Homemade is always best

People die more in Western countries because of what they eat.

That statement above is a fact. It's not a maybe or open to debate, it's fact. The old adage comes to mind, you are what you eat.

Certain diseases are far more prevalent in US, UK, Ireland, Australia etc than they are in Japan, China, Nigeria. They can be traced to our diets and the fuel that we put into our bodies.

You'll notice, I said fuel and not food. Why? Well in my opinion, some of the 'food' we ingest is anything but food. I'm referring to sugar and salt filled convenience food, fast food, snacks like sweets and crisps.

These are mass produced and highly marketed. Is it any surprise that we have a global pandemic of obesity, autoimmune disease and diabetes in Western countries?

Doom and Gloom

Ok, so I don't want to be preaching about the bad food and not offer a solution or a way out of this mess, so let me offer something.

Let me start out by saying that not everybody can afford to do this, which is a problem right off the bat, so I would advocate for government support for poorer coherts of society to get food stamps for specific healthy foods. Have a list of healthy foods that they can choose from and give state money so that they can have there healthy foods for their families.

So my advise is to minimise how many packaged, tinned or processed foods that you consume.

Instead, opt for whole foods like nuts, legumes, vegetables, fruits and be like your parents or grandparents and use recipes and make things from scratch.

I accept that it takes more money and time to do this, but this is your health folks and the health of those you love, so the investment is worthwhile and pays off. How? Well statistically you'll live a longer and healthier life, so it should be a no-brainer.

Practice what you preach, isn't that what they say?

Going healthy with a salad

I love bread. However modern bread has no nutrientional value and actually it's bad for our health. It doesn't stop me eating bread rolls, sliced pan, bagels, wraps and other breads, but every now and then I defiantly refuse bread and make myself a salad instead and let me tell you this - I never regret it.

Here is a salad I enjoyed the last day, again easily covering my 5 a day.

I am committed to doing this more and more and start ditching the unhealthy bread.

Some Home Cooking

This meal was Turkey meatballs, with tomato based sauce and vegetables.

My wife was delighted with them and said it was the nicest meal I'd cooked in ages and said it was better than restaurant standard which was a lovely compliment to receive.

The great thing here was it was made from scratch, meaning it was healthy as well as tasty.

I forgot to take photos as I am prepared an dished up, but I did manage to get this photo of the pan simmering.

Chopped garlic, chopped onion, chopped peppers, chopped mushrooms, scallions, cherry tomatoes and tinned tomatoes all went in to this dish, so your five a day vegetables are covered.

Al Fresco dining

When possible, outdoor eating or Al Fresco dining is recommended also. It's always good to be out in nature and I would also say to eat slowly and mindfully.

Don't chomp everything back as quickly as possible. Instead eat slowly and mindfully think about where each ingredient came from. Who grew the carrots, who reared the cow, what country did those nuts grow in?

I promise if you eat more mindfully like this, it will only improve your health and you'll be less inclined to overeat.

Oh and if you are partial to a glass of wine with dinner, go for it, a glass of wine is actually quite healthy. Just don't keep going, keep it to a glass and savour the flavours and imagine the grapes growing and drink it mindfully.

Simple arithmetic and making a commitment

Try changing things slowly bit by bit.

Like anything, a big bang change often fails and we go back to our old habits. A better option in my opinion, is a slow incremental change. So, change your lunch one day a week, remove bread and make a salad instead. Or you could try cooking one meal a day from scratch?

Make a commitment to someone, even if that's yourself. But tell a friend or family member about your commitment, so that you are likely to stick to it.

Remember that your health is your wealth and what you put into your body matters. The consequences may not be felt today or tomorrow, but eventually it catches up, so make good choice now for future you.

The images used throughout are all my own captured on my Samsung Smartphone

Thanks as always for stopping by everyone.

Peace Out