Choosing and Preparing the Right Foods

Occasionally new food forms hit the market as a kind of fad and then the fad wears off as another nutritional element hits the spotlight. The consumer may see himself as a victim because of this rather than a person who can make a rational choice. Here are some tips on how to select store and prepare some basic foods.

1. Look for fresh food. Try to go easy on the preservatives then often extend the shelf life of certain foods.
2. Try to buy your foods in suitable containers that allow for proper storage and do not interfere with the quality of the food. It was said years ago was flakes that may be present in milk cartons containing milk are associated to cancer. The problem with buying milk is that bottles are not to be found today. I would choose plastic sacs.
3. Look at the shelf life date on the processed food. The problem with this on freshly ground beef is that often the limit on how long the food can be kept is quite short. I would then buy a smaller portion and keep the unused part in the freezer even a little after the expired shelf life date. Yes, the meat loses some of its red color, which makes it unattractive, but it is still good.
4. Eat plenty of raw fruit and vegetables. The fact that one has to cook or boil everything is a myth. Cooking is unnecessary for fruits and vegetables and often enough their food value is destroyed by excessive heat. If one can get away from overcooking, especially regarding meats, please do. You want to avoid creating those polycyclic benzines associated with cancer induction.
   
   Much of the nutrients like flavinoids are contained under the peel of certain fruits. So i would not wildly peel certain fruits like apples and pears but wash them well and cut off any brown spots if I have to.
5. Some deserts can be prepared without sugar. The sugar can often be substituted by the natural sugar found in fruit. This is why I would suggest fruit pies with little or no added sugar. If I have to use sugars, I would use the unrefined kind and be careful choosing that.
6. I would try to avoid eating light colored chocolate, especially the sweetened variety, although recent studies have shown there is a beneficial cardiac effect in consuming hot chocolate beverages. These drinks help reduce blood pressure especially of dark chocolate is involved. So my choice of chocolate has been largely reduced to drinking hot cocoa beverages. Dark, unsweetened chocolate is supposed to be beneficial as an anti-oxidant when combined with milk
7. I would eliminate coffee from my diet and consume more green tea because of its anti carcinogenic effect although I need coffee to get my day started. If I have to take that morning coffee, I try to reduce the amount of caffeine by taking espressos. This helps to minimize the amount of time water is in contact with the ground coffee bean.
8. I would chose unbleached flour containing breads. White processed breads are valueless as far I an concerned.
9. As far oils and fat are concerned I would stick with the unsaturated, no trans fat kinds although it is quite difficult to find oils with zero saturated fats.
10. Eggs should not be disregarded even though their yellows have a high amount of cholesterol. The white is a good source of calcium.