When I was younger, we were only allowed to have homemade breads and sliced fruits and vegetables (carrots, sweet potato and cucumber) for snacks. While we got our unhealthy treats once in a while, it became our habit to choose our usual snack over chocolate bars and soda. I consider myself lucky on this point.

This changed when I went to college. Although I commuted to uni everyday from home, I had a limited budget while inside the campus and this situation introduced me to energy drinks, vending machines and cup noodles over healthy lunch meals.

Then I started working for big companies. While I was earning enough for a decent meal, the stress always lured me back to junk foods because it comforted me in my hour of need, plus the limited time for lunch breaks and long lineups are made for for fast food.

The majority of the people I know, and some of those close to me, refer to junk foods as comfort food. Junk food doesn't necessarily mean chips flavoured with gsm and artificial flavouring. We can also use this as a reference for foods that are processed, made with preservatives, artificial flavourings, additives that are unhealthy and do not contribute any good to our body.



Getting an unhealthy treat once in a while is okay. A bite, a spoonful, a glass is okay but if you’re consuming a pack of chocolates on your own or have been ordering fast foods, take outs everyday, or if the vending machine is your new best friend then it is not okay! But fear not, there are actually nutritious foods that you can eat to counter the negative effects of junk foods.



1. Carb-packed meals

A heavy meal with a lot of carbs spikes up our blood sugar. Using vinegar can prevent your blood sugar to rise up. A healthy way to counter carbs is to use a spoonful of vinegar on a salad. There are many types of vinegar dressings, like sweet vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar - the choice is yours.

We love the apple cider vinegar salad dressing for its added alkalizing benefits, as well as giving more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals than vinegar made from distilled grains. The reason for its many benefits stems from ‘The Mother’, which looks like a murky web at the bottom of the bottle. This is basically a ball of acetic acid, cellulose (fiber), enzymes, and bacteria, so always make sure you pick up a raw unpasteurized and cloudy ACV to get these great benefits.



2. Grilled meats

While grilled foods are considered to be healthier than fried foods, because of the lack of oil used in frying, they are still considered as an increased risk to cancer because of the carcinogens. The good news is that you can avoid carcinogens when grilling or at least reduce it.

You can also eat cruciferous vegetables to help clear carcinogens from your body. Examples of cruciferous vegetables are cabbage - think coleslaw, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, arugula, chard and mustard greens. For a full list click here.

3. Red Meats

7 ounces of red wine to be exact is what you need to help your body absorb the toxins from red meat that can lead to heart disease. Aside from enjoying a glass of wine, you can also use red wine as marinade or sauce for your red meats.



4. Fast Food and Pizza

A single piece of processed french fries can contain a lot of free radicals and we know that when there is free radical, there is cell damage. A dessert of cherries, blueberries, grapes or kiwis will speed up antioxidants in your body to fight the damage.



5. Salty foods

After indulging on salty food, 2 ounces of chocolate (dark preferably) and made of at least 60% cocoa can help lower your blood pressure and keep your kidney in check. If you’re going to use this hack, make sure to watch out for milk chocolates and white chocolates as they will not be as effective as dark chocolates.

If you have access to wide selection of chocolates, you can try the sugarfree variants. It doesn't have to be a chocolate bar, you can also whip up a chocolate drink from pure powdered cocoa.



6. High-Fat Meal

Triglycerides flood your system after a high-fat meal. It slows down circulation. A cup of antioxidants can prevent this. Antioxidants come in many forms, according to Dr. Axe, here are the top 10 High Antioxidant Foods List. So you’re not stuck with grapes and berries, there are other options to choose from.

7. Ionized water

And of course, ionized water also helps in protecting your body from free radicals. While we may not be able to completely cut-off consuming junk foods, we can always do something to lessen its negative effect on our body.
 
Alkaline water pitchers, bottles, and filters are readily available on the market because people are becoming self-aware of its wonderful benefits. We made it our mission at Invigorated Water, to deliver outstanding water products and help create invigorated lives.

 One of our latest products is the pH ON-THE-GO alkaline water pouch, which comes in a 3pack of handy reusable foil zip-lock bags, each containing an alkaline water pouch that can be reused for 30 days. It is the perfect travel companion, whether you are traveling far or just want to keep an alkaline aid with you safely in your bag for everyday use. Our new Alkaline Glass Water Filter bottle, pH HYDRATE, comes with one pH ON-THE-GO

Until next week - stay healthy - stay invigorated!