This month is National Nutrition Month, a full month dedicated to helping people eat better. Eating better and packing in as much nutrition into your diet is one the best way to stay healthy, reduce your chances of getting a disease and improving your body’s strength and immune system. But more and more food is being stripped of its vital nutrients.
The best way to ensure you are getting the most out of your food is to avoid processed foods. When food is processed it is stripped of almost all of its nutrients. Organic food is also better for you than regular fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that some organic foods contain up to 87-percent more nutrients than the same non-organic version.
Where your food comes from also has a lot to do with how nutritious it will be. To get the most nutrients from fresh food, buy foods that are locally grown. Foods that have to travel sometimes face temperature changes and long trips. Food that comes from over 100 miles away will have less nutrients than food that is grown closer to home. Instead of shopping for fruits and veggies at the grocery store, try to find some farmers markets to visit that carry foods from local farmers.
While we’re on the subject, there is a difference in nutrients between fresh, frozen and canned. Canned foods should be purchased as a last resort. When possible opt for either fresh or frozen. Many people (like me) don’t have time to go to the grocery store once a week. If you fall into that category, frozen fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine. Frozen foods are flash frozen as soon as they are picked, meaning they have more nutrients than even some fresh options. If you buy fresh fruits, buy the smaller versions. Smaller fruits pack more nutrients than the larger version of the same options.
When you bring food home, make sure that you store it properly. Store fruits at room temperature to get the most nutrients from them. Research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has shown that some fruits continue to gain nutrients after they have been picked. Those activites are strongest when fruit is stored at room temperature.
You can cook your food to maximize nutrients as well. Nutritionists recommend that you don’t cut vegetables if you are going to boil them. Instead boil veggies whole to keep the nutrients locked in. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that potatoes boiled whole have 50-percent more potassium than if they are cut and boiled. Newcastle University has found that carrots boiled whole contain 25-percent more of the cancer-fighting compound falcarinol.
These are just a few ways you can get the most nutrition out of your food! Have your own suggestions? Comment here to let us know or tweet them to us on Twitter!
