Pistachios, Walnuts, and Cashews © Dawn Riccardi Morris
The food we eat has a lot more to do with the way we all look and feel than many of us realize. The more we eat as nature intended, the healthier and happier we will be.
It's not always easy to avoid the tempting processed foods which dominate the grocery store aisles. But there are simple ways to do so.
One way is to do most of our shopping in the outer aisles (along the perimeter of the store), which contain many foods that naturally occur in nature.
The inner aisles contain so many boxed and canned items, which have a lot of the nature sucked out of them (just read those long labels for preservatives, artificial ingredients, and excessive salt). But, not every item in the middle aisles is bad for you. Olive oil, for example, is a very important source of healthy fat. We all need small amounts of healthy fat. It's the saturated and trans fats that we should try to avoid.
Another important source of protein, healthy fat, and nutrients, which is often found in the middle aisles, is nuts. Cashews, walnuts (which are really good on salads), and pistachios, are all great snacks when eaten in small quantities, especially if you buy them without added salt.
So, the next time you reach for a bag of chips or cookies, why not try a nutty alternative? You could even throw some organic raisins into the mix to sweeten it up a bit. It might just be the pick me up your brain needs.
And by the way, have you tried Larabar 100% fruit and nut bars yet? You can find them at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and at Amazon: Larabar Fruit & Nut Bar Variety Pack, 18 Bars (Apple Pie, Cashew Cookie, Cherry Pie). They make a great snack on the go.
Have a great weekend!