Healthy Food

Healthy Food vs. Unhealthy Food

Food is sold in traditional grocery stores, bulk food warehouses, farmers markets and many other places. But how do you know healthy foods from unhealthy foods when you are somewhere that doesn't have labels, like in the farmers market?

Just because you are somewhere that you have fresh food from local farms doesn't mean it's "healthy".

What IS Healthy Food?

Actually, that question and its definition are currently under review as of late 2022 by the FDA (and here it is, the end of 2025). The FDA is updating the terms "healthy" and "nutrition" (that link will take you to the article from the FDA) to reflect more accurately details about what people need and how food has such a huge impact on your health.

In general, what the FDA is planning is to (finally) update their information to align with what nutritionist and health experts have been trying to get people to understand for many years.

You need to know:

• How was it grown?
• Were pesticides used?
• If so, what sort of pesticides were used?
• Were any additives that force the food to grow faster used?
• Was salt added?
• Are there preservatives added?
• Does the food have significant nutritional value?
• How much protein is in the food?
• Does the food contain saturated fat, partially hydrogenated fat or hydrogenated fat?

The FDA states that, as an example, to include the “healthy” claim on the package, a cereal would need to contain a certain amount of whole grains and adhere to limits for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

Nuts and seeds, higher fat fish, such as salmon, certain oils, and water are examples of foods that cannot currently be labeled as “healthy” but are part of a healthy dietary pattern and recommended by the Dietary Guidelines and would qualify to bear the “healthy” claim under the proposed definition announced today.

None of that information is generally provided when you are in an open market. So how do you know? ASK!

If you are unsure whether or not the preservatives you see listed on a label are good or bad, switch to fresh or a natural food alternative that doesn't use preservatives. Healthy food will state on the package that it contains an ingredient used for preserving the contents of the package. In that instance, you should easily be able to pronounce and understand that is a preservative.

When you are in a typical grocery store, you can read the label to find out if the product has the above answered. If a label does not disclose the above, you should move to another area of the store that does reveal the answers to the above questions, or perhaps consider a new store for your regular shopping.

Does that mean you must eat only organic? No. You can get fresh food, produce, etc., without purchasing Organic items. For more details about Organic production, the Mayo Clinic does a great job at outlining that term.

But healthy food goes beyond just a label or where you purchase. The type of food is also a serious consideration. So let's outline some of the basic food groups.

What Foods Are Healthy?

For the most part, anybody could tell the difference between what we know is "good for you" as compared to "junk food". Good for you is food that has a lot of nutrients, little saturated fat or none, protein, and contains no man-made "stuff". But you already know that. And "junk food", well, you know very well all the food that goes into that category.

Here's an easier method to buy groceries. Look for the "Natural Food" section of your store. Usually, the natural foods are on the outer areas - not in the main aisles. However, some of the major corporate grocery stores have decided to make it more difficult for those of us who prefer healthy food and they have moved the health foods from around the outer aisles in with everything else.

So you will need to look for a sign displayed indicating "Natural". Go there. Buy from that area. And if you aren't sure with the dairy or some other foods, look at that label. When you read ingredients that you cannot pronounce or have never heard the term, maybe put that item back and look for one that has ingredients you understand.

In general, you should be looking at the ingredients label to assure there is no: Saturated Fat, Partially Saturated, or Hydrogenated Fat. Also, no salt added. Yes, folks. If you are a big fan of adding salt to everything, STOP! Your body needs salt, but if you eat healthy foods, the amount of salt you require is already consumed without adding salt to anything. Leave the salt. Use it for things that "require" salt, such as bread. You cannot make bread without salt. Experiment with some natural spices. Put the salt shaker away. Force yourself or your family to make the effort to go get the salt if they demand more. But don't just put it on the table to easily use.

NOTE: Hydrogenated fat is saturated fat that has been air-whipped before being added to foods, thus allowing the manufacturer to state that it does not contain saturated fat. Once you eat hydrogenated fat, it returns to its original state - saturated fat. Anything that lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat is simply saturated fat. Don't purchase items with those ingredients.

Vegetables: Peas are one of the best, natural sources of protein; Broccoli; Corn; and all the other vegetables you like are very good for you...as long as they are fresh and not grown with pesticides and have not been Genetically Modified. If they are in a can, read the label to see if salt or preservatives were added. If yes, pass and look for an alternative without the junk.

Meat: Chicken & Turkey have less fat than any other meat and more protein than other meats (except some seafood). The fat from Chicken and Turkey is different and lighter on your stomach than other meats. It's much more healthy for you to eat either of those meats, but you may still eat whatever meat you desire - just limit them to perhaps 2 or 3 times per week. Just remember, those other meats raise your bad Cholesterol level. Higher bad Cholesterol means your heart has to work harder as the Cholesterol builds in your arteries. The more it builds the harder your heart works until, eventually, your heart cannot pump as necessary which leads to serious health risks.

Carbohydrates: Potatoes; Natural Cereal; Natural Snack Chips; Crackers; Home Made Wheat Bread; etc. Carbohydrates do not make you fat just because they are Carbohydrates! Carbohydrates to your body are a necessity. They act like a log on a fire - as compared to a piece of paper in the fire. One burns for a long time and warms the room. The other, well, it's burned in less than a second in a hot fire and provides....nothing. Carbohydrates are necessary to help distribute nutrients throughout your body. Carbohydrates provide long-lasting energy. Like every type of food, you will get fat if you eat too much. If you have too much beef, too much fish, too much chicken, or any other natural, healthy food, you will gain weight. And one more complex carbohydrate needs to be mentioned due to its quality and what it provides. Oatmeal! Think "drain-snake for your arteries". Yes. Eating oatmeal regularly will work to clean your arteries of plaque.

Consider processed sugar is the sheet of paper in the above scenario. Your body turns many things into a "type" of sugar that provides energy for your body. All sugars are NOT alike. If you eat processed sugar (think granulated sugar - NOT fruit sugar!), your body "thinks" you just provided some good energy to burn. When the sugar is burned very fast (which is always what happens with processed sugar), the body stops the energy flow because it realizes that you ate processed sugar and not carbohydrates or fruit which the body has to convert into a natural sugar. That conversion process takes time which allows you more energy for a longer period. Simple processed sugar burns you out and you feel like napping after it wears off. We've all watched children who've eaten sugar. They run around all full of energy - for a "short" period of time. Then, they end up laying on the floor ready to take a nap.It that were potato chips they binged on to get that energy, you'd be best to send them outdoors because that energy is going to hang on for a while.

It's difficult to burn off carbohydrates because they are doing what they are supposed to do for the body - acting like that big log on the fire. Runners and seasoned athletes who compete for hours do what's called "carbo load" the day before an event. Why? Because all those carbs take a long time to burn, and will provide energy for a long time.

Fruit: Banana; Apple; Peach; Pear; Orange; Pineapple (and the list goes on - you know all the fruits, or at least many that you enjoy). I just can't think of a bad fruit, although there are many I prefer not to eat. The one thing I hear a LOT from people is that they stay away from fruit because it has sugar. That is absolutely incorrect! Fruits have "naturally created" sugar, but it is not processed sugar. The difference? The sugar in fruit is very healthy and your body takes time to break down the fruit, convert it to sugar and use that completely natural sugar as energy. Processed sugar is just that - it's already been processed, so when it goes into your body it burns very fast because your body does can't do anything with that other than provide "short bursts" of energy. Fruit sugar = good. Processed sugar (e.g. candy; sugar on cereal; etc.) = bad.

Dairy: Milk; Cheese; Eggs; Yogurt; Let's stop there. Butter is obviously a dairy product, and it has a lot of fat. It adds flavor to cooking and baking. But, it's also high in Saturated Fat - the bad fat. So you need to limit how much butter you use. Like salt, it can enhance flavor, but it's not healthy for you to eat a lot. There are many dairy products, but those not listed here are products you should also avoid, or use very sparingly due to the high saturated fat content and other UN-healthy ingredients.

What's wrong with saturated fat you may ask? Let me explain how to identify saturated fat compared to unsaturated fat so that you can truly understand the difference. Saturated fat is any fat that is "solid" at room temperature. Think of butter, lard, fat from meat and some others. After you ingest saturated fat, even if it was a liquid at the time you ate that saturated fat, it will return to the solid form making it very difficult for your blood to pass through your body. The more saturated fat you eat, the slower your blood flows. When your blood can no longer flow "enough", you could have a heart attack - or worse. That fat builds up on the walls of your blood supply and narrows the stream of blood through the body. Your heart has to work overtime in order to get the required amount of blood throughout your system. Each person is different, but, eventually, that plaque build-up will wear out your heart. Think of a water pump trying to push water through a hose - with a cap on the end. How long will that pump last?

Unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature. Nothing wrong with that. Unsaturated fats are also used by the body to transport nutrients through the body and keep your skin from drying out, as just a couple of examples. Unsaturated fats are good for you!

Seafood: Fish; Shellfish; Most anything found in the ocean is healthy for you, although man has polluted many areas of the sea so that some fish is not "as" healthy as it once was. But even today, it's the best meat you can eat.

Seaweed is consumed by many, and it's alright as long as you don't eat a lot because it's loaded with salt. 

When you hear advertisements or other information stating how good red meat is for you, that's the cattle, pork and other industries trying to sell their products - nothing more. Does that mean meat other than fish, turkey and chicken is bad? All other meats do have protein which is very good for you. But, if you put aside the flavor you like from those meats, the high salt content and high fat content in all of those other meats are what make them "less healthy" for you. So eat those meats only a few times weekly instead of having them as your main diet.

Food that is not listed here should be considered as something not recommended. Canned foods are not listed because there are "organic" canned foods and "non-organic" canned foods and they differ greatly! If you purchase something in a can, read the label. If it has salt, fat, partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated fat, or preservatives (things you cannot pronounce), put the can down.

Salt?!  What's Wrong With Salt?!

Salt is salt regardless from where it comes or the color or anything else. Salt - sodium - should only be consumed in small doses per day - 2.3 grams (2,300 milligrams) or less. 1 teaspoon of table salt contains 2,325 milligrams. Think of how much salt you eat daily and understand, 1 teaspoon was your limit for the day! Keep that number in your mind every time you pick up a salt shaker or consider adding salt to what you are cooking or baking. Too much salt will also make you bloat. There are many, many negative affects from sodium. Do not use it unless it's mandatory (that does not mean your flavor enhancement mandates salt!).

If you never added salt to anything you would live longer and be much, much healthier! If you limited your additional salt to say 100 grains in your hand per day (or 2.5 grams which is about a teaspoon), that's great. You already eat salt from most foods naturally. To "add" salt to anything is simply a habit. It takes 21 days (3 weeks) to make or break any habit. That means if you stop using salt, in 3 weeks you'll be ready to put it away unless you are baking.

Celery has a high salt content. I'm sure you didn't know that. Name a food and it's most likely got "some" salt. That said, adding salt to your baking, cooking or especially on everything you have on your plate is horrible! If you are adding salt for "flavor" only, meaning, it's not added because the other ingredients need that salt to react properly in the recipe, then do not add that salt.

If you are baking, and you know what you are baking has very specific requirements, like bread, then you must add salt to a bread recipe because salt controls the yeast by slowing it down so the yeast works slow and makes the bread rise slowly If you don't use salt in your bread recipe, your bread will come out..."less than desirable" (read that as, "it will be a mess").

Much of baking is "science". That means there is science that has been used to prefect the recipe. If salt is left out of the recipe which calls for it (and not used just for flavor), then the recipe can really suffer in the end result.

The easiest way to know when to add salt is, look at / read through the recipe and see if the salt is used as part of the recipe, or simply for flavor. If you are trying to create flavor, forget salt and work with natural spices, different onion, garlic, peppers, or any other natural flavor ingredient. You would be amazed at what flavors you can bring out in food when you add the right spices.

I thought you need salt in your diet

Yes, you need salt for your body. But you can be very healthy eating less than 2.5 grams of salt daily added to your food. The reason most people use so much salt is because...they have been abusing salt for many, many years. That means, they have trained their taste buds to high levels of salt for so long that they don't taste food that does not have high levels of salt added.

Salt opens the pores of your tongue. Doing so "tricks" the body into thinking there is a lot more "flavor" in the food with the salt. But if you never added salt to anything, over a few months your body would realize that there is a lot of flavor that you'd been missing because of too much salt. And, you can enhance the flavor of anything you cook by experimenting with "healthy" spices.

The reverse is also true. If you continue to add a lot of salt to your food, you will continue to "increase" the amount of salt you add because your tongue becomes overly used to the amount of salt - it needs more to bring out the flavor to which you are used. If you never used salt, you'd always be able to create the recipe the same each time and the flavor would be the same.

Use spices and other ingredients to enhance your food - not salt. Things like onion, red onion, garlic, onion powder, curry, ginger (and SO many other spices that there's not room to list them) which can be used to provide wonderful flavors your entire family will enjoy, Just try a little experimenting.

Healthy food from Garrison Body in the "Men Cook" section (part of our membership program) will provide recipes and videos of how to cook healthy meals.

Keep These in Your Pantry

If you have spices like Garlic Powder (or fresh Garlic), Cumin, Ginger, Curry, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, then you simply need to do a little experimenting. Or, you can read some recipes that use simple spices. You could make Ginger / Curry Chicken with a little onion powder and Garlic Powder. Grill that and you'll be surprised how good that chicken is, and moist (if you grill one side for just 2 or 3 minutes, then flip it back to cook 20 minutes on the other side, then flip again for an additional 20 minutes to grill both sides).

You don't need to add salt. Serve that with a baked potato and vegetables, no salt on any of that and you have a really healthy meal. Use shredded Parmesan Cheese on the vegetables if you wish, and that cheese, because it's got salt in it will be fine, along with Sun Dried Tomatoes with a little Poppy Seed dressing on your potato. The flavors with that combination are absolutely wonderful! And your salt intake for the day will easily be fulfilled.

How do I know it's not just "my" taste buds? Because I raised my daughter who had no problem telling me if what I cooked was good, bad or somewhere in between. So if you have teenagers, you can bet that you will know very fast if you created something good. I also grew up with a person who "poured" salt on everything! That's the way people were raised in the early 1900's because they didn't know about all kinds of other spices.

To make it easier for you to create a few recipes, take a look a "Men Cook" (our membership portion of the site coming soon) here in Garrison Body. There, you will find a lot of great recipes, and the list will have more added monthly.

Because salt is such a contentious subject to discuss, take a few minutes to read this article from Queensland Health Government site - Australia. Even though the article is from Australia, you can be certain that people in the U.S. are suffering from the exact same issues.

What sort of health issues come from too much salt? Here's a short-list:

• enlarged heart muscle
• headaches
• heart failure
• high blood pressure
• kidney disease
• kidney stones
• osteoporosis
• stomach cancer
• stroke

Before you consider consulting your general practitioner (your typical doctor), you need to understand that most physicians have no training in health and nutrition! At best, they get 1 week of nutritional information during their many years of training to become a doctor.

You will learn more facts about health and nutrition from Garrison Body than you will from your general practitioner. They are trained to fix things - not prevent. They can tell you what causes many health issues, but they don't know enough to tell you how to have great eating and cooking habits. They have no idea how many Calories are right your "your" body. But they will try, and the information is usually far from correct - or valuable. You'll be lucky if your doctor can quote the FDA on how many Calories you should eat daily. And the FDA is changing that information (about 30 years past due) to better reflect the "average" person.

The FDA daily Calorie consumption information is based upon a very healthy, 23 year old male athlete. Why? Because the FDA thought that would be a good model. If that's not your gender or age, then the information about how many Calories "you" should have daily are incorrect. What it comes down to when considering why the FDA is so far from reality, is the fact that all their science failed to use "real-world data". That means, they did not test many "average" people to understand what is truly mandated to know in order to formulate the daily caloric consumption for "average" people, as well as well-conditioned athletes. So Garrison Body did to the correct research for more than 40 years.

In all of this information, if you feel as if you cannot get answers that pertain to "you" and how "your" daily activities effect your body, then you are not wrong. But stay right here in Garrison Body because as you wander through the pages, you will find how to answer the questions that make sense "for you". Hint = check out our Proprietary Calorie Calculator.

Where Can I Find Healthy Recipes?

Now THAT is a great question! Right here in Garrison Body! Keep your eyes on this site because during the redevelopment of Garrison Body (late 2025), there will be a section all about cooking called "Men Cook". And, please know that the recipes and methods are NOT what a typical "guy" would create. They are recipes for anybody. They are prepared with care and focus on taste as well as simplicity and health. Yes, there will be many recipes that are quite complicated. But for the weekly meals, you'll find an array of good tasting, easy to prepare healthy foods most anybody will enjoy.