How To Be As Healthy As Possible When Eating A Staple Food

The word food literally means the food of life. In the most literal sense, food refers to any food that nourishes an organism, whether it is a human being or a dog. In the more metaphoric sense, food refers to the nourishment provided by the living world to living creatures, whether it is for plants or animals. In both senses, food shares common characteristics, which include:

Although there are a wide variety of food across the globe, the typical Western diet of white rice, French fries, and other processed grains and legumes is extremely unhealthy. This type of eating puts a tremendous strain on the health of the ecosystems of the food has traveled through, in turn lowering wildlife populations and adversely affecting the people living in those ecosystems. In addition, some types of food that have become trendy, such as organic foods and “natural” foods are rapidly rising in popularity among Western consumers. These foods often lack some of the key characteristics of typical food, including chemical additives, dangerous pesticides, artificial hormones, etc. The result is that many people living in food deserts have been forced to look for healthier options, despite having to travel far from home to find them.

However, food choices do not need to be limited to staples such as rice, wheat, potatoes, and cheese. Many people have begun to develop a love affair with a much broader range of foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, roots, meats, fish, milk, honey, eggs, and butter. These alternative foods can be used instead of or in place of regular food groups, depending on individual preferences. For example, some people have discovered that eating a large salad with raw vegetables, fish, and a small amount of nuts instead of a huge dinner of French fries and bread is much healthier than having a large dinner with French fries, cheese, baked potato, and a baked chicken. Although this may seem like an extreme example, the fact that many people can now live better lives by replacing unhealthy food groups with more healthful alternatives shows that change is possible, even when it comes to our staple food.