9781422269879

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet Eating Healthier as a Family Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed Foods for Peak Fitness Fruits and Vegetables for Health

How to Eat a Balanced Diet Eating in Moderation and Intermittent Fasting Lean Protein for Health Nuts and Seeds for Health What’s in a Label?

Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed

By Leigh Clayborne

MASON CREST M i a m i

Mason Crest PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4823-2

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4826-3 Series ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-6984-8 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-6987-9 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by Print Matters Productions, Inc Cover and Interior Design by Torque Advertising+Design

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KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR: Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase readers’ understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send readers back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase readers’ ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. Chapter 1: Why Eat Whole Foods?...................................7 Chapter 2: Living a Whole Food Lifestyle.......................25 Chapter 3: Whole Food Diets around the World..............41 Chapter 4: Essential Skills for the Whole Food Lifestyle...59 Chapter 5: Healthy Whole Food Habits for Life...............75 Series Glossary of Key Terms........................................88 Further Reading & Internet Resources..........................92 Index.......................................................................... 94 Author’s Biography & Credits.......................................96

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

Antioxidants: Various protective compounds found in plants that can reduce the natural damage that everyday activities (and lifestyle choices) do to the cells in the body. Calories: Units of measure of how much energy a food or drink provides to the human body. Consuming more food energy than a person uses leads to weight gain. In the United States and much of the world, people consume more energy than they need. Chronic disease: A medical condition that lasts for a year or more, impacts a person’s daily living, and requires regular medical care. Nutrient-dense: Refers to a food that has a lot of naturally occurring nutrition, compared to its size and calories. Processed food: A food that has been changed from its original form to make it more convenient, longer-lasting, and/or easier to eat. Whole food: A food that is very close to its original form, with nothing added or taken away except inedible parts.

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Chapter

Why Eat Whole Foods?

From farm to table, from seed to shelf, from social media influencers to doctors to everyday students, people are talking about the food they put in their mouths. Where does it come from? What is it doing to their health? How is the food most people eat now different from what people have eaten for thousands of years? People are looking more closely at food, because food is where they get the fuel and nutrition they need to live. The food that people eat has changed a lot over the past 50 years. It has moved away from whole foods toward convenient but less-healthy foods. As it has changed, people have also gotten sicker. They are eating a lot more fast food, vending machine food, processed food , and food that is chemically altered in a lab to be hard to resist. These foods are having negative effects on an individual and a societal level that many students might not realize. For this reason, some people are choosing to reduce these processed foods in their diets and increase the amount of whole foods they eat. Whole foods offer the body a lot of benefits that are missing in the modern

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American diet, and in many countries around the world. People are turning to a whole food lifestyle to live longer, healthier, and often happier lives. Whole foods include nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, and dairy that are kept as close to their original whole forms as possible. They are also called “real foods” or “clean foods.” When this book refers to “whole foods,” it’s not talking about a grocery store by that name. People can find whole foods in many stores and neighborhood markets. They can learn to grow some themselves even if they live in an apartment. There are many smart, fun, and tasty ways to start enjoying more whole foods and experiencing the benefits of eating whole foods for life.

Learn what whole foods look like.

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Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed

Lots of Nutrition Whole foods are packed with nutrients that humans need to stay healthy so they can live their best lives. Real foods are nutrient dense and high in antioxidants . At the same time, they are usually lower in calories , sugar, and fat than processed foods. Adding a variety of whole foods to your diet can dramatically increase the nutrition you consume in a day, without increasing the calories you have to eat to get that nutrition. For example, an apple (minus the seeds and core) is a whole food. Apple juice, however, is not a whole food. Eight ounces (which equals one measuring cup) of apple juice is the equivalent of one medium-sized apple. Yet apple juice has more calories, one-quarter of the fiber, and almost one-third more sugar than the apple. Plus, the act of processing the apple into apple juice reduces its antioxidant and vitamin content. What’s more, when

Adding a variety of whole foods to your diet can dramatically increase the nutrition you consume in a day.

Chapter 1: Why Eat Whole Foods?

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Is That Smoothie Healthy or a “Sugar Bomb”?

you drink apple juice, it’s much easier to consume too much. Many people would not stop at one cup of apple juice. The fiber in a whole apple helps to fill you up so that you don’t overeat. Ultimately, choosing the whole food option means getting better nutrition. The difference is even more notable if one compares eating an apple with eating apple candy, apple flavored cereal, or an apple-flavored drink. In each of these cases, not only is the level of nutrition reduced, but they may have very little or no apple in them. They also contain ingredients that are not real food but are chemicals added to enhance the flavor, color, or texture, or to increase shelf life. Smoothies seem like a convenient way to get a lot of nutrition. But what do people put in their smoothies? Those who make them at home know what is in them. However, the prepackaged healthy-sounding smoothies, green juices, and antioxidant blends found in stores or smoothie bars are usually loaded with extra sugar. They add high-sugar juices like apple, cherry, and grape, without fiber, to increase the sweetness. They may add old squishy bananas, which are high in sugar, to make them creamy. In some cases, they add agave syrup, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, and table sugar. While many may sound healthy, they are just clever ways that food marketers make foods seem more nutritious than they are. At home, healthy smoothies combine whole fruits and vegetables with a healthier base like plain yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, or avocado for creaminess and added nutrition.

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Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed

Better Health: Mental, Physical, and Dental The good nutrition that comes from increasing the number of whole foods in the diet is vital to living well, now and as you grow up. It affects your health today in many ways. A person’s mental health and emotional well-being depend on good nutrition in order to process emotions and information effectively. Eating whole foods can also affect the body’s ability to build and maintain healthy cells, organs, and systems, and to function optimally. That’s because whole foods are nutrient-dense. They contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, antioxidants, and healthy fats, plus nutrients that science might not yet have discovered. The body needs these nutrients to build and repair tissues. Without them, it breaks down over time. In terms of dental health, eating real foods not only helps the body build strong teeth, because they contain calcium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients, but also reduces the risk of developing cavities associated with consuming excessive sugar. Q: What is nutrient-dense food? A: A nutrient-dense food contains a lot of naturally occurring nutrition in relation to its calorie content, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, antioxidants, healthy plant oil fats, and nutrients that science might not yet have discovered. These foods are more filling, so people eat less without feeling hungry. They also don’t contain added substances that make people feel hungry and overeat. Eating more of these foods increases health, while eating too few causes the body to break down.

Chapter 1: Why Eat Whole Foods?

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Eating real foods not only helps the body build strong teeth, but it also reduces the risk of developing cavities.

Lower Risk of Many Diseases, Plus Better Management of Them

Eating a nutrient-dense diet that is primarily focused on whole foods can help reduce a person’s risk of developing several chronic diseases . That’s because many of these lifestyle diseases are—at least in part—due to lack of nutrition. In many cases, eating whole foods can help those who have already developed a chronic disease manage their condition more effectively, reduce their symptoms, and even get to the point where they no longer need medication—if their doctor says that’s okay.

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Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed

Eating whole foods can help those with a chronic disease manage their condition more effectively.

Many things can explain why a person develops a specific disease, but the scientific evidence points toward eating a whole food diet (including lots of plant foods) as a way of lowering a person’s risk of developing these diseases and conditions:

• diabetes (type 2) • heart disease • obesity • certain cancers • dementia

Chapter 1: Why Eat Whole Foods?

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• skin disorders, like eczema and dermatitis • anxiety and depression

An estimated 80 percent of chronic diseases are preventable with simple lifestyle changes like eating more whole foods, exercising, and not smoking or vaping. Studies show that whole food–centered lifestyles can prevent and reverse many chronic diseases. Scientists have studied the diets of groups of people who have very low rates of these conditions. They have found that the people who eat primarily whole foods (including mostly plants) have much lower rates of chronic illnesses. They often live longer and have a higher quality of life as a result. At the same time, numerous studies support the positive effects of eating whole foods and the negative effects of many of the ingredients found in processed foods.

Find out how whole foods prevent lost nutrition.

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Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed

Better for the Environment The world’s population is growing. As it grows, so does the need for enough food to feed all those people. That often leads to more factory-based food systems. In these systems, food is produced on a large scale, often without regard to the impact it has on the environment. These systems are efficient at producing a lot of food quickly, but this efficiency comes at a cost to the environment in addition to producing less-nutritious food. In particular, processed food production is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and damages Earth’s natural resources. Large forests are cut down to make room for more farmland to produce corn, soy, and wheat. Yes, corn, soy, and wheat are whole foods. But the vast majority of these crops are turned into foods that are not, like high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. They are stripped of their nutritional value in the process. In addition, forests cleanse the air and produce the oxygen that animals (including people) need to breathe. They also provide a place for many animals to live. At the same time, processing food consumes energy and water. It creates more pollution, because it requires massive machines. Processed foods are easier to transport for long distances, and companies transport them around the world. Making a personal choice to eat more whole foods supports forests, locally grown food, and the cleaner air that results. It protects natural resources. Finally, processed foods often require more packaging. Much of this packaging ends up in landfills, rivers, and neighborhoods, where it can be harmful to wildlife and unpleasant to see. A lot of it is made of materials that are toxic and will not break down into healthy soil. Choosing whole foods significantly reduces the amount of trash that an individual produces.

Chapter 1: Why Eat Whole Foods?

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Two deer scavenge for food scraps.

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Eating Whole Foods, Minimally Processed