Diet culture will have you believe that all calories are created equal. Just eat fewer calories than your body burns, and voila, weight loss, health, and happiness. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the body is much more complex, and many factors play a role in your health, including the food you eat.
Today, we’ll discuss food quality. Moving beyond what to eat and how much, and diving into processed foods vs clean eating options. Keep reading as we explore:
Cows are meant to eat grass. They are ruminants with complex stomachs, containing four compartments. Their digestive system can break down the cellulose and other fibers in grass that are undigestible to humans.
Grass-fed cows eat grass on pasture. Grass-fed, grass-finished cows eat grass for their entire life. In conventional agriculture, cows are often initially raised on pasture but then transition to a feedlot, where they are fed grains. In the feedlot, they are more likely to get sick and need antibiotics. Having hundreds or thousands of cows in a small space contributes to pollution and climate change.
How the cow is raised and what it eats shape its nutrition. Grass-fed beef benefits include more essential fats than conventional meat. It’s also leaner due to the animal’s greater metabolic health.
Whether or not you personally eat red meat, grass-fed beef is a good source of protein and an important source of nutrition globally. Grass-fed farming practices create higher-quality products for health and the environment.
While ethically it’s more sustainable to eat quality raised meat the reality of the benefits on human nutrition have potentially been overstated. The research showing that the grass-fed cow yields meat with a bit more omega-3, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), and slightly different fat ratios is an interesting nuance but the outcomes on human health have been modest at best. The bottom line is, eat all red meat sparingly and if your budget allows, source from grass fed purveyors.
The modern food system is global. You likely have access to food from all over the world, no matter the season. And while this system has created convenience and access for many, it’s not without downsides for the environment, local economies, and human health.
Eating locally and tapping into your local food system is an alternative. Benefits of eating locally grown food include:
Just as grass-fed meat benefits your health, the benefits of local food are far-reaching as well. And yet, we can’t idealize food just because it’s local. Local produce can actually be less fresh if not handled well. There’s an important line between ideology and science. It’s important to remember that what we do with food is as important with where we source it.
It’s important to remember that what we do with food is as important with where we source it.
All food used to be organic, and we called it food. Today, however, conventional food has a higher input of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals compared to organic food, which follows a government-set standard for farming practices that prohibits the use of many chemicals in the same volume as organic. Organic food is often of higher quality than non-organic, conventional options.
What is clean eating? Eating clean often refers to a whole food diet that’s low in allergens, but it can also refer to an organic diet. Research suggests organic plant foods are higher in polyphenols and vitamin C, while organic animal foods have higher beneficial fats.
It’s challenging to definitively link organic food to better health, as individuals who choose organic food often exhibit other healthy habits, such as consuming more produce and exercising regularly. Nonetheless, eating an organic diet is associated with a lower risk of:
Organic agriculture is also better for the environment and biodiversity.
The quality of your food matters. A diet of low-quality, conventional and highly processed foods is associated with inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and poor health outcomes.
An ultra-processed (i.e., low quality) food diet is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, including:
In other words, a dietary foundation of poor-quality food comes with significant health risks.
Let’s back up for a second and discuss what are processed foods? We’re not going to give you a list of processed foods to avoid, but we will tell you how to spot them. Processed foods include packaged items that have been transformed from the original ingredient. They may contain long lists of ingredients, many of which are unrecognizable. Further, you can’t recreate the food items in your home.
Processed foods include packaged items that have been transformed from the original ingredient. They may contain long lists of ingredients, many of which are unrecognizable. Further, you can’t recreate the food items in your home.
Processed foods include packaged items that have been transformed from the original ingredient. They may contain long lists of ingredients, many of which are unrecognizable. Further, you can’t recreate the food items in your home.
The more processing a food undergoes, the fewer nutrients it will contain. Ultra-processed foods are high in calories, yet lack nutrients like vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and essential fats. In today’s food environment, you can be overfed, yet nutrient-deficient.
Whole foods are high-quality. They contain all or most of the parts found in nature and are nutrient dense, rich in the nutrition your body needs to fully utilize the food.
Whole foods are high-quality. They contain all or most of the parts found in nature and are nutrient dense, rich in the nutrition your body needs to fully utilize the food.
Eating isn’t as simple as it once was. As a consumer, there are many things you need to be aware of when it comes to food quality, including how the food was grown or raised and the way it was transformed before getting to your plate.
In general, eat clean meals. Choose whole, unprocessed foods and cook more at home. Choose organic, grass-fed, and local options as much as possible. For questions and guidance, we’re here to help with your clean eating diet and personalized nutrition.
References
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