Read the label before buying that food or beverage!

So many of us are accustomed to walking into the grocery store and simply pulling packages off the shelves and throwing them in our baskets without checking anything more than the price. That needs to change.

While it’s difficult to completely avoid artificial ingredients, we can all make sound nutritional choices by paying attention to what is in the processed foods we eat and making sure that the bulk of our nutrition comes from whole foods. That means eating vegetables and fruits, meats and whole grains as opposed to TV dinners and freezer aisle pizzas.

When food is processed it is often stripped of valuable micronutrients as well as fiber, which is vital for proper elimination of waste. Vegetables, grains and fruits like apples and pears are all rich in fiber while fish is a good source of essential fatty acids and nuts and seeds provide healthy fats and protein. Beef is a naturally-occurring source of creatine, which is great for building and maintaining muscle.

Of course in today’s fast-paced world we all find ourselves making food choices in the name of expediency. Yet you don’t want to rely on supplements or processed foods as your main source of nutrition. Think of them as an add-on to your whole food diet.