Eat Smarter

Upon entering any grocery store one can feel a bit overwhelmed. We all want to eat smarter, but aside from increasing our fruit and vegetable intake and cutting out processed foods we may not know what to do next. We can walk the aisles, looking at all of our options, but not truly understand all that we were seeing. We may know that organic is the ideal, but what do the terms “all-natural” or non-GMO or “free-range” really mean? For that matter, is it really that important to know? What about the use of antibiotics and pesticides in the feed, how the animals are housed, and high levels of omega-3s? All that we find on the labels can be quite confusing.

The purpose of this blog post and the next four is to break down the food groups that create the most confusion:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Salmon

Hamburgers seem to be an American favorite, especially during the warmer months. The choices you will find in the meat department are numerous, from the cut of meat to the type of meat. You have probably heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” The same is true with cattle. The beef they produce is in essence what they eat. If they are raised on grains with a mixture of antibiotics and hormones, rather than the grass they were intended to eat, then that is what you consume as well.

A favorite protein is chicken. This animal is meant to eat both grains and protein from insects. Much of the chicken consumed today has been confined to a cage and fed the same type of grain as that of the cattle. Grain that is laden with antibiotics and hormones. Now imagine the impact on the eggs that these chickens produce.

It is common knowledge that salmon is a healthy fish to eat. However, the means by which it is raised and/or caught can compromise its nutritional value. Clever names are given to project a different image. For example, did you know that Atlantic salmon is actually farm raised salmon? Why not just say farm raised?

The next four blog posts will dig deeper into what the best options are for you and your family when it comes to beef, chicken, eggs, and salmon. The more you know the better decisions you can make.