We’ve all heard the saying, ‘You are what you eat.’ Parents use this all the time to guilt kids into eating healthy and I’m sure many of us still use it today to admonish our families or friends to eat healthy, balanced meals. But is this just one of those old sayings, or is it literal? Are we really what we eat?
I recently came across this great article that answers this question. One of the elements I like about the article is the discussion and promotion of ‘whole foods.’ Whole foods are foods that are minimally processed and as close to nature as possible. In other words, we should try to eat foods that have less substances like chemicals, artificial colors, flavorings, sweeteners, and hormones. This means buying more fresh, wholesome foods rather than pre-packaged, processed foods. It means reading food labels and looking for foods that have smaller ingredient’s lists. This type of eating correlates nicely with the plate method–making 1/2 of your plate fruits and vegetables, 1/4 of your plate whole grains, and 1/4 of your plate lean proteins.
So eat healthy to be healthy!
Adapted from a blog post by Rachel Cope MPH, RD, CD
