| Healthy eating starts with careful planning and | | | | aromatic herbs in pots on your window and use |
| organization. Since fresh produce has a very | | | | them fresh whenever you need them. To |
| limited shelf life, regular grocery shopping is a | | | | preserve flavor, you can buy spices whole and |
| must. Creating a menu for the week and writing | | | | use them freshly ground. |
| out a shopping list will save you time and money; | | | | Cheese. Although cheese is quite rich in fats, |
| while helping you stick to healthy recipes. Local | | | | cheese is a great source of vitamins and minerals. |
| health food stores and farmer markets are very | | | | Buy only fresh cheeses in small quantities and try |
| money-wise solutions. Plus, frequent visits will allow | | | | to eat them at once, since gourmet cheeses |
| you expand your culinary horizons as well as | | | | don't have a lengthy shelf life. |
| mingle with other health-concerned people. | | | | Eggs. Buy only organic or free-range eggs, and |
| Healthy eating means using fresh ingredients and | | | | shake them before buying to ensure freshness. |
| gentle cooking methods without adding any | | | | Fish and shellfish. The best way to buy fish is |
| artificial ingredients and fats. Healthy eating | | | | fresh and unfrozen. Again, most of the fish in |
| requires a lot of cooking, since take-out food | | | | supermarkets comes from fish farms where it is |
| often contains too many refined fats and artificial | | | | fed with artificial substances, and this fish cannot |
| seasonings. However, with modern appliances you | | | | be used in healthy recipes. Pink salmon and other |
| will discover that cooking is no longer an annoying | | | | popular kinds of fish will most likely come from a |
| chore reserved for special occasions, but an | | | | fish farm. Shellfish is a more healthy choice, since |
| exciting part of everyday life. | | | | shrimp, for example, does not live in chemically |
| So which products should we buy when we | | | | polluted water. When you boil mussels, discard |
| actually decide to begin eating healthy food? | | | | those that do not open. |
| Here's what your weekly shopping list should | | | | Meat. For truly healthy eating purposes it's better |
| include. | | | | to skip meat entirely, since it's almost impossible |
| Vegetables. All vegetables should be eaten young, | | | | to find meat that comes from an environmentally |
| when they are tender and not coarse. Vegetables | | | | and health conscious farmer. Most of the meat in |
| are best bought from fresh food markets or | | | | supermarkets has enormous quantities of growth |
| seasonal, when they are sold in boxes or baskets. | | | | hormones and antibiotics. The best meat for use |
| Supermarket vegetables are often genetically | | | | in healthy recipes comes from small farming |
| modified or have been picked green and ripened in | | | | communities or organic farms. |
| boxes when traveling long distances. Sprouts and | | | | Grains. Whole wheat and whole grains should |
| brightly colored vegetables contain the most | | | | become a staple of your healthy eating routine, |
| vitamins and antioxidants. | | | | because many healthy ingredients are contained in |
| Fruits. Again, the trick is to buy seasonal fruit, | | | | the grain shell. Rice is the only exclusion from the |
| since exotic fruits have often traveled long | | | | rule, because, even though the rice grain shell is |
| distances and ripened in their boxes, not on trees. | | | | removed, many nutritional elements still remain in |
| Local, naturally ripened or, better yet, organic fruit | | | | the rice grain. |
| are the best choice for the health-conscious cook. | | | | What we eat become a part of us. So make |
| Herbs. Aromatic herbs and spices can be used | | | | your kitchen a starting point for your new healthy |
| fresh or dried. The best idea is to plant the | | | | eating habits, and enjoy preparing healthy meals. |