Hi Reader,

How do you decide which foods are healthy and which ones are not? Your eating philosophy can be very different from mine, and that's okay. You may think you don't have an eating philosophy, at least not a well-formulated one. That's okay as well. Most people use their intuitive feelings when they make food choices. That worked for us for generations when we learned from our parents and caregivers which foods are safe and nourishing. Our geographical location, season, culture, and the size of our pocket defined our food choices.

Nowadays, with 17,000 new food products ¹ on the market yearly and tropical fruits available at any time of the year and at any supermarket, making intuitive food decisions has become challenging. Stressful even. Layer a constant stream of conflicting nutrition advice on top, and we are getting into anxiety territory. Egg yolk is the most nutritious food but is full of cholesterol. How many eggs a week is healthy? How often can I eat them if my cholesterol is high? We now need a nutritionist to validate and help navigate our food decisions, especially if we have a health concern. But with the right knowledge and understanding, we can take back control and make confident, informed choices. And it doesn't have to be complicated when you are blessed with good health. In fact, it can be quite simple and straightforward.

Three simple rules to ensure healthy food choices

1. Choose real food over processed. Buy ingredients in their "original" form: potatoes vs. potato chips, chicken vs. chicken nuggets, olive oil, and vinegar vs. salad dressing. Other examples of real food include fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, eggs, fish, and meats.
2. Go for minimally processed vs. ultra-processed. In my last example, both olive oil and vinegar are actually processed foods. Someone had to press the olives to get the oil, which is minimal processing. People knew how to make olive oil and vinegar, yogurt, butter, cheese, and other traditionally processed foods for thousands of years. As long as there are no additives, those foods are perfectly healthy. Ultra-processed foods, on the other hand, are full of ingredients created by the chemists, not cooks. They are impossible to replicate at home and weren't a part of our diet even 100 years ago.
3. Read the ingredient list, not the front label. There is always a range of products available to us at grocery stores. Some are good; others are better. To pick the best ones, look at the ingredient list on the back of the jar or package. Let's take peanut butter as an example. You only need organic roasted peanuts to make the "Best" peanut butter. If the peanut butter contains conventional peanuts with some salt, we are in the "Better" category. Once we see ingredients like sugar and vegetable oil, that's "Good" at best. You can evaluate the brands you currently buy and see if a better, less processed alternative exists on the market.

Unfortunately, simple is not necessarily easy. The convenience and enhanced taste of processed foods make it really hard to stick with healthier choices. Meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking are now optional. Why work harder when you can order out or pop a frozen meal into a microwave?

I choose to buy more expensive, fresh ingredients, prep, and cook because I want to be healthy now and in my old age and because I want to pass my food culture on to my children so they can stay healthy. It's an effort and an investment, but I'm willing to make it. And it pays off with delicious, freshly made dinners with my family, and hopefully, I'll save on medical bills when I'm older.

Until next week, take care!

Olga