Is that REAL food you're eating?

I really enjoy reading Dr. Mercola's newsletters. The following is an excerpt from his recent newsletter on the perils of eating fast food.  He talks about the 6 month old McD's hamburger that looks as fresh as a new burger. Why? How? Do you really want to eat that - or feed it to your kids? 

Here are his guidelines for for finding and eating REAL Food. 

Shopping Guidelines for Real, Health-Promoting Food

Regardless of where you do your grocery shopping, these are the signs of high-quality, health-promoting foods you want to look for:

1. It's grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers (organic foods fit this description, but so do some non-organic foods)
2. It's not genetically modified
3. It contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs
4. It does not contain any artificial ingredients, including chemical preservatives
5. It is fresh (keep in mind that if you have to choose between wilted organic produce or fresh conventional produce, the latter may be the better option)
6. It did not come from a factory farm
7. It is grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors)
8. It is grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants)

If the food meets these criteria, it is most likely a wise choice, and would fall under the designation of "real food."

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 Just wanted to share this with you. If you follow these guidelines, you can't go wrong.

Mary