Whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds are widely recognized as healthy foods, but without taking a few important precautions, they may not be nearly as healthy as you think.

Most people buy grain products that are heavily processed and nuts that are roasted and salted. The processing involved reduces the nutritional quality of the food and usually involves the addition of unhealthy additives. If it’s not enough that people eat these processed varieties on a regular basis, the problem is made worse by some of the undesirable substances that exist in grains, beans, nuts, and seeds when they’re not prepared properly. As such, it’s best to buy these foods in their natural and whole form, or as close to it as possible, and prepare them yourself. If that’s not possible, you should at least buy from companies that have already done the work for you.

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