Clean Eating Is Good Eating

Centuries Ago, Clean Eating Was Impossible

First, let us take a look at how the term "clean eating" has evolved over the centuries.

The description for clean eating in the 21st century is much different from how you would describe it during the Dark Ages, definitely. Back then, people are known to live in unsanitary conditions; human and animal feces were scattered around, animal corpses were not buried, and even clean water was hard to come by. You can just imagine all the bacteria they got by eating literally unclean food. No wonder their lifespan was half of ours today.

Clean water then was scarce, in fact, that people drank beer to quench their thirst. As a result, most people were always drunk every day. Now that would make all beer drinkers out there turn green with envy.

Personal hygiene was non-existent during Middle Age Europe.

The only thing that worked for them was that pesticides were not invented yet. Neither were all the artificial feeds for animals, so what they ate were truly organic.

Clean Eating Is The Modern Age

Clean eating nowadays encourages the consumption of whole foods like fruits, grains, vegetables, nuts, healthy fats, and lean protein. At the same time, it discourages eating processed foods, sweets, and packaged foods that contain artificial ingredients. So this means avoiding all the junk food you are used to eating late at night.

When we say whole foods, that means food that has not been tampered with. Straight from the farm fruits, vegetables, grains, and free-range and grass-fed meats are some examples of this.

If a packaged food has a label in which you have to read all the ingredients, then you should avoid this. If it has ingredients that you do not understand or having difficulty in reading, then avoid this altogether. There are some packaged foods that you can still consume, however. Natural cheese and whole-grain pasta are some examples of packaged but good food.

Clean eating also demands that we avoid refined sugar, since it gives us nothing but empty calories.

More importantly, clean eating promotes “slow food”.  What that means is that not only should we prepare food from scratch, but we should also consider actually growing our own food. Not only is it more satisfying, but we would really know what we are putting into our mouths as well.  

The Dangers Of Pesticides In Our Food

Pesticides are poisonous substances that are used to kill, repel, and control pests. This includes insecticides for controlling insects, disinfectants for controlling the spread of bacteria, fungicides to stop the spread of molds and mildew, herbicides for destroying unwanted vegetation, and compounds used to control rats and mice. These agricultural chemicals are being used widely for the production of food, thus exposing people to low levels of pesticide residues in their diets.  Since a pesticide’s reason for being is to kill pests, it obviously has harmful chemicals that are certainly not fit for human consumption. Prolonged exposure to this may cause serious health issues.

Of course, we cannot blame those who use pesticides to protect their crops. Farmers utilize these chemicals to make sure their plants are safe from fungi, bugs, and other harmful pests.

Being exposed to pesticides puts us at risk for several types of cancer. These types of cancers include prostate cancer, brain cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and testicular cancer.

Growing Your Own Food: How To Get Started

Commercially made foods are tainted with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and neurotoxins. We also found out that most meats are genetically modified to make it look bigger. You would not want to feed these to your family for sure.

The best solution would be to take matters in your own hands. Grow your own food. In doing so, you know what you are really putting inside your body.

You do not really need a huge space to start. It would just require a lot of patience, time, planning, and initiative. Listed below are the other things you will need if you want to be self-sufficient.

Naturally, you would need gardening supplies, seeds, small trees, dehydrators, oil expellers, and canning equipment when starting. Begin with a vegetable or herb garden first along with grains and berries, and you may add fruit and nut-bearing trees later on. 

You should also create an efficient gardening area, with a water source for irrigation, composting area, and natural source of manure for fertilizing.  

What To Grow For A Bountiful Harvest

Try these vegetables and you can have a bountiful harvest every year:

Asparagus

Having a bed of asparagus is aesthetically pleasing, but it will take a lot of patience before you will start to realize its benefits. This is because it will take 3 years before asparagus can start producing. With proper care, asparagus can last for decades. It also provides one of the first garden harvests of the year.

Asparagus can be grown either from its seed or from its roots that are a year old, called crown. The crowns though grow faster and are more reliable. Do the planting during the spring.

Rhubarb

Rhubarbs, like asparagus, lasts a long time. And like the asparagus, they are one of the first garden harvests of the year. They are easy to grow and very useful, so you may want to give them a spot in your garden. Its stems are great for pie and jam, but its leaves are not edible and are in fact poisonous.

One characteristic of rhubarb is that it does not ripen, unlike other fruits and vegetables. It does not change its color. You would know if rhubarb is ready for harvest if its stem reaches 18 to 24 inches long and an inch thick.

Peppers

Honestly, who could live without peppers? Peppers come in different sizes, colors, shapes, and level of hotness. There are mild peppers, and there are very hot ones. There is a type of pepper for every single purpose.  It can be eaten fresh, stuffed, stir-fried, or baked.

When handling peppers, remember to wear gloves and avoid touching your face, especially your eyes. It would produce a burning sensation that can be a bit painful.

Raspberries

Raspberries are certainly nice to have in any garden. They can be eaten fresh, cooked, and used for jams and jelly.

Raspberries come in different colors; they can be yellow, red, purple, or black. Planting these fruits can give you about 2,500 to 3,000 pounds of raspberries per acre. One disadvantage in growing raspberries though is its short shelf life. Pick at least twice a week to avoid getting them spoiled. Raspberries will need full sun, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter, good drainage, and water.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are probably the favorite vegetable amongst many Americans.  It is simple and very easy to grow and care for and can produce a lot as long as it is given proper care. 

Tomatoes have a lot of uses, so growing them is very beneficial. They can be eaten as is, or in salads, sandwiches, on pizza and spaghetti, or in sauces.

If you want to grow tomatoes, visit the nearest nursery first. There you can pick out the best and healthiest tomato seeds. Use a small pot or small containers and plant them indoors. You can transfer them to your garden once they reach a foot tall.

One thing that could go against you when growing your own food is the dangers of pests. These plants are vulnerable to plant pests like aphids, beetles, pepper weevils, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, and many other insects of similar nature. Pests can be very bothersome.  If you need help controlling their population, just call the best pest control management in North Carolina, Go-Forth Pest Control.  

Go-Forth Is Simply The Best

No home or pest is the same, so there is no cookie-cutter solution. At Go-Forth Pest Control, we have professional technicians who will examine your home and your lawn to evaluate your individual necessity.  We will identify points of entry and make treatments as necessary. We only use state of the art equipment to keep up with these ever-evolving pests.

We bring in a new and fresh approach to the pest control industry, using family-friendly and pet-friendly methods of extermination that caters to your specific needs. Our expert experience in exterminating pests like cockroaches, wasps, weevils, mosquitoes, mice, flies, termites, ants, and spiders can really make you say goodbye to these pests in your home. You may check us on Facebook or Google us to see what our satisfied customers have to say about us.

Go-Forth Pest Control has earned the trust of residents and businesses in North Carolina for more than 50 years. For more information, or to set an appointment with our pest control technicians, just contact us today. Our friendly operators are standing by.