Many people are choosing to be frugal yet still want the benefits of organic foods.  The Environmental Working Group has been monitoring food and has been putting out this report since 2000.  The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides features the fruits and veggies with the most and least pesticides.  The updated lists helps you [...]]]> Living a healthy life is dependent upon what you put into your body as well as what you think about the food you put in your body.  Financial worries can cause indigestion and dis-ease. Eliminate the stress of choosing between healthy food and finances by becoming informed.

Many people are choosing to be frugal yet still want the benefits of organic foods.  The Environmental Working Group has been monitoring food and has been putting out this report since 2000.  The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides features the fruits and veggies with the most and least pesticides.  The updated lists helps you compare the best organic fruits and vegetables for your dollar, if organic isn’t available or affordable.  Not only are the lists in a printable form but you can also download the application to your iPhone so you can have it with you when shopping.

Please remember that you never want to buy food that are genetically modifies or GMO’s.  Unfortunately in the US the manufacturer’s are not required to label GMO products.  Certain European countries have a ban on GMO foods. In the US there are some companies that are labeling their food “non-GMO”  please be sure to choose these over other foods.

The key foods to buy organically grown and/or manufactured from organic ingredients are:

• Heavily treated produce and meat
• Leafy greens
• Frequently eaten foods
• Wheat, Rice and Corn – buy as non processed and organic as possible.

Milk is a common source of the herbicide atrazine (a known endocrine-disrupter) and the growth hormone rBGH which has been genetically engineered to boost milk production.  Again choose milk that is organic and/or rBGH free.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the more bio-available proteins especially for growing folks, pregnant women, and those needing a protein source, especially if you digest them well and aren’t allergic to them. They have many nutrients that feed the body tissues, the sexual glands, sperm and eggs, and hormones. However, eggs are typically produced in factory farms where the hens often live in crowded, unhygienic conditions.  Our best egg option is organic eggs, which are now becoming more available. The next best option is free range.

Meat

Buy free range and organic meat.  Farm animals are fed pesticide laden foods but they also are given high dosages of antibiotics, which is one of the causes of the super bugs we see today, which cannot be treated with regular antibiotics.

Baby Foods
Whenever feeding an infant, we want to make sure we do not stress their sensitive and vulnerable systems with chemicals. I suggest a completely organic diet from the first feedings at about six months through age two.

Shop Locally
Ideally, it is healthiest to eat foods grown and cultivated near our area and in the season they are harvested. Seasonal eating is one of the keys to a balanced and wholesome diet. These foods are the freshest, often the most economical, and usually less treated, even non-organic, because they don’t need to be protected for shipping long distances.

These are some other ideas for frugal healthy choices:

• Comparison shop the organic sections of a number of stores
• Buy locally produced foods. They have less pesticides.
• Farmer’s markets have great seasonal produce.
• Join a community supported agriculture farm.
• Order bulk and dry goods on internet.
• Save your organic dollars for the freshest foods. For things that you don’t use that much or for refined foods, buy the less expensive conventional product.

Ideally, our entire diet could be made up of wholesome, healthy organic and clean foods but sometimes that is simply impossible or stressful to do so. Taking the stress out of eating is just as important as eating healthy food.  So what happens if you don’t have this information at your fingertips when you are at the store shopping?  You can always test for foods using muscle testing.

Overall, it’s important to eat healthy to Stay Healthy!  Enjoy what you do choose to consume.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York looked at the levels of anti-oxidants vs. the amount of smoke exposure in more than 2,000 children and teens ages 6 and 18 in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The study, presented at the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting in Baltimore, showed that secondhand smoke exposure is associated with lower levels of anti-oxidants in children.

“We don’t know [...]]]> BALTIMORE, May 5, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) — Children exposed to cigarette smoke have lower levels of anti-oxidants, which help the body defend against biological stresses, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York looked at the levels of anti-oxidants vs. the amount of smoke exposure in more than 2,000 children and teens ages 6 and 18 in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The study, presented at the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting in Baltimore, showed that secondhand smoke exposure is associated with lower levels of anti-oxidants in children.

“We don’t know enough yet to say that this group of children need supplements to make up for the anti-oxidants they’re losing, but it’s always wise to feed children an abundance of fruits and vegetables high in anti-oxidants and other healthy nutrients,” Dr. Karen Wilson said in a statement.

Anti-oxidants are believed to play an important role in protecting the body’s cells against free radicals, which can damage cells, Wilson said.

The higher the level of cotinine — a byproduct of metabolizing tobacco smoke — in a child’s blood, the lower the anti-oxidant level, after controlling for diet and supplements, the researchers said.

In my opinion Dr. Karen Wilson does not go far enough in her statement.  Feeding an abundance of fruits and vegetables high in anti-oxidants is wonderful but once a person’s system is already compromised supplementation is necessary.

Best Sources of High Antioxidants Foods

1. Fruits
   Cherry, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, crowberry, blueberry, bilberry/wild blueberry, black currant, pomegranate, grape, orange, plum, pineapple, kiwi fruit, grapefruit. Blueberries, Blueberries, Blueberries!
2. Vegetables
   Kale, chili pepper, red cabbage, peppers, parsley, artichoke, brussels sprouts, spinach, lemon, ginger, red beets
3. Dry Fruits high in antioxidants
   Apricots, prunes, dates
4. Legumes
   Broad beans, pinto beans, soybeans
5. Nuts and seeds
   Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, ground nut, sunflower seeds, flax seeds
6. Cereals
   Barley, millet, oats, corn
7. Spices
   cloves, cinnamon, oregano, tumeric

Best Sources of High Antioxidants Suppliments

1. Vitamins vitamins A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E selenium, beta carotene, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Folic acid,
2. Supplements ginkgo biloba, grape seed extract green tea extract Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Glutathione

What to do?  Keep children away from second hand smoke, including rooms and cars that had been smoked in.  Fabrics and other materials tend to off gas anything that is embedded in them.  Eat plenty of fruits & vegetables and at minimum take a good Vitamin Supplement.

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It all started with a retweet about eggs and protein. I received more comments to that tweet on both my Facebook and Twitter accounts than on almost any other topic.  I think that people just love their eggs.

All joking aside every few years there is an entirely new study about eggs.  There isn’t ever any true conclusion if they are good for you or not.  So I decided to talk about eggs from a nutritional and medical intuitive perspective.

A medical intuitive perspective is a perspective in which takes in the totality or holistic view of an issue.