Foods for Healthy Living

Practical, No-Nonsense Guidelines to a Health Supportive Diet:

1. Start by exploring the vast variety of Nutrient-Dense foods, which include: Whole Grains, Beans and Legumes, Purine Proteins, Cruciferous Vegetables, High forms of Soy Products, Nuts and Seeds, Sea Vegetables, Herbs and Spices, Natural Condiments, Quality Oils and Natural Sweeteners and Stock your pantry with these Power food staples.

2. Rotate your foods. Your diet should never stay the same. It needs to change as your life choices and experiences change. A repetitive meal plan causes the body to have stale, sluggish energy. Each time you try a new food you actually become smarter, opening up new neurotransmitters to the brain.

3. Learn the criteria for healthy food selection:

a. Eat in season and close to home. (locally grown produce) Shop at farmer's markets or local produce stands. Food import and export companies are overriding the cycles of nature, manipulating foods to grow with chemical, ripen with chemicals, and shipped with chemicals. Food companies spend millions of dollars promoting non-traditional agriculture to countries that were once self-sufficient. Big business has no patience with nature, so it tends to grow only the foods that ripen slowly and ship well.

b. Avoid Genetically Engineered Foods, Right now US supermarkets are carrying these items and you might not know it. Potential dangers from eating these foods include toxicity, allergic reaction, antibiotic resistance and cancer.

c. Eat close to MOTHER NATURE, simple foods that provide the most FUNDAMENTAL nutrition. Organic Fruits and vegetables that are rich in PHYTO-Chemicals and ANTI-OXIDANTS. They protect our cells from free-Radicals. These disease-preventing compounds, also called Phyto-Neutrients are the most significant findings in nutritional history. They naturally occur in unprocessed and unheated foods and reveal the magnificence of nature's genius. Remember everyday to "Go For The Green", eating lots of dark green veggies, which exhibit extraordinarily broad anti-cancer powers.

d. Justify buying Organic foods, research shows us that the everyday accumulation of chemicals on non-organic foods pays its toll on our bodies. Some are so powerful that they can cause cell mutation. Choose only Free-Ranged Chicken and other meats that are now available in many market places.

4. Choose foods that support and promote Intestinal Health. The human GI tract houses the largest portion of the immune system - the gut associated lymphoid tissue and the mucosal tissue. Together these tissues help to preserve and promote the integrity and function of the GI tract, thus contributing to the maintenance of overall health. These are your fiber-rich foods. Another group of good Probiotic activity (That is the good bacteria found in certain foods) are found in high Chlorophyll foods such as: Wheat Grass, Dark Greens, Micro-Algae (spirulina and alfalfa, known as Super Greens). Sauerkraut, Yogurt and Miso, from the Soy Bean have all excellent "ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIVIRAL" properties to keep the intestinal tract rich in bactericidal agents.

5. Include more Omega 3's, Essential fatty acids into your diet. EFA's are involved in producing LIFE ENERGY in our bodies, received from the foods we eat. We make all the fatty acids we need except for two that must come from or food-omega 6 (linoleic acid) and omega 3 (alpha-linolenic acid) - if we don't get enough, our bodies slowly deteriorate and speed up the aging process. They are major producers of life energy in our bodies. They govern growth and vitality and mental state. They produce oxygen. Enemies of EFA's are sugar, phosphates (from soda), pesticides and free radicals.

6. Avoid all Bad fats. These are partially hydrogenated vegetables oils and margarines. These products contain large quantities of TRANS-Fatty acids and other altered fat substances, some of which are now to be detrimental to health because they interfere with normal biochemical processes. Trans-fatty acids have been shown to increase cholesterol, decrease beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL), interfere with our liver's detoxification system, and interfere with EFA function.

7. Avoid simple Carbohydrates and learn more about Complex Carbohydrates such as the excellent nutrition found in Whole grains as Brown Rice, Millet, Quinoa, Barley, Rye, Buckwheat (kasha) Oats and Amaranth. These are the foods that have sustained humans for thousands of years.

8. Start drinking fresh juices (organic) and eating more raw foods. These are also called "living foods" and provide the body with essential ENZYMES, especially DIGESTIVE ENZYMES. Then the body can use the component nutrients to build and maintain health at the cellular level. Efficient digestion only takes place in the presence of plentiful amounts of enzymes. You can't get these digestive and metabolic enzymes from day-to-day, mainly cooked foods. If you're not eating enough raw foods you must replenish your enzyme levels with a good supplement.

9. Carve out a space of time to prep and cook weekly. You will not be truly nourished by foods on the run and cooked by strangers. It is easy to create the most nutritious balanced meals. Learn to cook with increased awareness, relaxation and pleasure. Bring back the sacredness of a home cooked meal.

10. Finally, cultivate an appreciation for nourishing the body. It means eating consciously and seeking out those special foods that build and enhance our bodies. Eat with a sense of gratitude at each meal. Your Health is a process. If you work towards it daily, the dividends will be high.