the Seven Criteria for Food Selection

The Seven Criteria for Food Selection. This is such valuable information we thought we’d share with you too.

These seven criteria (found in Annemarie Colbin’s “Food and Healing”) can help us find healthful food wherever we are; they are not dependent on laboratory studies, tables of calories and fat content, or individual nutrients, all of which are subject to endless changes and revisions over the years. They are based on age-old principles and observations, and have been proven good in the laboratory of life. For this reason, this model is “fad-proof” and flexible.

1. Whole: As nature provides them,d with all their edible parts (grains with their bran and germ, apples with their skin); cooked or raw vegetables or fruits rather than processed juice or viatmins. Whole foods supply all of nature’s nutrients in a team, as well as providing us with the life energy of the food.

2. Fresh, Natural, Real, Organically Grown: Not canned, not frozen, certainly not irradiated or genetically engineered; free of chemical additives, colorings, preservatives. The foods we choose should be the real thing, full of their life energy, not imitations, which invariably turn out to have some health-damaging effects. Organically grown foods have not only proven to be higher in nutrients, but also taste far superior.

3. Seasonal: To be in harmony with our environment, it is a good idea to choose summery foods in the summer, wintery foods in the winter. Fruits and vegetables in season are cheaper and do not lose nutrients like foods that have transported long distances. They also taste better.

4. Local: Local produce tastes better, costs less and is more nutritious because it is picked riper and does not lose nutrients in travel.

5. In Harmony with Tradition: We should pay attention to what our ancestors ate and incorporate those foods into our modern diet whenever possible, maybe with some modifications (less salt, less sugar).

6. Balanced: It’s important to make sure there is enough protein, carbohydrates, fat and micro nutrients in our diet as a whole. For sensory and aesthetic satisfaction, we also need to include foods with a variety of flavors, colors and textures.

7. Delicious: There is no point in eating “healthy” food if it doesn’t taste good! Besides, our taste buds can guide us, when encountering whole, real, natural foods, to what we need and what we don’t need – and we’d do well to listen.