Tag Archives: healthy nutrition

October 5, 2011 · 4:35 pm

Why Organic is Worth the Price

Photo of people and buckets of applesAccording to the Organic Trade Association , “there is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production—cleanup of polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, costs of health care for farmers and their workers—were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same or, more likely, be cheaper.” We are just learning about what the harmful effects pesticides have on our bodies. It is too soon to tell what health care costs will be associated with all of the chemical exposure. Buying organic is certainly worth it.

This is the closing statement in a terrific article that I found today.  The full text is definitely worth reading.  Click HERE

The website where I found this article is called “Generations of Organic”Generations of Organic logo and seems to be a project of The Organic Center The Organic Center logo.  The site is full of great information: recipes, stories, nutritional data, etc.  Check it out www.GenerationsOfOrganic.org

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September 29, 2011 · 6:15 pm

Being Organic on a Budget

Here’s an excerpt and link to a really good article from the current issue of Organic Lifestyle Magazine.   I encourage you to take a look at their website http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com  and magazine.

IT CAN BE DONE!  by Stephanie Dickison

If you shop at a typical supermarket, the prices on organic produce might be enough to convince you that only the rich can afford an organic diet.  But you, too, can afford to eat organic.Shopper with list and cart, scratching her head

The first step is to educate yourself.  Right now, we are spending money on being sick (health insurance, co-pays, medication) instead of spending money on being healthy.  Your health begins with eating good food loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Whenever possible, that means buying an organic product over a regular one. But it doesn’t always need to be labeled USDA Organic to be a better choice. Did you know the Certified Naturally Grown label also certifies food as organically grown?

Locally grown fruit and vegetables bought at a vegetable stand on the side of the road may have been grown organically. Many small farmers don’t go to the expense of certification. Ask them about pesticide use and crop rotation and do your best to support these small organic farms. Their food has more vitamins, minerals, and enzymes than the organic food farmed by the big agriculture companies (due to a lack of crop rotation).

Click HERE for the complete article.

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June 19, 2011 · 2:00 pm

Coupon lady: Organic foods can fit into modest budget

Carol Gunter, The Augusta Chronical special reporter

Carol Gunter

Found this article in The Augusta Chronicle written by Carol Gunter, Special Columnist, Thursday, June 16, 2011

Frugal is a term that invokes a lot of feelings for people. Buying organic foods is not a concept most people think can coexist with a frugal lifestyle.

But the truth is that with smart shopping and careful planning, organic foods can fit in a modest household budget.

The Environmental Working Group has published a list of what it calls the Dirty Dozen. These 12 foods have the highest concentrations of pesticides that remain in or on produce, based on data from USDA and EPA testing. If you have a limited budget, you should consider buying these products organic whenever possible. The Dirty Dozen consists of apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, imported nectarines, imported grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, domestic blueberries, lettuce and kale and other types of collard greens.

The group also has published a list called the Clean Fifteen, a list of the 15 least pesticide-absorbent produce on the market. Buying these products organic does not have to be a priority because the differences between regular and organic are minimal. The Clean Fifteen are onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit and mushrooms. To print this list in a wallet-size reminder, go to www.ewg.org.

Follow this link to read the entire article:  Coupon Lady  She gives other good tips and website links.  Great Article!!

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May 28, 2010 · 12:33 pm

You are what you eat!

Copyright © 2010 Katie Humphrey

“You are what you eat.” How many times have you heard that expression? It’s true, in my opinion, and it can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.

If you’re in control of your diet – eating whole, healthy foods at least 80% of the time – the above statement should encourage you. The more healthily you eat, the better you will look. The occasional indulgence won’t hinder any progress you make. On the other hand, if your diet (or cravings) is out of control, you may be frustrated and discouraged to think the foods you eat show up on the outside.

Here are 5 steps to eating foods that will make you look and feel fabulous: Eat WHOLE foods. Celebrity personal trainer Jillian Michaels says, “If it grew from the ground or had a mother, it’s whole.” This includes lean meats, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Eating these foods will help you lose weight, increase energy and balance hormones naturally.

Drink LOTS of water. Drinking water is often neglected by women and is a crucial component to weight loss. Water keeps the body hydrated, increases metabolism and reduces cravings. It helps to flush toxins and reduces bloating! Always keep a bottle of water on you and drink it until your urine is clear (that’s how you know you’re drinking enough!).

Combine protein and carbohydrates. Protein does not just mean “meat.” Vegetarian proteins are just as good as animal products. Combining protein with a carbohydrate guarantees blood sugar levels will remain steady so you don’t feel fatigued or experience any food cravings! If you’re unsure what protein or carbohydrates you should be eating, go to http://www.katiehumphrey.com and get my free report, “Permission to Eat Freely.” It outlines these foods in detail and how often you should be eating them.

Eat treats every once in a while. Treats include dessert, alcohol and junk foods. You don’t have to cut these foods out, but watch how much you consume them. I also suggest to clients to choose “healthier” versions of their favorite treats. I love making organic, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies instead of regular cookies. I never feel guilty when eating them, and I don’t “puff up” or get bloated. Eating these kinds of foods every so often will keep you from feeling deprived (hint: deprivation can lead to bingeing!).

Write out your personal meal plan. These four eating strategies will help you lose weight, keep it off and get your ideal body. I lost 30 pounds (even with PCOS) eating this way, so I know you can do it, too. The biggest step you have to take is actually implementing the information.

Take 5 minutes right now and map out what you are going to eat from now on. Make time to cook, make meals and pack them in a cooler. Write a grocery list of healthy items with which you need to stock your fridge. Following through with these tips is what will actually gets you results! Next week we will learn the mindset you need to stay committed to a healthy, effective meal plan!

If you enjoyed this article, you’ll love my FREE report, “Permission to Eat Freely: 4 Steps to Lasting Weight Loss (while eating dessert)!” Yours FREE (a $27 value) when you download it at http://www.katiehumphrey.com

Katie Humphrey, author of “Freedom from PCOS,” helps women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome naturally overcome their condition using an effective combination of exercise, nutrition and lifestyle coaching.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

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February 24, 2010 · 1:25 pm

Natural Herbal Remedies and Medicines and their History

Natural herbal remedies have been in use for medicinal purposes for more than 3,000 years. Today, more than 80% of the population uses them to treat illnesses of all kinds.

The concept is fairly simple. Find a natural element in the environment and ingest it. See what kind of affect – good or bad – it has on the ailment from which you suffer. Each and every part of the plant, from the seed to the flower, has been used throughout the history of herbal medicine. Natural remedies have been delivered in so many versions – raw, brewed in with tea, topical ointments, and pills. Originally, the uses for these plants were determined by superstitious cues, based upon the plants likeness to a particular body part or because it grew in a particular area. Over time, the practice became more refined. To the point that many prescription drugs available today actually contain extracts of the herbal medicines.

This fairly simple concept has evolved quite a bit over the years. Today, this complex practice effectively treats ailments from headaches to heart disease and the common cold to depression. The first practitioners of natural herbal remedies likely used marshmallow root, which is a grass that can be chewed to treat a sick stomach. Strangely enough, this is probably a practice learned from primates. Who says we come from apes? Similarly, these first users may have used hyacinth as a diuretic to purge the body of excess water.

Cultivating certain plants have become an important role in human society as the knowledge was gained as to which plants treated certain ailments. Eventually, these herbalists began to keep track of what was prescribed and to whom and this knowledge was passed on from generation to generation and to all subsequent forms of conquering societies. Herbal remedies were first systematized by the Egyptians; and then by the Greeks. We can thank the Greek culture for what amounts to the foundation of modern medicine today. They introduced the concept of not only prescribing these herbal remedies, but also recording both the prescription and the result of treatment.

Across the world, different societies took to the earth to seek out their own versions of these natural remedies. Medical concoctions were created by herbalists in India by combining the herbs with parts of animals. In the Americas, the hunt for herbal remedies was driven by spirituality and different tribes collected herbal remedies and passed the knowledge on to other tribes through oral tradition. And in China, where we find the first written record of herbal medicine, herbalist paired natural remedies with acupuncture to balance the ‘life force energies’.

From its beginning as a primate activity, herbal medicine has ridden the roller coaster of being acceptance and rejection by traditional medical field. The use of natural remedies has been documented for over 3,000 years, and in addition to the thousands of years of human testing, the practice has withstood intense scrutiny and real world testing. Though studies continue and remedies continue to alter, herbal medicine has stood the test of time as an effective means of helping humans stay healthy.

Johney Maron, a medical device salesman and active father of 2, is a believer in the power of natural herbal remedies and medicines. Pharmaca offers a large selection of nutritional health products including herbal vitamin supplements and wellness products from some of the most trusted brands in the industry.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

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January 22, 2010 · 1:05 pm

Natural Foods Dietary Guidelines

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a non-profit organization “dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism.”  It’s definitely one of the best nutritional websites I’ve come across to date.  One caveat for the vegans among us, this group does espouse the eating of animal products.  Below are the first two paragraphs from their “About” page and their “Dietary Guidelines.”  I was so impressed that I joined.  Check it out.Healthy Family

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated nonindustrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets. Dr. Price’s research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats.

The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.

Dietary Guidelines

  1. Eat whole, natural foods.
  2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
  3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
  4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
  5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils—coconut and palm.
  6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
  7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
  8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
  9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
  10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
  11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
  12. Use unrefined Celtic seasalt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
  13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
  14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
  15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
  16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
  17. Use only natural supplements.
  18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
  19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
  20. Practice forgiveness.

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