Live Your Healthy Life

FEED YOUR BODY
The What and Whys of Organic Food

When you think of organic food do you have some questions? Here’s a quick Q & A on the subject.

Q:Is it expensive?
A: It depends on the food and where you buy it. As consumers have demanded more organic food to be available, the prices are coming down.

Q: What’s the difference between organic and “regular” foods?
A: All food used to be organic, meaning raised without synthetic and chemical products added. Organic foods are grown in soil full of nutrients because crops are rotated (planting the same food season after season depletes the soil). Pests are controlled naturally where conventional farming uses pesticides.

Q: Is it just fruits and vegetables that are organic?
A: No. There are many organic foods including dairy and eggs, meat, poultry, beans, grains, nuts, and sweeteners. You can find organic versions of almost everything – even cookies!

Q: What are some of the reasons I would want to buy organic?
A: Some people say that they can tell the difference in the taste – taste test a conventional apple and an organic one and see what you think

Synthetic and chemical additives can be absorbed into the food and even washing doesn’t remove all the residue

The chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides used in conventional farming can be absorbed into the ground water and run off into water sources downstream

To support organic farmers as they bring more environmentally friendly means of growing and raising our food while rebuilding the soil

Q: How do I know if I’m getting organic foods?
A: If you are buying at your local farmer’s market you can ask if the food is organic or very often they will have a sign proudly stating that they are certified organic or in the process of being certified

If you are shopping at the grocery store you already have lots of information at your finger tips about the fruits and vegetables you’re considering.

The sticker that’s attached (the PLU code sticker) tells you whether the food is conventionally grown (4 digits), organic (5 digits starting with the number 9) or genetically modified (GMO 5 digits starting with the number 8). For example conventional bananas have the sticker code 4011, organic 94011, and GMO 84011.

Other foods will be marked or if you have any questions about whether something is organic be sure to ask.

Some people decide on organic because of health concerns, some for environmental reasons, some because of what the people in the fields are exposed to. Deciding to buy and eat organic is a personal decision and only you can decide what is best for you and your family.

So are you ready to try the apple test?

FEED YOUR SOUL
The Inspiration Celebration
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate” Oprah Winfrey

Have you read Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”?

The premise is you never know how what you do and who you are being impacts and inspires others and can even change lives. And it could happen even if you don’t remember the person or event.

Other people often see you differently than you see yourself. They don’t have all your mind chatter clouding their view. They have a clearer idea of how amazing you are.

Have you noticed how when you’re listening to someone that has a problem, you can be supportive and make suggestions? You can look at the issue without thinking “What would my mother-in-law’s reaction be if I did this?”.

Because you are often overwhelmed with all the what-ifs and just living life, it’s easy to overlook the amazing things that are a part of you. Your self-esteem and confidence may suffer at times because you start to wonder what’s special about you.

What can you do to see with a clearer eye?
Speak up and share what you see in others, right now.

Sharing what you see will help you and others realize there is cause for celebration. It’s the journey not the destination that makes life so interesting.

Whenever you see someone who inspires you, tell them.
Whenever you see someone overcome an obstacle, tell them they are amazing.
Whenever you hear them put themselves down, tell them what you see that makes them so special.

And don’t forget to tell yourself the same things!
Start seeing yourself as you really are – magnificent!

It’s time for an Inspiration Celebration!

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Heart Felt Gardening

After the article a few weeks ago about ways to eat local, my friend and author Jill Russo Foster told me about her life-long love with home gardening. For her it is really heart felt.

Living in the woods, I’ve never been able to have a garden. After Jill shared her experience, I was inspired to start growing heirloom herbs from seeds in peat pots.

There’s a small bright, sunny patch waiting outside for the tender plants to season our summer meals.

Read Jill’s thoughts on gardening and how you can grow food and memories for your family as well.
Gardening Thoughts and Memories by Jill Russo Foster

I think it’s so interesting that Michelle Obama is showing us the benefits of having a garden. It’s like second nature to me.

No matter where I have lived, even in an apartment, I have always had a least tomatoes on the balcony.

My earliest memories of my grandmother Nanna (my father’s mother) was of her working in the garden which was half of her backyard. She was always tending to the plants with her kerchief on top of her head to keep the heat off.

When I was at her home, she would be out in the garden from early May to late September. I would be able to get the greatest tomatoes fresh picked off the vine and eaten within minutes. She tended to her garden until the age of 93 doing all the work herself. Now I have my own garden, smaller in size than hers but manageable for me.

I started my garden a few weeks ago as seeds this year – something I usually don’t do. In my windows right now I have about 100 plants growing – everything from lettuces – mixed greens, arugula, spinach, iceberg, beans – green, wax, peas, green and yellow squash, cucumbers, and herbs – basil and parsley. Tomatoes don’t start well for me in seed form, so I buy them as plants.

From my experience there is nothing better than walking into my backyard and making a decision about what I want to eat. It’s like having a supermarket with all my favorite choices. I can’t grow all my favorites so I make trips to the local farmers market on Saturday mornings. There’s a farmer who has exotics like dandelion greens (not the yellow ones from the backyard, but blue dandelion) and squash blossoms. He is always there from mid May to late October, so it’s a regular part of my Saturday morning routine.

My Nanna passed down to me the love of working in the garden and being rewarded with eating – and enjoying – the “fruits” of my labors.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Click here to check out Jill’s website and book Cash, Credit and Your Finances: The Teen Years. She shares her years of expertise to help our kids learn about and how to handle money. Thanks Jill!

FEED YOUR SOUL
Diets Don’t Work – So Trust the Expert – YOU