A Healthy You: Let food be your medicine

“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”.When it comes to healthy eating, nothing beats whole foods in their natural state. We all know that we need to eat our fruits and veggies for optimal health. A plant-based diet may reduce cancer risk, help prevent recurrence as well as reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimers.So, what is a whole food? Think fruits, veggies, whole grains, meats and eggs. Think of the processing of white bread-they take a healthy grain and strip out the bran and germ ( which contains a lot of the fiber and vitamins and minerals), grind it up, add vitamins and then bake.A healthy whole foods diet should consist of the following:- at least 7-9 fruits and vegetables- try to consume dark green leafy and cruciferous ( broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) vegetables daily- eat blueberries, raspberries, strawberries at least several times a week- eat at least 2 servings of whole grains( if the label states enriched-its not a whole grain)- think of meat as a side dish and fruits, veggies and grains at the entrees- eat beans at least several times per week -avoid food products with ingredients we can’t pronounce- avoid products that contain more than 5 ingredientsEating healthy is a gift to you and your family. Focus on healthy eating and you can’t go wrong. Remember if its from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t. And please don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does.