by Ann Major

Created on: April 21, 2010   Last Updated: June 09, 2010

When choosing healthy food at a grocery store, avoid store shelves which seem to be equipped with "homing" devices, drawing shoppers to brightly packaged items which represents anything but real food.  Instead, head in the opposite direction to open cased aisles that is the produce section.

 Whenever possible,choose fresh.  Why eat fresh?  Since cooking kills most nutrients in our foods, opting for fresh vegetables and fruits provide a multitude of benefits; from vitamins and minerals, to digestive enzymes, antioxidants, and valuable fiber.  By choosing richly colored vegetables that are red, green, orange, and even purple, you can be assured, you are getting the most quality for your dollar.  Green leafy vegetables are full of chlorophyll, the essence of any plant life, and the important Vitamin K; necessary for normal blood clotting, helpful in making protein, building bone strength and kidney protein.  For Vitamin K, try arugula, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.

When buying fresh, buy fruits and vegetables that are in season.  If possible buy organic.  Always purchase locally grown produce and if fresh is not always available, the next best is frozen.  Since most foods are frozen within a 24-48 hour time span at the peak of ripeness, sometimes frozen is better.  To preserve valuable nutrients when cooking, steam instead of boiling so nutrients are not thrown out with the water.

 Choosing high fiber foods cures a host of sins when it comes to good health.  25 grams per day is needed for digestive health.  Fiber will help carry out bad fats and cholesterol from the intestine, and actually help in losing weight by cleaning out the colon of sludge and toxins.  When it comes to high fiber vegetables, choose artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower, and beets which will pack a punch in any diet.  Good fiber and low carb foods include green, red, and yellow sweet peppers, green beans, snap peas, beets, carrots, celery, and cucumber.  Making these powerful vegetables into snacking foods will provide valuable nutrients, fiber, good carbs in help in weight loss.

Before man discovered fire, meat, and cooking, man foraged in the woods for berries and nuts.  As yet, the word constipation had not been invented.  A regular diet containing berries, seeds and nuts does wonders for a person's daily constitution as these foods are high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, and full of antioxidants,

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