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2012年9月19日 星期三

Fast Food to Organic Diet - What's the Happy Medium?


I know one of my biggest weaknesses is fast food. There are days when nothing sounds better than a burger dripping with sauce and a huge coke. I just have to be somewhat frazzled by five o'clock and I can easily talk myself and my three eager kids into it. But I do know on some level, after I've downed my fix, that fast food isn't exactly the wisest choice when it comes to my health and the health of my family. So what's the big deal? Well I assume we all would like to live longer and look younger especially since we're always in search of that pill that keeps us as spry as a twenty-one year old but have the wisdom of an old tribal master. And it may be more obtainable than we think -- starting with...

Reducing Our Intake of Toxic food. So perhaps not all fast food is toxic, we are being offered other choices -- presumably healthier choices than deep-fried options. But in general, fast food is clogged with fat, salt and sugar. It has no or low fiber -- and if we consult our food pyramid, we know the necessity of our daily fiber. And it is also very limited in the amount of important nutrients. Note I said to reduce our intake of fast food, not eliminate it. So be realistic about it.

Know Nutritional Facts about Food. It's important to educate ourselves so we know what kinds of food are good for our bodies, and what we should stay away from. If health and vigor are important to us, we must research the nutritional facts of the foods we eat. If we want to go beyond just eliminating the bad, and instead actually adding in the healthiest kinds of food -- we can go even one more step...

Eat Organically. So maybe you just let out an audible sigh -- but let's go over some of the key points of organic foods: They have no pesticides -- meaning you're not eating foods with small amounts of poison. We're only at the tip of the iceberg as far as the long-reaching effects of pesticides. Organic foods also contain more of the good stuff we need -- more antioxidants. And why are antioxidants supposed to be so good? Studies have shown that antioxidants likely decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease. Still, you may be ready to take even one more step...

Organic Gardening. There are a lot of people that do organic gardening and they don't even know it. By definition it's the growing of fruits and vegetables using only natural methods. In essence, it means there are no artificial chemicals used to fertilize, control weeds and control pests.

So we've gone from one extreme to the other -- fast food to organic gardening. Maybe you fall somewhere in between, but it's never too late to start incorporating even healthier habits into our lives.




Jaycee Fox is a writer. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three children. Visit her blog, www.jayceefox.blogspot.com, to see what she's written.





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2012年9月14日 星期五

Organic Gardens Help to Connect Kids to Making Healthy Food Choices


I am lucky! I have always had a garden in my life. One of my earliest memories is my mother and I in her garden in the warm sunshine. I think I was about 2 or 3 years old and I was playing in the corn and the sunflowers. I am 44 this year and I have had every size and shape of garden. My first garden included a bumper crop of tomatoes growing in a half barrel on my apartment balcony. The biggest garden I had was a 10 acre patch in the country complete with asparagus which my son sold from our driveway. I love the flavor of fresh fruit and vegetables and now so do my kids. Organic gardens connect kids to making healthy food choices.

The Healthy Food Pyramid recommends adults eat 7-10 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. That is not as huge a task as it sounds. A serving size is 1 whole food such as 1 apple or a half cup of raw fruit or vegetables. The first step to meeting this goal is simple. Do yourself a favor, take a break right now and go see just how small a half cup really is. You'll be surprised!

OK Moms and Dads - what about your kids? Healthy Food Guides recommend kids eat 4-6 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. The best way I have found to introduce healthy foods to your kids is having your own garden. They will want to eat what they grow.

Buy an online e book written by someone who is a gardener and learn from their mistakes. It will save you time and money. Get your kids involved and make it a fun family experience. When you are eating healthy foods right from your own backyard that you planted and grew as a family it starts a lifetime of making healthy food choices.

I just have to add one more thing -- having your own garden is also good for the spirit. Growing your own fruits and vegetables can connect you to the natural rhythm of the earth and its cycles in ways nothing else can. It rejuvenates you. Trade your kid's D.S. or computer for plants and a shovel and see what happens.

If you weren't lucky enough to have someone share their love of gardening and introduce you to healthy foods it is never too late. Purchase a great book and start creating some amazing family memories for you and your kids. Grow an organic garden and watch them naturally start to make healthy food choices.




Hi - This is Lisa S. Bunce.

I am a big believer in being self-sufficient. I enjoy raising chickens, gardening and time spent in my greenhouse. And these are the things I write about.

If you would like more information, please check out my two blogs:

http://www.findagemwriting.com/fantasychicks/ and http://www.greenacres4me.com (yes, I am a fan of the show).

Both blogs share my sense of humor (for better or worse) and offer tons of great information.

"They are the place to be..." See you all soon, darlings!





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2012年9月2日 星期日

Organic Healthy Foods for Kids


Parents constantly make every effort to give their kids the best start early in life. Their goal is to provide them with the nutrition they need to grow healthy and strong. However, kids just want what tastes good in their palates. Nutrition is not in their vocabulary yet, which is why most parents are in constant "battle" with their kids to make them eat the organic healthy foods parents believe are good for them.

Organic foodsare in general healthier and more nutritious than non-organic foods. Nutritional research reveals that, on average, organic food has higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals. And according to Welsh research, organic milk has 64% more omega 3 fatty acids (FAs), most behavioral problems in children being alleviated when parents switch to organic milk, and that organic milk (compared to non-organic milk) may help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

So this leaves us with the question, what are the some organic healthy foods for kids?

First, take the food for health food pyramid as your guide. All the types of healthy foods you want to give your children are there. When you go to the organic food section in the grocery store, you will notice that some of these items are labeled organic and non-organic. In order for you to know you are truly buying organic foods, look for the USDA Organic seal. This seal certifies that the food product is at least 95% organic and that the farm where the organic food is cultivated or raised has been inspected by a USDA staff to ensure that the state organic rules are strictly followed.

The second most important thing to be aware of is the look and feel of the organic foods you are buying! Here are a few tips to help you choose the right organic healthy foods for your children:

A dead give away is the difference in color and texture of fruits and vegetables. It is natural for organic fruits and vegetables to not appear as colorful as inorganic ones. Many chemicals and artificial processes are used to make non-organic fruits and vegetables in the grocery store look extremely vibrant. Another way to ensure you're giving the right organic healthy foods to your kids, check that all organic fruits and vegetables are firm and free from blemishes and bruises.

Also ensure that organic milk is not as white and creamy as inorganic milk and is packaged in bottles or UTC cartons. Fish should be in its natural form, with fins and scales, and harvested from mercury-free environments.

Give your children fresh fruits for snacks and more vegetables in their meals. If possible, serve as little meat and animal food dishes. Remember, organic healthy food is best. Start encouraging them to eat more raw food, because cooking and most food processing methods destroy more than half of the nutrition in food.




To learn more about choosing healthy foods for kids, please check out the food recommendations at http://www.foodforyourhealing.com/





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