Here in America we have been trained to think that health is complicated; that we need a battery of tests, an army of doctors, and a league of prescription drugs to fix all that is wrong with us.  In truth, we have just lost our common sense and our connection to Mother Nature. Health is simple: it is about giving our bodies the proper fuel, cleaning up the environment we live in, moving our bodies to keep the blood pumping, and having some sense of purpose or joy.

Don't put off making changes until you have a health problem! Focus on one step, the order is not important!  When you feel better, you will be motivated to do more. Under each category we have given you the easy way to do it as well as the 100% solution if you want to go all the way. Here are our 10 Steps for Better Health:

1) Eat Organic--Organic food has been shown to have more nutrients and it tastes better! By eating organic you will avoid non-food additives, pesticides, growth hormones and the routine use of antibiotics in animal products. The Center for Science in the Public Interest names the food additives to avoid including sodium nitrite (in lunch meats), saccharin (Sweet N' Low), aspartame (Nutrasweet), acesulfame-K, trans fats, olestra, BHA, potassium bromate, propyl gallate, and food dyes.  Many artificial flavorings and colorings have been banned in Europe and several Asian countries due to their link to hyperactivity in children and even cancer in animal studies. Pesticides act like estrogen in the body and because of this may play a role in early puberty for girls and the development of estrogen-sensitive cancers.  For boys, more estrogen can mean delayed maturity, underdevelopment of the male genitals and reproductive issues. The excessive use of antibiotics in animals can contribute to the development of resistant bacteria and the weakening of our immune systems. All of these hazardous ingredients in your food are by definition excluded from organic products. Many people feel that they cannot afford organic products but I strongly suggest that you consider this to be a "pay me now or pay me later" scenario. The cost in health is simply too high if you don't make the switch! You will save money in the long run. 

The Easy Way--Work on your snacks.  It's a common place for us to fall down when it comes to healthy eating. Follow EWG.org's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. Use this as a guide to determine which foods it is most important to eat organic, and those that can safely be bought conventional. If you buy processed foods (and these should be limited!), look for "made with organic ingredients" (a 70% requirement) or the USDA seal (a 95% requirement).

 Go All the Way--Buy only organic fruits, vegetables and packaged foods.  The USDA seal can be accompanied by a statement that says "100% organic ingredients" if the manufacturer uses only organic ingredients.

 P.S. THE WORD "NATURAL" ON A PRODUCT HAS NO STANDARD AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED ON AS AN INDICATOR OF PURE INGREDIENTS.

2) Say No to GMOS-- GMO's, or Genetically Modified Organisms, are organisms that have been genetically altered to produce certain traits in plants or animals, such as resistance to insects, pesticides, or herbicides.  The key word here is "altered".  These new species are not natural and involve the combining of the DNA of different species.  For example, a virus or bacteria may be inserted into the DNA of a plant to make it able to stand up to an herbicide.  Thanks to this practice, the use of Roundup herbicide increased from 11,000 tons in 1992 to 88,000 tons in 2007. Does this sound like progress to you? Genetic modification is distinct from traditional animal and plant breeding techniques that combine DNA from the same species in order to produce desirable traits. GMO seeds have become prevalent in the food supply: according to the USDA in 2009, 93% of soy, 93% of corn and 86% of cotton in the U.S. was produced from GM seed. GM sugar beets are a newer and growing source of refined sugar, and canola is also commonly GM. About 80% of all packaged foods in the U.S. contain GM ingredients.  In addition, the meat we eat is, by and large, fed with GM feed.

GM foods have been heavily restricted or faced an outright ban in 30 countries around the world including the countries in the European Union, Australia and Japan, because they have not been proven safe.  Numerous animal studies show that biotech foods can cause allergic reactions, weakened immune response, reproductive problems, and in some cases even organ failure. A paper written in April of this year reviewed 19 animal studies looking at the effects of GM soy and corn (the two most commonly found in foods). It concluded that the consumption of GM corn or soy led to significant organ disruptions in mice and rats, mainly the liver and kidneys.  The liver and kidneys are the "major reactive organs" in cases of chronic food toxicity. While these studies may not definitively determine that GM food has a negative effect on human health, it certainly begs the question of why more independent research has not been done to protect the public.

The Easy Way--Look for foods that bear the Non-GMO Project seal.  This seal is growing in popularity and more and more products will be found bearing it. It is not an absolute guarantee that a product is 100% GMO free, but rather that "rigorous best practices have been used for GMO avoidance, including testing of at-risk ingredients". Look for organic products; these products by definition exclude GMO ingredients.

Go All the Way--Eliminate processed foods from the diet. Carefully consider the source of all foods containing corn, soy, canola, and processed sugar, and eat organic. Organic foods are by definition GMO free.

3) Become an Environmentalist--Our health is inextricably tied to the health of the environment around us. All one has to do is look at the high incidence of disease in America today to know that something is amiss! There are 85,000 chemicals in use in our country and less than half of them have ever been tested for human safety. Think of all the "safe" substances like DDT that were banned after years of protest from environmental and other groups and can still be found in our environment today (in DDT's case a full 30 years after its ban). These chemicals lurk in our toys, consumer products, and cleaning supplies. We use them on our gardens and lawns.  We can change the environment just by being an informed consumer and changing our purchases.

A second way to clean up the environment is to create less garbage. Not just recycling, but creating less garbage. Single use plastic bags are a great example. I saw a special on CNN Sunday night that estimated that 7-13% of single-use plastic bags are actually recycled. This is a failing grade no matter how you slice it! These bags are found in great numbers in our landfills, and worse yet, in the bodies of fish and at the bottom of the ocean. The best way to remedy this is not to use them. I have a friend living in Switzerland right now and she said there is almost no garbage there. If you don't bring your own bags to the grocery, there is nothing to carry them home in. If you buy a pair of shoes, they take them out of the box and hand them to you to take home!  I love this! Composting is another great way to reduce the amount of garbage you put out. It's easy--just throw everything in a pile in your backyard! If, like me you have a large dog that will eat anything, you may need to get a bin. This makes great fertilizer for your garden. I am a rookie vegetable grower and I couldn't believe the quality of my vegetables made with my very own compost! If you have something that doesn't work, get it repaired rather than getting a new one. Reuse, recycle and repair!

The Easy Way--Create less garbage. Take your own reusable bags on shopping trips, especially to the grocery and drug stores. Use safe household cleaning items like vinegar, baking soda and good old water. We also love the Biokleen line, made from plant enzymes and oils, that we carry here at the store. Join an environmental group. There is a great one here in Illinois called Environmental Illinois. While they work on national threats to the environment, their primary concern is protecting the Great Lakes, the source of our drinking water. Get emails from SWANCC, the Solid Waste Agency of Cook County, about ways to recycle everything from electronics to drugs (over the counter and prescription) to documents to Christmas lights to hazardous materials.

Go All the Way--Try to reuse, recycle and repair everything! Use products made from recyclable and recycled materials. Buy products made from organic and truly natural ingredients. SWANCC has a great Eco Friendly Shopping Guide on their website that gives sources for a wide range of eco-friendly products. Compost all of your paper towels, coffee grinds, fruit & veggie scraps, egg shells, leaves, toilet paper rolls and cardboard.  You'll be shocked at how little garbage you have left. Offer your time or money to one of the great environmental organizations out there.  I like Environmental Illinois (shop local!) since they are focused on the problems that affect us right here. I also love the Wilderness Society, Greenpeace, and the Sierra Club, but find one that matches your passion.  Read More