Tip: You have a choice in what you eat. Make sure that your meal plan is built around nourishing your body and not just feeding it.
by the Chef Marshall O'Brien Group
We must all eat to survive, but nourishing differs from merely eating. Nourishing involves eating foods that help us perform, feel and look our best, and helps our children develop, both physically and mentally, to their full potential. Sometimes, what we think of as “eating” involves consuming foods that actually make us feel worse, put our emotions and energy level on a rollercoaster, and eventually make us sick. Since most of us in the United States are fortunate to have access to a wide range of plentiful foods, why not choose the foods that nourish us and help us be our best?
Where Are Nourishing Foods Found?
Nourishing foods provide the vitamins, minerals and fiber that help your body work well and feel great. Most grocery stores do you a favor by placing these nourishing foods in an easy to find spot. Take a walk around the perimeter of your grocery store and you will find them: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, fish, poultry and lean meats. Fill your grocery cart with these delicious, unprocessed foods and you will be nourishing yourself and your family.
A Colorful Variety of Fruits and Veggies
Challenge yourself to choose fruits and vegetables from every color of the rainbow! Not only will you have a beautiful cartful of food, you will be ensuring that you are providing your family the full range of vitamins and minerals they need to grow and reach their full potential. When your refrigerator is filled with a rainbow of nourishing foods, you will be more likely to reach for snacks that sustain your energy through the afternoon slump and help you feel buoyant throughout your busy day. Meals made from these delicious ingredients can be simple and more cost-effective than their processed alternatives. And your body will feel better than ever!
Avoid Processed Foods, Which May Be Falsely Labeled “Healthy”
Processed foods are filled with added sugar, unhealthy fats and preservatives, and excess sodium, causing many of the problems you face each day. It is easy to identify the usual suspects that fill this category, but many others are marketed as “healthy”, hiding ingredients that will inevitably drag you down: heavily refined carbohydrates, breads labeled “whole wheat” that do not contain a single whole grain, hidden sugars and trans fats, and huge amounts of sodium in canned foods and broths, to name a few. These processed foods tamper with your emotions and your energy level, can lead to inflammation and pain in your body, and over time result in chronic illness. To preserve your wellbeing, minimize or eliminate these foods.
When you nourish your body, you will love the way you feel
The Chef Marshall O’Brien Group is a dedicated assembly of professionals based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, committed to the goal of using nutrition to get kids and families to lead happier, healthier lives.