Your health, does it matter?

I’ve been doing a lot of reading & research today about health & wellness and I thought I’d share my search results. Because to answer the title of this post: YES, your health does matter & your health is dependent on what you put in your mouth.

Think of your car or boats engine, you need good clean fuel to keep it running properly (or at all). If you keep feeding it dirty fuel it will break down right? Our bodies are the same. We were meant to eat pure, whole foods, not processed foods striped of it’s vitamins & nutrients.

I know this sounds like common sense but; I’ve been reading today that when we eat & drink poorly (lots of meat, breads, dairy, alcohol, refined oils, etc) it depletes & destroys our gut and leads to autoimmune disease.

So here are the links I was reading today. They quote doctors & health experts, but they are simple & to the point & offer some great, simple, solutions…

8 steps towards lifelong health

15 tips on how to heal your gut

healing the gut ~ cheat sheet

10 raw foods to add into your diet for digestive & brain health

how to use a rotation diet

Affording organic foods – a comparison

Also, I wanted to share one last thought from a newsletter I was reading recently from Casey Lorraine. She is a bubbly, happy, juice drinking, health machine! I love reading her articles! They’re so positive!!! So, recently this paragraph in a recent email struck me:

The goal of eating raw food is not to fit into the label of raw foodist, but rather to be the healthiest and best you can be so you can focus on the others things in life that matter most to you. That right there is a recipe for success, happiness and fulfillment.

Amen. Eat to live, not live to eat. Why keep eating food that you claim to “like” or “enjoy” that in reality you’re only emotionally attached to and that offer little to no nutritional value? Or for the simple reason that it’s what your used to! Packaged food doesn’t really taste all that good after you have eaten REAL whole foods, flavored with amazing healthy spices! There are so many wonderful opportunities & fun things to do and learn in life, why waste your time feeling mediocre & almost healthy when you can be bouncing off the walls with energy & running around having fun!?!?… That’s my goal right now (& my realizations). Eat for health, not for a label “I’m a this” or ” I’m a that”… Never mind that, just eat! Eat real food, fresh fruits & veggies! Forget wasting your time reading labels or applying them or trying to fit in one, just eat clean, whole foods and you’ll have more time for LIFE!!! My hope is that this post helps you do the same… I don’t want to be whistling & skipping around alone

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Organically speaking

Why buy organic?

Why do people buy organic?

I’ve spoken with several people lately who do not buy organic, and I am still disturbed by what they said. So here is what’s on my mind, my rant…

Do I personally buy all organic? No. I can’t afford to buy everything organic. Honestly. Especially here in the islands food prices are outrageous.

I try to buy as much organic as possible, I price compare. I’ve found that there are somethings here that are the same price if not less than conventional!!! But you need to look, not assume!

I try to remember the “dirty dozen”, things like peaches, strawberries, lettuce, apples, peppers, celery, i try to buy organic because their so loaded with pesticides.

But stuff like onions, mango or avocados are not so bad. Blueberries apparently are hardly ever sprayed with pesticides so no need to worry there.

But back to my original question to you, why???

Do you notice a difference in flavor?

No.

Ok then will you feel like crud after eating it?

Not generally.

Then why!?….

Because pesticides ARE poison.

Would you spray bleach or rat poison or a conventional cleaning product over your food before serving it to your family or eating it yourself?

It’s not healthy for the human body! Maybe could it be that it’s just another contributing factor – another nail in our societies awful health care coffin!?.

What about the environment? What impact is all this (un)”conventional” food having on the earth? What will happen to our genetically modified food when the bad bugs are immune to the pesticides we spray on them?

Could the answer be: no food to harvest in that field?

Did you ever wonder what is being sprayed on your food?: Here’s an example

What about when it rains on these crops? Where does the water go?

Doesn’t rain run off into streams then to oceans…? Doesn’t it evaporate and turn back into rain?

What about the pesticide laden corn, we feed our hormone hopped up cows and chickens?

Mmmmm…. There be some extra healthy grilling there!

I know when you sit & ponder all this and paint yourself a big picture you might ask, why? Why even try then?

I know I did. I asked why? Again my thought on this was: I don’t want to be the one responsible. I don’t want a part in ruining the earth. If everyone tries even a little we can save a lot. If everyone bought one more organic item then the farmers would see that the organic market is growing back. With each purchase we make we are casting a vote.

What are you voting for?

Do you buy some or all of your produce at a local farmers market when in season? Even that right there can save pollution on the planet, think of all those 18 wheelers on the highway hauling food around…polluting… Think of how many more nutrients are in your freshly picked food from the farmers market… Or do you prefer the stuff from the supermarket that was picked last week? At the same price or maybe a dollar less?

It all adds up… that’s why I at least TRY.

Every spring we plant a garden. Our goal is to grow all our own produce and put a lot of it away for winter, canning, freezing, and drying.

Other little ways to “save”… I walk when possible (saves $ on a gym membership), l always carry reusable grocery bags, I buy local as much as possible, i made reusable veggie bags for loose veggies at the store (will post a “how-to” soon), eat healthier therefore I am eating lighter & less (no “dieting” required, it’s a life style), bring my own stainless steel water bottle from home, I love carpooling, up-cycle items rather than throw them out, buy used items or clothes, I sew/mend clothes until they are rags then I use them as such, compost kitchen scraps, throw trash in the garbage/recycle can (not in the ocean or side of road), we have a wind generator to supplement our power, reuse jars & containers…

Every little thing adds up. I just know that I want as little of the pollution on my conscience (and plate) as possible.

Not to mention… if your open-minded then think about this: these small things that you can do to “help” the environment – what if they directly and immediately benefited you? Think about it. How does being more Eco-contious healthy affect your wallet?

Example: Doesn’t soda cost money? Where as a tasty drink can be made at home using fruits (and carried along in your water bottle if going out). How does each choice affect your health? Now how does each choice affect your wallet?

Every day is full of small choices, you can make ones that give and as a result you’ll get back so much more in return, and have a cleaner planet conscience at the end of the day.

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Hang Up Hang Ups!

Do you have a Hang up or Fear that is getting in your way of doing something that is good for you? or if you got over it, it will make a positive difference in your life.

I have one, and I NEED to get over this one.

I have a hard time taking vitamins. I hate the smell of them. I have this huge fear that their going to make me sick…

Now I have a valid reason for this hang up. In the past, every kind of vitamin I took – even Prenatal ones (someone suggested them because they “might” be easier on my stomach”), they all made me throw up or feel like I was going to be sick. Needless to say… I don’t enjoy taking them and I sabotage myself from taking them to this day.

So here’s the thing, I have incredible vitamins now. I KNOW they don’t make me sick… the ones I take have been scientifically proven to be absorbed by the body, AND I feel great when I take them…

Time for me to GET OVER IT!!!

They say it takes 21+ days to form a new habit… Well it’s time for me to do this once and for all. Time to form a good new habit and overcome a fear.

 For the next 30 days, I am going to faithfully take my Vitamins, Minerals and other Supplements every morning and every evening…

AND (I’m going to hate myself for this probably in the next week…. cause I’m not one of the lucky ones with internet access on my phone (which would make this soooo much easier)), but I’m going to comment on this post here everyday, so that I am fully committed to taking them everyday. So Woo Hoo… I’ll have more than 4 comments on one blog post! Go Me!!!

SO HERE GOES!!!….

***Lifts water-glass and a handful of vitamins***

Slainte’ – To Good Health!

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