[A Vitasential Life] Issue 18 - May 2010 GETTING REAL

Getting Real

Taking care of ourselves naturally has gotten a bad rap. It's hard. It's boring. It's time consuming. It wreaks havoc with our social life. It's too expensive.

These are simply excuses for fear of the unknown or laziness.

I am intrigued by the effect of food on the body. It has the power to heal, the power to prevent and the power to make us ill.

When you are too busy or preoccupied to pay attention to what food could be doing to you, it becomes easy to take a pill or just get used to feeling less YOU. Then it becomes even harder to care for yourself because when you feel bad and tired, everything is hard.

When we don't feel good we are probably using the wrong information, or getting in our own way, or usually-both!

Once you experience what you CAN feel like, it's not something you ever want to compromise again. Soon, taking care of yourself becomes something you WANT to do, not what you HAVE to do, and when you've learned how, it's really quite simple to maintain.

We are easily swayed by pills, shakes and fancy gym memberships with big promises. The media is bombarding us daily with information and misinformation. Too often it all comes down to the all-mighty buck. They pay big money to have us forget the basics of fresh air, exercise, rest, water and whole foods. These simple things have been around since the beginning of time. They give us the most energy, glowing skin and sparkling eyes-without nasty side effects-that many people are prepared to pay a lot of money for.

Not that I'm not for change and newness, but we must not forget what has gotten us thus far, entirely.

There is so much confusion surrounding what to eat. With the right information, it's not that difficult to make the right choices.

What Are the Right Foods?

I'm talking about JUICY, BRIGHT, ALIVE, WHOLE FOODS. Foods that are alive, give life. They make us sparkle from the inside out.

You literally are constructed out of the material that goes into your mouth. When you pick up a food take a moment to reflect on the fact that when you eat it, it becomes part of YOU.

If you eat more doughy pastries, fried and empty foods, you will become more...doughy, pasty, fried and empty. When you eat foods that are juicy, bright, alive and beautiful, you will become more...juicy, bright, alive and beautiful.

Why Whole Foods

Whole food = the state it was born in.

They come packed with the perfect combinations of nutrients. Diets rich in whole and unrefined foods, like whole grains, dark green and bright coloured vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, contain high concentrations of antioxidants, fibres and numerous other phyto-chemicals that are protective against illness and chronic diseases. Cravings are rare and portion size is of little concern.

If you want fresh, whole, juicy food that doesn't make you want to curl up and take a nap, you will need to be prepared. There are more and more options in restaurants these days. Keep asking for them at your local restaurants, and you'll soon see more of them available on the menu.

For greatest value, both monetary and health wise, you'll really want to prepare your own. You will be surprised at how easy it actually is-and how good it actually tastes.

What Should I Eat?

Greens--leafy, sprouted and sea greens
Fruits & Vegetables
Whole grains & Legumes
Whole plant fats --avocado, olives, coconut, seeds and nuts

These should make up the highest percent of your diet. Consuming as much of these in raw form as possible. Eat more of the foods at the top of the list, less as you move down.

Superfoods are great daily additions, such as:

Sprouts
Seeds
Green concentrates (my favourite is Vitamineral Green and spirulina)

All natural sweeteners such as fruit, dried fruit, honey (raw) and maple syrup are excellent replacements for sugar, but should not be over used.

Artificial sweeteners should be treated as poison. I'll let you decide how much poison is ok in your diet.

This is your body. Think ahead. Before you put something in your mouth, ask yourself...do I want this to be part of me? Will it serve me any good? Or will it end up costing me in the long run, run me down and make me foggy, flabby or fatigued?

Until next time, eat like your life depends on it, and let your inner glow emerge.

Send me your comments and challenges. Let me know what you are doing to ensure a happy healthy 2010, or what you're struggling with to incorporate a better healthy lifestyle. Email me at jody@vitasential.ca

Learn more about me and Vitasential Nutrition at www.vitasential.ca Watch for my monthly newsletter and follow my blog. I'll be posting updates, and sharing lots of tips and tricks about nutrition. You'll get a peak into my life with four kids and fast talking husband.

© 2010 Jody MacDonald, RHN | Vitasential Nutrition. All rights reserved.

If you would like to reprint this article, feel free to do so by attaching the following description: "Jody MacDonald, RHN is the owner of Vitasential Nutrition. This article was featured in her monthly eZine A Vitasential Life. Please visit www.vitasential.ca for more practical information, inspiration and resources to create a life you love from the inside-out and have a lot of fun doing so."