Stocking Up On The Essentials

The calm before the storm... whether it's a winter blizzard or a summer/fall hurricane stocking up on the essentials becomes priority one with most people, and if you don't believe me try going to the grocery store the day before. What's disturbing though, to me anyway, is what people are stocking up on... what they consider the "essentials". It's always white bread and milk, and I assure you if you had to survive on only one of them or a combination of the two you would be anything but healthy.

As you may or may not know white refined flower is lacking in any of the nutrients it once had in its natural whole grain state, and truthfully the only effect your body will get from eating it is an unwanted spike in your blood sugar immediately after eating it.

And as far as milk goes, since it lacks the proper ratios of calcium to magnesium (which aids in calcium absorption) and calcium to phosphorous (which reduces the utilization of calcium and even promote excretion of calcium if consumed in high enough quantities), it becomes on obvious POOR choice for your daily calcium intake.

Unfortunately these are the "essentials" that we all grew up knowing. Maybe it stemmed from the era of the great depression, when things were so bad that you were considered lucky if you came home with a loaf of bread and some milk... either way it's time to put that behind you and rethink what the word "essentials" really means.

Essentials, for the sake of this subject, would be what is essential for life... health... and in order to LIVE HEALTHY you need to give your body food that contains what really is essential. Your body requires nutrients like vitamins, minerals, healthy fat, protein, and complex carbohydrates, as well as anutrients such as antioxidants, enzymes, and carotene. These are the essentials that will be the difference between a healthy state and diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and any of the many chronic illnesses that plague our country.

So the next time you go to the store for the "essentials" pick up some fresh organic fruits and vegetables, natural whole grains and legumes, because that's what's really essential for good health.