The 7 errors when trying to improve your diet and how to solve them

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You have realized the importance of eating organically and healthily. You've decided to take the plunge and now you choose your food carefully and have even learned a lot about nutrition. Still, sometimes it's not easy; the pace of life and the society we live in don't allow you to Help…You may feel like there are things you haven't been told. What seems healthy today may not be so healthy tomorrow, and maintaining a healthy, sustainable diet can sometimes be difficult…

Sounds familiar, right? It's okay, it's normal when you decide to take care of yourself. I'll also tell you that we've all gone through that phase. A phase in which We struggle to find foods that provide us with the necessary nutrients and are environmentally friendly.

Why? Well, simply because you don't choose foods that make your life easier, and because you make some of the 7 mistakes I'm going to tell you about below... The real problem isn't finding yourself in this phase, but how long you plan to stay there...

LEAVE US HelpRTE GET OUT OF THERE...

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF CHOOSING YOUR FOOD WELL

Sometimes we have to do the exercise of remember the basis of everything, to make the right choice. Our bodies have very well-defined nutritional needs: energy, nutrients and minerals to carry out all its functions. All of this comes from food, which contains macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats), vitamins, and minerals.

The macronutrients They provide different amounts of energy:

• Protein: 4 Kcal/g
• Carbohydrates: 4Kcal/g
• Fats:9Kcal/g

But how much energy, vitamins, minerals and each macronutrient do we need? It's impossible to make a recommendation for the entire population. These needs vary depending on age, sex, physical activity, and goals (gaining or losing weight, building muscle mass, improving toileting, etc.).

Here you have the recommended daily intakes for the Spanish population, with moderate activity.

They do not appear in the table, but the FATS In a normal diet, they should account for around 30% of total calories, the rest of the energy should come from carbohydrates. Ideally, this 30% should be balanced between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, 10% of each type.

Within the polyunsaturated, are of special importance omega 3 and the omega 6 since the body cannot synthesize them.

Foods tend to be richer in some macronutrients than others:

• Cereals, legumes and fruits are richer in carbohydrates.
• Meats, fish and eggs contain more protein.
• Nuts and avocado are high-fat foods.

This doesn't mean that grains don't have protein or fat, or that nuts don't have any protein; it just means that it's not their main macronutrient.

It's about the foods you incorporate into your diet providing you with those calories, maintaining the balance between proteins, fats and carbohydrates., and also provide the vitamins and minerals that our body needs.

For example, if you consume 100g of rice you will have the following macronutrients, vitamins and minerals:

Fountain:www.botanical-online.com

Most people make poor food choices. Do you?

Their choices don't meet their nutrient, vitamin, and mineral needs. They overindulge in foods that cause more problems than benefits, and they fail to consider that modern society presents the body with new challenges that need to be managed.

And how can you choose foods well? Avoiding, first of all, committing these seven errors when you try to eat an organic and healthy diet.

7 SINS OF TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR DIET

FIRST: Not choosing protein sources well

A woman over 18 has a minimum protein requirement of 41-43g/day. This amount increases during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and if she exercises.

Proteins are composed of amino acids; there are 22 in total. Nine are essential and cannot be manufactured by the body from other amino acids and carbohydrates. Therefore, it has always been mistakenly believed that quality protein was only derived from animal sources, which contained all nine essential amino acids in sufficient quantities.

Generally, plant foods do not have all the essential amino acids, or they have some of them in very small quantities. The truth is that you can get quality protein by combining plant sources. If a plant source does not have all the essential amino acids, or only a small amount of some, it is supplemented with another source that has the missing amino acids.

But there is something that few people know.

THERE ARE PLANT FOODS WHOSE PROTEIN IS COMPLETE

This is the case of the Chia seeds, chickpeas, goji berries, and spirulina. In addition, they provide other very interesting nutrients and minerals. Complete protein and many other nutrients... sounds good, right?

Plant protein doesn't have any special properties, as if its amino acids were different nutrients. What does happen is that by choosing plant protein, you're more likely to be consuming healthier foods (filling, high in fiber, etc.). Let's just say you have other guarantees…

If you exercise a lot and have a high protein intake, it's also recommended that you consume only plant-based protein several days a week (even if you're not vegan or vegetarian). Yes, you heard right. It's something the prestigious doctor always recommends. Antonio Hernandez, and we agree with him.

SECOND: NOT CONSUMING ENOUGH QUALITY FAT

Yes. That's right. You have to eat fat. You should NEVER go below 30g of fat per day. Normally, you should consume between 15-30% of your total calories in the form of fat.

If you haven't done them, banish the idea that fats are bad…including saturated fats.

It is a myth that comes from a study by Ancel Keys, which showed that the higher the consumption of saturated fat, the higher the death rate from cardiovascular disease.

The weakness of this study? It only showed 7 of the 22 countries for which it had data. Otherwise, the graph would have been very different, and saturated fats wouldn't have been demonized. It's that simple.In the image on the right you can see the conclusions of Ancel Keys' study, and in the image on the left you can see the reality.

As you can see, in populations like the Maasai and Inuit, where saturated fat consumption was very high, cardiovascular disease is almost non-existent.

Think about it. Your cholesterol isn't going to increase just by eating foods natural(In fact, 70% of our cholesterol is produced by the liver.) What will raise your cholesterol is eating processed foods. This is what you should avoid.

ENJOY COCONUT AND CHOCOLATE WITH PEACE OF MIND

Among the unsaturated fats there are two very important ones. These are Omega 3 and the Omega 6The body cannot synthesize them on its own, so we must ingest them through our diet. Well, Did you know that one of the most serious problems in today's diet is the imbalance between Omega 3 and Omega 6?

Our body expects a balance of 1:1 or 1:2 and current diets have a balance of 1:15 or even 1:30.

This causes inflammation in the body and is responsible for many degenerative, autoimmune diseases and cancer. A good tip is that Limit to a minimum the consumption of vegetable oils such as sunflower, soybean and corn, which are rich in Omega 6.

WHERE CAN YOU GET OMEGA 3?

You can get it from oily fish and plant-based sources such as walnuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.

A teaspoon of chia seeds provides you with nearly all of your daily Omega 3 needs. Hemp seeds contain 17 grams of Omega 3 per 100 grams, as well as all the essential amino acids in large quantities. A perfect combination: lots of Omega 3 and complete vegetable protein.

Organically grown hemp seeds - Baïa Food Co.

We've already talked about the need to limit animal protein consumption. A reason to prioritize Omega 3 from plant sources, but also, Fatty fish like salmon are not as healthy as they seem.

Most of the salmon we consume is not wild but from fish farms. At the expense of Omega 3's fame, we are consuming undesirable amounts of pesticides such as toxaphene, dieldrin, as well as dioxins and PCBs.

To top it off, the orange color of farmed salmon comes from a colorant, Carophyll, applied to salmon feed. This image is the Salmonfan Scale; it helps farm producers check the effectiveness of this colorant applied to salmon and trout.

Salmon scale for salmon and trout producers

Otherwise, the salmon would be gray. Would you eat it? Me neither… Very sad, yes, but don't worry. We have other options: sardines, anchovies, bluefin tuna. Or not?

If we are concerned about the environment, we must take into account the Scientific criterion to stop fishing sardines in 2018 to save the speciesSomething similar happens with anchovies.

As for bluefin tuna, it is one of the fish with the highest amount of mercury, as you can see in these recommendations from the FDA.

I don't know about you, but I'm increasingly liking the chia and hemp seed option.

THIRD: NOT PRIORITIZING QUALITY CARBOHYDRATES

Avoid refined carbohydrates (white bread, white wheat flour, sweets, and cereals on TV).

They are foods that are digested quickly and raise our sugar levels. Our pancreas secretes a lot of insulin to prevent high blood sugar, and hypoglycemia occurs, making us hungry... And we snack again, repeating the process...

Fountain: https://www.instagram.com/p/BfTugyJhOrr/?hl=es&taken-by=dr.ahernandez

You should consume whole grain versions instead and above all, prioritize the consumption of vegetables and fruitsIf you're struggling, a great recommendation is to opt for healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies.

You can also add chia and hemp seeds... You'll be getting both vegetable protein and Omega 3 fats.

Example of a healthy smoothie with a large amount of nutrients.

It seems that taking care of yourself is not that difficult, and it is appealing.

FOURTH: NOT TAKING ENOUGH NUTRIENTS

Scientists confirm it: The fruits and vegetables we eat have lost almost all of their nutrients due to species hybridization, soil depletion, pollution and many other environmental factors.

In March 2006, the UN recognized a new type of malnutrition related to food quality., and not with their availability. It began to be detected that some vegetables didn't contain the micronutrients they once had, or that they contained very few, much less. In other words, we could be producing foods that aren't nutritious. Healthy, hunger-quenching foods, but with very little nutritional value.

In this table you can see the alarming loss of some nutrients in some vegetables and fruits.

It seems obvious that we need to eat more vegetables and fruits to get the same nutrients as before. But who can double or triple what our grandparents ate?

You can see that apples don't have as much vitamin C as they used to, but there are new foods with a large amount of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and even antioxidants.

This is the case of the pulp of the African fruit Baobab, which has up to six times more vitamin C than an orange. It also provides vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6, as well as iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Pure cocoa, is one of the foods that has the most magnesium and comes from areas where the soil is still fertile. Consume it Help To combat this mineral deficiency, eat vegetables like broccoli. If you're a woman, eat 15g of pure cocoa, and you'll already have 25% of your recommended daily intake.

Spirulina algae It's high in magnesium (taking just 5 g provides almost 10 mg) and many other nutrients. It's no wonder the UN considers it a key food for fighting malnutrition.

Matcha tea It has 136 times more antioxidants than a normal cup of tea and more beta-carotene than carrots.

If you want quality matcha tea that maintains all its properties, you should make sure it comes from Japan and has a deep green color.

FIFTH: NOT UNDERSTANDING THE TERM ECOLOGICAL

The ECO seal does not offer all the benefits for which most people choose it.

a) Most people, when choosing organic foods, are making a commitment to health., but he doesn't know that organic is not synonymous with healthy.

The reality is that a pizza base with spelt flour (not whole wheat), sugar, and sunflower oil can have the “ECO” seal. Refined flour, along with added sugar, causes your blood sugar to shoot up (remember point THIRD) and refined sunflower oil increases your amount of Omega 6 with respect to Omega 3, and we already mentioned that this is not something desirable at all (point SECOND).

The seal does not guarantee that the food has more nutrients - another reason to look for nutritionally dense foods (point FOUR) - nor that it has a better flavor, the latter of which, in the case of vegetables, is related to picking them at the right time.

You can avoid these inconveniences if the fruit or vegetable is packaged immediately after harvest. This way, it doesn't need to be picked green for it to arrive in good condition at the point of sale, and it won't lose nutrients during transport.

b) It also does not ensure a lower environmental impactA fruit or vegetable that has traveled thousands of kilometers (with the pollution associated with its transportation) can still bear the "ECO" seal.

c) It does not guarantee a higher concentration of nutrients. (another argument in favor of point FOUR to eat nutritionally dense foods) nor a better flavor, fruits or vegetables are allowed to be picked green and ripened in chambers.

HOW CAN YOU AVOID THESE INCONVENIENCES?

First of all I have to tell you that it is advisable to choose the ECO seal, offers many other benefits such as not using elements in production or cultivation that are not of origin natural (no pesticides, fertilizers or chemicals of any kind are used, nor are transgenic species).

But also follow these two tips:

1. Choose the ECO seal on a food or raw material: Choose the fruit, vegetable or food without anything added, which offers the naturaleza, as is. It's a safe bet.
2. Choose local products: Here it is some exceptions, there are products like the cocoa or açaí, which are not produced in Spain. If we want to enjoy their great benefits, we have to import them from abroad.

It is often preferable to choose a frozen vegetable or fruit with pulp than its fresh equivalent, but it has taken 2 weeks (optimistically) to reach its destination.

There are other newer techniques such as freeze-drying This allows the product to be dehydrated in the cold, preserving all its nutritional properties, as well as its taste and flavor. It's an excellent option for foreign products.

Local açaí cultivation in the Brazilian Amazon. These berries are harvested from palm trees known as açaizeiros and then freeze-dried to retain up to 98% of their nutrients.

SIXTH: DO NOT BET ON SMALL PRODUCERS AND QUALITY

The reality is that a few companies control an ever-increasing percentage of the food trade.250 companies control 1/3 of global retail trade, 58% of which, and 8 of the top 10, sell food.

Very strict conditions are imposed on producers. Monocultures are encouraged, agriculture becomes more polluting and energy-dependent, and small producers are unable to sell their products.

The reason? Restrictions on the seeds they can use, biotechnology companies, and multinationals demanding outrageous prices.

Traditional peasant knowledge is lost, and the peasantry has to migrate to the cities, creating belts of poverty.

Harvesting cocoa fruit in Peru.

But well, you'll think...in the end It's cheaper for me, right? I don't blame you, price is a variable. undoubtedly important, and that directly affects your wallet, but do you really think you are buying the product with the same quality?

NO. WHEN ONLY PRICE MATTERS, THE ONLY OR EASIEST SOLUTION IS TO OFFER LESS QUALITY.

Fewer properties and less purity are some of the consequences. No one gives the same thing for less. We decide to buy a product for its benefits and pay to lose them or get a reduced version. It's really not worth it.

Investing less in our diet, which is the most determining factor of our health, does not seem like a good decision. When you see a product or mark In large stores, you should know that they have squeezed the purchase price from producers to the maximum, and that quality is not their priority.

Buys markthat support small producers and whose number 1 objective is to offer quality.

Maca root from the Andes (fountain)

SEVENTH: NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE MODERN LIFESTYLE

Our bodies aren't subjected to the same challenges as our grandparents', or even our parents'. There are two factors that can significantly affect our health:

1. Stress: Our body evolved to secrete a hormone in times of stress: cortisol. Increases heart rate, Help to release energy, produces vasoconstriction. Extremely useful for the physical stressors to which primitive man was subjected. If you wanted to eat a predator or you had to fight someone to survive, this response of the body was of great Help.
   
   The problem is that our bodies react the same way today, but the stressors are very different. It seems unlikely that a lion would want to eat you these days, but we've traded these peaks of stress for chronic stress (worries at work, personal worries, rushing, etc.). We don't give our bodies a break; we're never completely relaxed.
   
   Our bodies aren't designed to be constantly on half alert, and this chronic stress is what underlies multiple pathologies: depression, obesity, anxiety attacks, and even Alzheimer's.
   
   
   
   
2. PollutionIn the mid-20th century, it began to pose a truly worrisome problem. But today, the danger lurks not only in the fumes from cars or factories.
   
   It is directly present in what we eat and drink: lead (in pipes made of this metal), cadmium (in crustaceans, molluscs, dietary foods, etc.), arsenic (in rice and bread, etc.), and mercury (in fish, etc.).
   
   These are some of the heavy metals that our bodies end up accumulating and that cause serious disorders and diseases.
   
   

Once again the NaturalThere is a solution for this. There are foods that Helpto adapt to those moments of stress, helping us regulate our hormonal system.

This is the case of the Andean maca, which also has many other benefits, including increasing libido and improving fertility in men and women. Help It helps combat stress and is an aphrodisiac. The combination doesn't sound bad.

For his part, açaí It is the food that has the most antioxidant power according to the ORAC scale, making it exceptional for fighting the adverse effects of free radicals.

There is also a solution for heavy metals natural, the food of the millennium declared by the UN: spirulinaIts high chlorophyll content makes it an effective remedy for eliminating heavy metals, but it also has an amazing nutritional density, as we discussed in point FOUR.

Adding 3-5 g of spirulina quality to any smoothie or shake you can enjoy all its benefits

You have already seen that there are a series of foods that are especially good for maintaining health. with a large amount of nutrients, antioxidants, complete protein, fiber and even the ability to control stress and eliminate heavy metals.

Chia, açaí, matcha tea, goji berries, pure cocoa, baobab, spirulina, maca and coconut are some of the best known.

More and more people are consuming them, and nutritionists and doctors are recommending them to their patients. As you can see, a study by the consulting firm Nielsen (leader in developing consumer studies) Spaniards have increased their consumption of some superfoods by 1000%!

And it will continue to increase, because the majority, 52%, don't know them...yet.

You already know what they are: foods with a high nutritional density and unique properties to maintain health.

What a mistake! We almost forgot!

Of course, you are invited to take a stroll around our website and "snoop" around the different organic foods that we have and that Helpto solve many of the problems we have talked about in this post.

Enjoy the ride!