Healthy Eating Habits

Source: Natural Healing Eating

I always try to buy foods close to home. The local farmer's market is excellent if you have one.
From there, I look for the best quality farming procedures to maintain my healthy eating habits. They drop out when foods aren't nutritious.
I had to learn how to avoid foods grown using pesticides, synthetic chemical fertilizers and genetically modified seeds. These reduce the nutrition you are trying to get out of the food you buy, so why pay for it. Plus they can cause other negative effects. I had to learn how the foods were grown. Here's my order of preference:

1. Biodynamic
2. Organic
3. Sustainable
4. Conventional

Definitions:

"Biodynamic: a type of organic farming system developed by Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the early 1900’s." "Organic (Agriculture): referring to a type of agriculture that promotes the use of renewable resources and management of biological cycles to enhance biological diversity, without the use of genetically modified organisms, or synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
"Sustainable (Agriculture): referring to an agricultural system that is ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just...
"Conventional (Agriculture): an industrialized agricultural system characterized by mechanization, monocultures, and the use of synthetic inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides..."
Reference: http://cehumboldt.ucdavis.edu/files/8286.pdf

Here's another important factor in maintaining healthy eating habits. Packaged foods are processed to taste good but they often lack sound nutrition. The good taste comes from the addition of monosodium glutamate which is a flavor enhancer.
There is much controversy about this ingredient. You might want to learn more about it. I had to learn how to find good healthy foods by reading and understanding food labels.
When you avoid foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG), you end up having more control over your food choices. This food additive has an added value to the manufacturers as it seems people crave them.
To learn more, you can find a lot of information in the book "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills" by Russell L. Blaylock. Healthy eating really does depend on being cause over your food selections. This book should help your understanding of this controversial ingredient.

Starting crops from seed is a satisfying and economical way to grow your own plants, flowers, and veggies. Here's our getting-started guide 

 Veggie 101: How to start your garden

High intakes of combined beta-carotene and vitamin C have demonstrated, through clinical and scientific studies, a propensity for warding off various cancers and heart disease, reducing arthritis symptoms, and minimizing asthmatic breathing problems.

Source: Disabled World

 

Red Fruits & Veggies
Contain nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin, to name a few. These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support joint tissue.

I have changed my diet tremendously within the last few months. I have increased my fiber intake. I am feeling much better and I notice several changes. I am trying to eat as much raw foods as I can and limiting sugars, red meat, bleached flour, & gluten. I have switched to more whole grain pasta, brown rice and chicken & fish only. It is very important before you start eating healthy..you must cleanse or detox your body to rid all the toxins. I try to cleanse with a tea called Ballerina Tea. I also intake much more fruit during this time. I use to be a "diet fanatic" but now I am choosing to be healthy....You do not have to consume just salad to lose the unwanted pounds. You are what you eat. And at least try to get 20 minutes a day exercising. MM♥