products. One product may be labeled as “natural” and “pure” but be otherwise. One such product is refined sugar. It says “pure” on the label. Now how on God’s given earth can refined sugar, which goes through a very strenuous process of alteration, be pure. Simple, just adulterate the word pure.
Pure used to mean, untouched, but according to advertisers it now simply means nothing but, as in nothing but adulterated sugar. See? It is such products in the grocery stores that try to deceive the consumer.
Frank was an avid bee farmer when we lived in the south of the u.s. We had the best, organic honey you ever tasted and it came right from the makers where they (Italian honey bees) left it on the comb. Now, that is a pure sweetener. Nothing is taken out and nothing is added to it, hence, “pure”.
Frank's smoking out the bees so when he takes the combs from the hives the bees won't sting him
There are many gimmick foods on the market that test people’s wits when it comes to food preparation. Both pasteurized honey and white sugar say “Pure” on it, but they are not “pure”. How can white sugar and cooked honey be “pure”? And sadly, consumers fall for the tricks of the trade.
Opening up the hives to take out the combs.
We’re going to make it easy for you to remember what pure and natural means. All you have to remember is what we’ve already said about something being “pure” and “natural”. Nothing is taken out and nothing is added. This tried and fast rule applies to most things in life. There is a little bit more to it than that, as in, no added chemical processes and not processed with heat. (heat changes the original; try burning some wood and see if it looks the same!
one of the honey combs...
So what happens to WHOLE grain rice after the rice mills get a hold of it from the farmer? The factory takes away the purity, the healthfulness, the completeness and the wholeness by removing the hull, the bran and germ layers, leaving it devoid of nutrition. And then, get this…then they “enrich” these white kernels they call rice with vitamins!
Now understand, this converted white rice is hardly the same as the real whole grain brown rice, and should not be touted as being nutritious. White rice is carbohydrates that convert to sugar in the body, not healthy when eaten every day as many people in the world do, and surely white rice is not healthy for diabetics or people with sugar issues such as hypoglycemia. This is one reason why many people (really) can’t eat white rice, but they do anyway, and they are sick!!
Remember, healthy food is: Nothing is taken out and nothing added.
The manufacturers do the same in the flour mills with the beautiful and complete wheat kernel, also called "wheat berry".
They mill it down to nothing, taking out the bran and everything else that helps you go to the bathroom, and then “enrich” the processed flour with artificial vitamins, and then on the package label they tout it as being good for you because it is “enriched”! Nonsense! This grain that actually helped with bowel movements is actually now a constipating food.
(Left) Processed White Flour - (Right) Whole Wheat Flour
Proper Elimination Is Very Important
in How We Look and Feel
Eating an unhealthy diet of processed foods, which is what we have been talking about thus far like white rice, white breads and white pasta, etc, are devoid of nutritional qualities. Ever wonder why you feel tired and are constipated after you eat? Blame it on processed, factory-made foods. We don’t even like to call them foods anymore since they lack any real value to the body except for making us feel full.
After years, perhaps decades of eating an unhealthy diet, problems begin to accumulate in our body, in the organs, in the blood, on our skin, in our tendons, in our stomachs, you name it. And that’s because our body is clogged and unable to pass the waste material that is eaten.
Overtime we begin to gain weight, we become so acidic that we get acid indigestion after every meal, or worse, we go to bed and get acid reflux during the night and feel awful, and our organs begin to hurt, tendons begin to ache, perhaps blood sugar issues arise, many of us become intolerant to certain foods, and we just don’t feel that great. All of this because we are full of toxic waste and can't or aren't having normal bowel movements!
Some people may snicker and laugh, but its true! Yes, it is something as simple as going to the bathroom regularly and normally that can change drastically how we look and how we feel! It seems far too simple; too easy...but it's where health begins, in the bowels. People don't like to talk about it because their embarrassed, but everyone has to go to the bathroom. We talk about it because it's the problem!
It is not normal to have any of the issues we've discussed, ever! People in western countries are suffering and dying an early death because they are not eating the proper foods and not going to the bathroom! And they are not cleansing the body either. Folks all over the world are more overweight and obese than ever before and people are becoming unhealthier.
Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods
Below are some common food examples of incomplete foods and right next to it are the healthy complete version, which actually prevents sickness and disease. Most people are aware of the whole food versus the processed one but we wanted to make a list of the more popular ones so our readers can see actually be aware of the unhealthy foods they might still be eating in their daily diet.
- White rice vs. brown rice, wild rice
- Concentrated juices vs. freshly squeezed juices, apples, oranges, grapes, etc
- Canned soups vs. homemade soups
- White Flour vs. Whole grain flours
- Bagels vs. Whole-grain wheat bagels
- Pizza Crust vs. Whole-wheat pizza crust
- Flour tortillas vs. Whole wheat or corn flour tortillas
- Cold cuts vs. turkey, chicken from the bone (cold cuts and wieners are VERY unhealthy)
- Pasteurized dairy products vs. raw cheese, milk, yogurt, and butter
- Bisquick vs. Whole wheat Flour
- Potato flakes vs. Whole potatoes
- Donuts and pastries vs. whole wheat pastry flour
- Frozen dinners vs. home cooking
- Frozen waffles and pancakes vs. whole wheat waffles and pancakes
- Sugary syrups vs. Maple syrup
- Chocolate/candy bars vs. a cup of cocoa with raw honey, and homemade (no bake) cocoa treats
- Canned vegetables and fruits vs. Fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, dark leafy greens
- Applesauce vs. whole apple with skin
- Soda pops vs. herbal and green teas, fresh juices, filtered water
- Refined sugar vs. raw honey, maple syrup, whole stevia, date, fig, raisin sugar, etc (not referring to any white powder, just dried fruits blended up with water in the blender to make a healthy sweetener)
This list of unhealthy vs. healthy could go on and one but we think you get the idea. we’ve been studying about healthy eating for over 30-years and we are living proof that health issues can be remedied through a healthy diet!
Finally, some people may not want to take out all the unhealthy foods from their diet all at once. It can be very overwhelming getting rid of all the unhealthy foods from your diet and so it may not work in the long run for some people because it can make one feel deprived and desperately wanting the habit foods they are so accustom to eating every day. Instead go at it slowly. However, some people prefer quitting cold turkey and that works best for them. You know which type you are, if you decide to do this.
First, you will need to set it in your mind that you want to look and feel better; it has to be in your attitude! But doesn't everyone want to look and feel better? Of course they do. Then the goal is to work towards a healthier food lifestyle. Here’s how to do it without too much distress or change in your eating habits.
TIP: If you take away just one processed food item per week and substitute it with its healthier whole version you will notice a difference in the way you look and feel within one month! Do this until all the unhealthy foods are out of your pantry and freezer, including canned foods, boxed foods, TV dinners, and any other packaged foods! It may take a full year to go totally healthy but it will be well worth the effort you put into it. You will add 10 to 20 years or even more years to your life by doing this!
Healthy Food: Nothing is taken out and nothing added.
Frank
and Angie are lifelong natural health practitioners. They have overcome
many difficult health situations. They have been studying health and
nutrition for over thirty years, and have taken their Better Health, Better Life seriously and are enjoying life abroad in their middle years with their three adult sons.
We're an Expat Family of Five Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy in Cuenca Ecuador! Enjoy the Discover Cuenca Ecuador blog!
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