Be Open to Learning

I just read the most intriguing article which theorizes that most allergies and autoimmune diseases are caused by undigested food in the body. This food sludge builds up, decays and releases toxins into our systems. As our body tries to attack and destroy these "intruder" toxins it results in symptoms like inflammation, fatigue, stuffiness, headaches and can eventually lead to more serious diseases like cancer. The reason we have all this build-up of decaying food is that we no longer get enough enzymes and flora (good bacteria) in our food. It actually made a lot of sense to me.

When a person's diet consists mainly of Big Macs, pizza, french fries, soft drinks, potato chips and canned or packaged food they are getting ZERO enzymes (and close to zero nutrients) and flora. Enzymes are what break down foods and help us digest them. When that doesn't happen the food just sits there and, well, rots. We get enzymes from raw foods. Cooking food kills its enzymes. Some foods that are high in enzymes are bananas, avocadoes and mangos. There are also enzyme supplements available but, if you're eating a well-balanced, whole-food diet that includes raw vegetables and fruits you should be getting all of the enzymes you need.

Probiotic flora, or good bacteria get destroyed in our bodies by things like antibiotics, antacids, prescription and over-the-counter medications, pain relievers like Advil and Tylenol, white sugar, carbonated drinks and antihistamines. When this good bacteria is killed off, the bad bacteria multiplies - again resulting in many adverse health conditions.

I really believe that most of us don't really think about "how" our bodies work - we just assume that they will keep going, no matter what we put into them or how we abuse them. This holistic nutrition course I'm taking has really made me appreciate what a miraculous thing our body is and how it will function so much better if we put "real" food into it. If we take a moment to think about what we're eating and what we're putting in our grocery carts we will, hopefully, make better choices and take some steps toward better health. I hope that some of what I share with you each week will resonate and, perhaps, help you take control over things you CAN control.

Just knowing that fast food, processed food, canned food and man-made food basically has ZERO nutrition value has made me think about EACH AND EVERY meal I have during the day. I don't think any of us can change how we eat overnight but just by adding more fresh vegetables, fruits and wholesome foods and restricting those zero-nutrition foods so you're not eating them everyday will make a huge difference in improving your overall well-being.

And, even if you can't or don't ALWAYS eat health-smart foods consider adding a good-quality nutritional supplement. That's why I take my FrequenSea, Azul and Pulse 8 every day. (www.seawellness.myforevergreen.org/CAN_Products.html)
I feel so much better knowing that, no matter what, I'm getting the daily benefits of these "whole-food" supplements and giving my body the balanced nutrition it needs to have a fighting chance.

So, be open to learning about how your body works, what it needs to function properly and improve your health and what kinds of food have the best nutritional value and which ones have NO nutritional value. You'll be surprised how just being more aware will make you start to make better choices.

"If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On..."

That thought crossed my mind this week when I was out walking and "bee bopping" to the great tunes on my iPod! There is something about music that makes us feel so good! I guess it can make us feel bad too if it's depressing music but, my point is, that music has such power over our emotions and is one of those things in life we take for granted and probably don't listen to and/or enjoy often enough.
Music can also bookmark defining moments of our life and, just by hearing a certain song, you can be transported back in time. First kiss, first dance, best friend, graduation, your wedding, a funeral....
I love walking to music! It makes the time fly by and I find myself picking up the pace and, sometimes, even doing a little two-step down the sidewalk! Even here, at the store, we just got some new Canton speakers in and OMG! I close my eyes and can "see" the performers right in front of me and hear every instrument! It gives me a whole new appreciation for music that's for sure!

I just heard an announcement that April Wine is coming to Estevan in November and that brought a smile to my face as I started running through those tunes in my head. Ah, the memories from "Tonight is a Wonderful Night to Fall in Love" and "Rock n' Roll is a Vicious Game"....Those of you who were teenagers in the 70's will know what I'm talking about...nudge, nudge. And remember "The Eagles"? "SuperTramp"? "CCR"? "Bob Seger"? "BTO"? THE BEE GEES!!?

I think that, just like putting good nutrition into our bodies for optimum health, we should remember to use music to "feed" our soul. Listen to it; feel it; absorb it and let it take you back in time or cause you to dance like no one is watching.

On that note...I gotta go and download some of those great songs from my "youth" onto my iPod!

Until next week....rock on!

Begin at the Beginning

The big news item recently was that processed baby and toddler foods contain a LOT of added sugar. More than half of baby and toddler foods at Canadian grocery stores have too many calories coming from sugar, according to a study by the University of Calgary.
The study focused on a new category of processed foods such as toddler cereal bars, cookies, fruit snacks and yogurts. It showed 53 per cent of these foods had more than 20 per cent of calories coming from sugar and some even had more than 80 per cent of calories from sugar.

Wow!
You know, babies aren't born craving sugar and salt. For some reason parents seem to think that baby food would be more palatable for the little ones if it was sweeter or saltier (sort of how Mom & Dad prefer food). But babies don't know the difference if it's never introduced to them! Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, ADHD and allergies continue to increase as the predominant illnessess found in children and, what's so tragic is, it's totally preventable. On a positive note I do think that more and more young moms are starting to do things like make their own babyfood and avoid processed foods.
If babies and toddlers are fed wholesome foods WITHOUT added sugar & salt they will be a lot healthier and grow up to have good eating habits. But when grownups start feeding them "treats" like candy, soft drinks, ice cream and dessert (which, by the way, is NOT necessary to end a meal with)that's when they become "picky" eaters and we start bribing them to eat the good stuff so they can have the bad stuff as a "reward".
So, it's my hope that if we can begin good eating habits when they're babies and toddlers, the next generation WON'T be the sickest generation in history.
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Just to let you all know....I've almost completed my 30 BPro screenings for Digital Pulse Wave analysis so will be certified VERY SOON and will be available to offer screenings to everyone! For any of you who've been screened I hope you found it to be an "eye-opener". What I think is so great about it is that with this knowledge you have a headstart and can take steps to halt & reverse heart disease with modifications to your diet and lifestyle rather than having no choice but to go on prescription drugs which don't generally treat the cause of the problem but suppress the symptoms. When our body has symptoms, it's trying to tell us something isn't right. When we supress those symptoms we think everything is fine when, really, whatever it was that caused the symptoms is still there causing more damage but, because we feel better we don't address the problem.

If anyone is interested in being screened, let me know and I will do my best to get it done for you. (Assuming you live fairly close to me-say, within 50 kms!) You could even invite friends and family over and we could do a whole group at the same time! I like that the screenings generally initiate a conversation about health and healthy eating. It's all about education - if you're armed with knowledge you have a powerful tool for making positive changes - and that could save your life!

Until next week...