Five Things Health Nuts Do To Their Food

There are a lot of things that are done to food before it makes it into the mouth. Unfortunately, many of these things deteriorate the structure of the food and make it less nutritious like microwaving and frying at high heat.

However, if you are a true health nut, you dramatically cut back on the high heat and destruction of food and focus on processes that leave it raw or lightly cooked so as to provide more nutrients to the body.

Here are five of those preparation methods.

Blending

One of the first things you will see in a health nut’s home is a high quality blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec. There are many great ways to use a blender, but some of the most common are to create delicious smoothies, soups, and dips.

A common staple in any health nut’s diet is a smoothie. Nothing wakes up a thirsty, hungry, and acidic body first thing in the morning more than a delicious, alkaline, and satisfying superfood smoothie. Not only that, but you can pack more nutrition in a single smoothie than most people can pack in for an entire day, which results in incredible healing benefits. It makes getting in your daily fruits, vegetables, super foods, fibre, protein, and healthy fats, incredibly easy.

Another great use for a blender is making cold and hot soups. Blending your ingredients and making a smooth textured soup greatly assists in the digestion and assimilation of nutrients so that you are absorbing as many of the beneficial vitamins, minerals, and enzymes as possible.

Finally, another major use for blenders is making fresh and savoury dips. Whether it’s an award winning almond hummus or a healthy mayonnaise, blenders make it incredibly easy to whip these dips up in a fraction of the time and with flavourful results.

Life isn’t the same in a health nut’s home without a blender.

Juicing

Another important component to preparing healthy food is juicing. Health nuts will spend more time preparing a fresh juice than most people spend preparing dinner. True story.

Juice is a great idea because it allows you to maximize your intake of fruits and vegetables (you can easily get 5 servings in a 16 oz glass), while creating maximum absorption of nutrients and enzymes with little to no stress on the digestive system in the process.

There is no shortage of creativity you can unleash while making a juice. To avoid consuming too much fruit sugar, make sure to use more vegetables and herbs and add only a serving of fruit to sweeten the juice if necessary.

In terms of staying fresh, juice should be consumed immediately after it has been rendered to enjoy the nutrients and enzymes at their highest value. However, it can last a couple days if you properly use citrus and have a slow masticating juicer, as well as storing it in airtight jars with as little room left at the top as possible.

Fermenting

Another popular thing health nuts do with their food is fermentation. Although not as prevalent as some of the other methods, it is perhaps the most important of all.

Fermentation is the art of taking a food medium, adding a probiotic culture, and placing it in airtight containers to allow the bacteria to replicate to create an end product teeming with probiotics, vitamins, enzymes, and other beneficial nutrients.

It’s very important to note that since we have 10 times more bacteria than cells in our body and 80% of our immune system lies within our digestive system, fermented foods are one of the most important things you can do for your health. True healing does not begin until you get these foods into your diet. And fermenting foods is a very cheap method of preservation. Done correctly, fermented foods can last as long or longer than that jar of pickles in the cold room, with way more health benefits.

Dehydrating

Many health nuts prepare their foods in a way that results in a lot less heat, leaving them much more “‘raw”, keeping delicate enzymes and nutrients intact for consumption.

A dehydrator essentially allows you to create food that would traditionally be baked at much higher temperatures, such as breads, crackers, granola, and crusts, and allows you to gently heat them at levels that keep the delicate nutrients intact. It also allows you to create dried fruit, “chips” (kale chips are outstanding) and other treats that can last much longer than their fresh counterparts.

Dehydrating can preserve food for an indefinite amount of time and is a great choice for hiking or long trips. Try out this kale chip recipe, and you’ll be hooked!

Soaking/Sprouting

A sure sign you are in a health nut’s house is various bowls on the counter (right beside the jars of fermented and dehydrated foods) with standing water, filled with nuts, seeds, and grains. There is a method behind their madness.

Nature has set it up so that the nut, grain, and seed may survive until proper growing conditions are present. Nature’s defense mechanism includes nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances that can be removed naturally when there is enough precipitation to sustain a new plant after the nut, grain, or seed germinates. When it rains the nut, grain or seed gets wet and can then germinate to produce a plant. So we are mimicking nature when we soak our nuts, grains, and seeds.

Nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances found in nuts, grains, and seeds can be minimized or eliminated by soaking. These inhibitors and toxic substances are enzyme inhibitors, phytates (phytic acid), polyphenols (tannins), and goitrogens.

Since nuts and seeds provide a wide array of healthy fats, protein, trace minerals, and nutrients it is a good idea to include them in your diet. Just make sure you soak them to ensure they provide the most benefits, with minimal side effects.

This is a just handful of tricks a health nut can show you to help you lead a healthier lifestyle. If you would appreciate a definite plan, support, and lifetime membership to a lifestyle that has proven to create vastly improved health, get involved in the THRIVE Academy.

Sources for this article include:

Things Health Nuts Do With Their Food