10 Smart Health Resolutions #6

Home	Talk Show Schedule

10 Smart Health Resolutions that can improve your health, and quality of life.

#6: Eliminate GMOs, chemicals,
pesticides and processed foods.

➡ Buy local, organic produce and animal products. More and more people are seeking out and buying from local producers so they know where their food is coming from. There are great places to find farmers that sell you a "share" of their crop and have a fresh box ready for pick up on harvest days. Find one in your area by clicking here: Find a local CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture).

➡ You can also find organic produce buying groups on websites where groups "meet up" such as this one for the Inland Empire in California. The people in charge of these groups work hard to bring you fresh organic produce at a discount price use the buying power of the group. You just go and pick it up. Some farmers will deliver right to your door such as this one called "Farm Fresh to You" also located in the Inland Empire.

➡ Grow you own. By growing your own food you know exactly what has been done to the food. It is not as hard as you think, and can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars per year so you can buy more organic, antibiotic free, and hormone free meats along with Omega 3 rich sustainable seafood.

➡ Buy in season. When fruits and vegetables are in season they cost less. This is also a great strategy for helping to afford organic choices. When you buy peaches in January they will certainly cost more. Instead buy winter vegetables during that time of year and save money.

➡ Start cooking your own meals. Cooking your own meals keeps the ingredients real, and the salt at a minimum. For the cost of one meal at a restaurant or fast food joint you could feed your family several meals of home cooked food. This helps you have more money to buy organic when you want. Don't think you have to cook up some fancy meal like the trained chefs on television. Instead opt for simple meals that can be prepared ahead of time, in one pan, or a crockpot so food can be ready when you get home.

➡ One trick is to buy something like Amy's spicy chili and add more ingredients. Empty one can of chili to the pan, and then add another can of organic black or chili beans (can be found at the 99 cent store), some canned tomatoes, fresh onion, bell or jalapeno pepper, some frozen organic corn and spices and now you can feed three times the servings. The canned chili provides the base, and you just add the extras.

➡ Buy in bulk and when foods are on sale. For foods like beans and rice, you can get added savings when you buy in bulk. To help afford more organic choices, when you find a product that you know your family loves, purchase several of them at the discounted price and store away. Some examples that have ended up in my garage were Nature's Path organic Gorilla Munch for $2.50/box, organic beans at the 99 cent store for 2 cans/$1.00, organic juice for $1.50 a bottle, and even organic chicken, steak, and ground beef for 50% off which made it cost less than the conventional meat. Will buy as many as 20 sale items and take home and store in the garage or freezer.

➡ Go to farmers markets. Cutting out brokers (product salespeople), distributors (the truck that stores products in warehouses and delivers to the store by truck), and the retail seller (multiple expenses from real estate to employee cost, means big time savings for you. That is what farmers markets do, they cut out the cut that all of those people along the way need to make and splits the money saved between you and the farmer. This saves the farmer, who takes all the risk, from making the least amount through the system, and also passing on discounts to the customer.

➡ Chances are most of the produce sold at the farmers market was picked either that day or the day before. When you buy whole foods, there is no processing, adding of chemicals, and you can choose to buy organic right from the source. LocalHarvest.org also helps you locate farmers markets in your area.

Start By Drinking Water

Click pic below to read articles on Dr. Jacky Chan's water study and the importance of plain water to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Dr. Jacky Chan, LLU
Water Researcher

After reviewing the Seventh Day Adventist Health Study, the longest in the world, Dr. Jacky Chan was able to determine that those that drank the most water could reduce their risk of a heart attack and their risk of a stroke by 50%, but only if it's pure water. Dehydrating drinks, don't add hydration like water, but instead use up water. Carbonated drinks, especially beverages that contain caffeine are examples. When our bodies are deprived of plain water, it causes blood to thicken and clots easier. Can happen while we sleep too. Drinking a glass in the middle of the night offers more protection as it reduces the chances we are getting dehydrated. Plain water is readily absorbed, where other drinks have to first be filtered taking more energy and time to get to cells that need it for optimal performance and no clotting.