A Code To Live By
"Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Thy Food" - Hoppocrates
Weight Issues, Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Autism, Alzheimer’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Kidney Disease, Crones Disease, Neurological Disorders, Food Allergies, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Infertility, Depression, Irritable Bowl Syndrome, Digestive Issues, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol
AVOID TO REDUCE RISK
Genetically Modified Organisms
Concerns: GMOs entered the food supply in 1996. Engineered from merged DNA of different species and/or bacteria and viruses. These subsidized crops are added as ingredients to food-like substances that now total 80% of food stocked on shelves. No long-term studies. No labeling required. Almost every meal contains GMO ingredients. Over 90% of corn, soy (and all their derivatives), canola oil, cotton and sugar beets (white sugar) are now GMO. Other countries have bans and restrictions. In the US, they are considered substantially equivalent.
Pesticides, Herbicides, Insecticides, Petroleum Based Fertilizers
Toxic chemicals over used in agriculture to produce conventional produce. Residues remain on and in food.
Artificial Colors and Flavors, Preservatives and Additives
Found in processed and fast food. Long list of ingredients you cannot pronounce? Don’t eat it. Save you liver from overload.
The illusion of fast cheap food is destroying health and wealth. There’s nothing fast and easy about slow poison.
Fast Food
The home of very little, if not, no real food. The faster it gets to you, the faster you should run. Those meals are packed tight with everything from fillers to fat. Just keep driving by.
Refined White Sugar, White Flour and White Rice
Foods completely depleted of vitamins and minerals. Avoid White and Brown Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar Syrups, White Flour, White Rice, White Pasta, Refined Wheat Flour, Bleached Flours and table salt.
Artificial Sweeteners
Avoid Aspartame, Sorbitol, Mannitol, Saccharin, Sucralose...and any new ones that may come up. You may be avoiding calories but at what level of risk? If you are experiencing pain of any sort, try removing artificial sweeteners to see how you feel.
Non-Nutritional Drinks
Avoid Soda, Fruit Juice, Sport Drinks and anything similar on those shelves. All extremely high in sugar or artificial sweeteners. Best to avoid. Drink good old water.
HIDDEN HOUSEHOLD DANGERS
Cleaners and Body & Hair Products
The water we drink, the air we breathe…nothing is clean. You can, however, REDUCE your exposure. Remove chemical ridden household cleaners. Change your hair and skin care products. What you put “on” is just as important as what you put “in” your body. Your skin is your largest organ. Keep it free of chemicals.
Microwaves
Microwave Ovens change the molecular structure of food by the process of radiation, killing all nutrients while putting you at risk by creating free radicals, which encourage the growth of cancer.
BPA Cans
Bisphenol-A, a toxic estrogen-mimicking hormone disruptor used in plastic production found in canned goods, water bottles, baby bottles, store receipts and plastic-packaged foods, wreaks havoc on the body. Avoid all canned foods. Fresh is best.
Non-Stick Pans
Leave a non-stick pan on a hot stove and you’ll begin to smell something strange. All sorts of chemicals are released from heating.
Why take the risk? Use cast iron or stainless steel cookware.
Cooking Oils
Cooking with the wrong oils will release free radicals, a molecule which has an unpaired electron in its outer orbit. Free radicals are very unstable and highly reactive molecules. Avoid cooking with Olive Oil (use in the raw). Stick with organic butter or try coconut oil.
FOODS TO WATCH OR REMOVE
Sugar
Sugar, the hidden drug that’s in everything. Over-consumption is an understatement. Natural and unprocessed still need monitoring. Count your sugar. 30 grams per day. Track your intake. You’ll be shocked. Mission almost Impossible. Avoid sugar substitutes, they are poison.
Gluten
Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley, all of which are found in most breads and cereals. From digestion to neurological disorders, gluten has been pointed to as a potential source. Try naturally gluten free grains such as quinoa, corn and brown rice. For flour, try almond, buckwheat or coconut.
Dairy
Concerns: Casein, lactose, whey (typical allergens), antibiotics and hormones (non-organic), pasteurization, puss from mastitis.
Try coconut, almond or hemp milk as an alternative.
Meat
Concerns: Factory Farming is appalling...antibiotics, hormones, feedlots, CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), water contamination from waste, animal cruelty and cows fed grain instead of grass causing infection. Animal feed is made up of the two big GMOs, corn and soy. Look to source Organic Pasture Raised Meats not corn-finished. Increase in cost will cause a decrease in intake. Eat more Veggies!
Soy
Soy is a healthy misconception. Non-fermented soy products contain high levels of estrogen and phytic acid. Phytic acid blocks the absorption of certain minerals. Soybeans also contain enzyme-inhibitors among many other factors of concern. Plus, over 90% of soy is genetically modified in the US.
TAKE ACTION TO MAKE CHANGE
Drink Water
Staying hydrated is key for proper body functioning. ½ your body weight in ounces is a good benchmark. Activate your body each morning with a glass upon rising. Help detoxify twice a day with lemon water.
Seek Health Advisement
Keep knowledge on your side. Don’t stop with a doctor. Seek all forms of healing. Integrate natural remedies to attain good health. Rethink prescription drugs. The power to heal comes from within.
Yes! Eat Organic
Ensure the eating of real clean food, not by a label, but by knowing the Practice and the Business behind food production. No toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides, no petroleum based fertilizers, no sewage sludge-based fertilizers, no synthetic growth hormones, no artificial colors or flavors, no artificial preservatives or additives, no cloning, no irradiation and no GMOs.
Ear More Veggies - Eat Less Meat
Vegetables are the golden source for all vitamins and minerals. Treat veggies like the new addition to your family. Go beyond Salad and Carrots. Try dark greens like Kale, Spinach and Collards. Taste buds need changing, so keep trying.
Connect with Farms
Find and support your local and regional organic sources for vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy, beans and grains. Search the Farm Markets. Ask questions. Source pasture raised meats and eggs. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Know where your money goes.
Diversify your Pantry
Try Naturally Gluten Free Grains (quinoa, corn, brown rice) and flours (almond, buckwheat, coconut). Easier digestion is key. Add hemp, chia and coconut to add nutrients to your diet. Here comes our plug, check out NaturalContents.com for all your pantry needs.
Watch Documentaries
Seek out knowledge however you can. Rent documentaries such as Food, Inc., The World According to Monsanto, King Corn, Sweet Misery, Forks Over Knives, Dirt!, Fat Sick & Nearly Dead, Food Matters, Hungry for Change, Queen of the Sun, Genetically Modified Food, Lunch Line, Fresh, Crazy Sexy Cancer.
Create New Habits
Take the time. Change your taste buds. Eat nutritionally based foods regularly. After drinking water, eating a healthy protein rich breakfast is a good place to start.
Get Up and Move
Walk wherever you can. Get yourself moving almost every single day. Exercise, yoga, mediation, walking...make at least one a friend. Push yourself; the body will thank you for it.
Connect with your Body
Notice how you feel when you eat various foods especially those that are potential allergens. When you eat good healthy foods that are right for you, you’ll feel energized. When you eat crap, you feel sluggish and not well.
Cook! Cook! Cook!
Take eating back home. Avoid fast, processed, prepackaged, fried and restaurant food at all costs. There’s nothing quick and easy about eating bad food. It’s more like a slow poison that is extremely labor intensive for your body both in the immediate and in the long run. When you cook, you control the ingredients. When you cook, you see results. So go get cooking!