| Everyone has heard the saying," You are what | | | | - Buy locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, |
| you eat." When we are younger we can eat | | | | produce in season and grown locally will have the |
| unhealthy foods and seem to get by for a while, | | | | highest nutritional content. |
| but as we grow older, our unhealthy lifestyle will | | | | - Plant a small garden. If you don't have a yard, |
| catch up with us in the form of illness and disease. | | | | plant tomatoes, herbs, or small vegetable plants in |
| Most of the foods you buy from the grocery | | | | containers. |
| store are processed, meaning they are | | | | - Use only non-toxic cleansers and compounds. |
| manufactured in a factory and most often contain | | | | - Avoid processed foods, a processed food is |
| littler nutritional value. Even though companies will | | | | anything altered from it's natural state and |
| enrich certain foods or put labels that they are all | | | | packaged in a box or packaging that has |
| natural, nothing is better than the real thing. Real | | | | ingredients you can't pronounce. |
| food is nature's food and it is what we need to | | | | - Manage stress, practice some for of meditation |
| build healthy bodies that are disease free and full | | | | each day. |
| of energy. | | | | - Eat three meals a day; don't skip meals. Make a |
| Real foods consist of most everything on the | | | | protein smoothie to replace any meals you may |
| outer aisles of the grocery store. They include | | | | skip |
| fruits and vegetables, low-fat meats, and dairy | | | | - Eat less, but more quality foods. |
| products. However, all real foods aren't equal | | | | - Invest in a juicer. |
| because most of our the real foods we eat are | | | | - If time permits, cook majority of meals on the |
| laced with pesticides, injected with growth | | | | weekend, this lends to quick meal preparation. |
| hormones, or raised in unwholesome in | | | | Also, prepare salad items in advance by placing |
| environments. Therefore, on top of purchasing | | | | individual items (onion slices, tomatoes, cucumbers, |
| real foods, you want to buy organic fruits and | | | | etc) in baggies or Tupperware for quick retrieval. |
| vegetables and meats or poultry that are | | | | - Fill up on health foods before going to parties or |
| farm-raised, cage-free, and without preservatives | | | | other events where food will be served. |
| and other toxic substances. | | | | - Eat on a smaller plate. |
| Below are some more health tips that will help | | | | - Make enough for dinner so that you can take it |
| you to eat more nutritiously so you can maintain | | | | the next day for lunch. |
| your health for years to come | | | | - Listen to your body. |
| - Get enough sleep, at least 7 ½ hours per | | | | - About Soy- We have been bombarded with the |
| night. Think about how can you make bedtime a | | | | positive effects of soy on lowering heart disease |
| daily ritual? | | | | and reducing systems of menopause. However, if |
| - Eat organic fruits, vegetables, and meats. It is | | | | you do a little research on soy, first you will find |
| better to pay a little more for these and eat less | | | | that most soy is genetically modified and second, |
| of them than eat foods that are toxic to your | | | | it inhibits our thyroid gland from producing |
| body. Most conventional produce are sprayed with | | | | necessary hormones and could contribute to |
| harmful pesticides and animals that provide our | | | | hypothyroidism. Therefore, if you use soy, use it |
| meats are injected with hormones and | | | | in moderation. |
| preservatives. If possible, purchase meats that | | | | - Don't eat when you are not hungry, stop when |
| come from graze fed animals or cage-free | | | | you are 80% full. |
| chickens. | | | | |