What Is a Healthy Diet?

A healthy diet, however, is not arrived at by process of elimination. It is assembled from the foods with the most beneficial substances. More often than not, it is what we fail to eat that causes health problems, not merely what we do eat.

Before we can get a grasp of the elements of a healthy diet, the food industry takes advantage of our confusion. Foods are marketed not on the basis of what they have, but of what they lack. Sugar and white flour are mixed together with toxic additives to create cakes that are "fat-free." Margarine-a destructive food if ever there was one - is sold to you under the guise of being "cholesterol-free."And fried corn chips are celebrated for having "one-third less salt."

THE PRINCIPLES OF HEALTHY EATING

• Eat whole, unrefined foods high in nutrient density and as close to their natural state as possible.
• Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. .
• Eat a diet that promoted longevity in your ancestors.
• Eat according to the needs of your own unique bi9- chemistry and lifestyle.

Healthy eating principles don't lead to a restrictive, boring diet. Bland food is not necessarily health-promoting. Herbs, spices, condiments, and interesting ways of preparing foods are often beneficial. Many herbs we use to flavor foods are actually important- sources of trace minerals and immuneboosting pigments known as bioflavonoids.