My "rants and raves" about healthy eating, excercise, and balanced living has put me into somewhat of an extremist status with my friends and aquaintences. I have found it interesting and somewhat sad to think that because I strive towards a healthy lifestyle using diet and nutrition, I am in the minority of our population. Diet related diseases are among the top killers in this country. Heart Disease, stroke, and diabetes are a few among many PREVENTABLE diseases plaguing this country.
People will look at my organic steel cut oatmeal with sprouted almonds, hemp seeds, cinnamon, agave syrup, and bananas, and say, "EWE, what is that?!"
Or when I am enjoying a fresh organic everything salad, with nutritional yeast, (which happens to be a savory vegetarian source of vitamin B12, and amino acids...), edamame, and quinoa, I will often hear, "where's the meat?", or "enjoying your rabbit food?"
I am considered weird that I don't think of a bagel and cream cheese as a meal option. I am called a hippy because I buy and cook grains OTHER than wheat and rice. I have been refereed to as obsessive because I actually read the labels on food items, I am called a health NUT, implying a bit of insanity because I have made a decision to give my body WHAT IT ACTUALLY NEEDS and thrives on.......
*Amino Acids - (from whole foods and "live" sources)
*Nutrients - macro/micro
*Protein - (not from GMO grain fed animals, or from animals at all)
*Carbohydrates - mostly from complex sources
SIMPLE. Not weird, extreme, bizzare, nutty, etc.
I won't go into our societal influences on eating, the crooked FDA, and it's government ties to aggricultural subsidies, but I will say it is not easy to nourish the body sufficiently in todays world. It takes dedication, education, local resources, and a inner drive to obtain a healthy lifestyle in order to make it happen. When fast food meals cost less than a bag of organic apples, I can understand the delima families face when attempting to feed the entire table. However I think it is also important to understand that what we are consuming when we eat fast food is actually doing more damage to the body than good.
As a nation we are spending BILLIONS, yes BILLIONS on treatment for preventable diseases and health ailments that could easily be avoided by diet and physical activity alone.(*)
CANCER = 172 bil.
CORONY HEART DISEASE = 130 bil.
OBESITY = 117 bil.
DIABETES = 132 bil.
STROKE = 51 bil.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE = 50 bil.
OSTEOPOROSIS = 17 bil.
*(From the Center for Disease and Control website)
Below I have included some links to films and resource pages that I found to be particularly helpful and also inspiring to continue on the path of healthy living, and promoting health and wellness.
http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.forksoverknives.com/
http://www.takepart.com/foodinc
As a nation we are spending BILLIONS, yes BILLIONS on treatment for preventable diseases and health ailments that could easily be avoided by diet and physical activity alone.(*)
CANCER = 172 bil.
CORONY HEART DISEASE = 130 bil.
OBESITY = 117 bil.
DIABETES = 132 bil.
STROKE = 51 bil.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE = 50 bil.
OSTEOPOROSIS = 17 bil.
*(From the Center for Disease and Control website)
Below I have included some links to films and resource pages that I found to be particularly helpful and also inspiring to continue on the path of healthy living, and promoting health and wellness.
http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.forksoverknives.com/
http://www.takepart.com/foodinc
http://www.vegan.com
I am a strong advocate for fueling our bodies with whole organic foods. Finding a physical activity that feels good, is challenging and provides inspiration to keep doing it. If we feed ourselves well, our moods change, our energy levels rise, our sleep improves, and we will be more opt to make the healthy choice the next time.
So after all is said and done, eat a good meal, get out and play, and inspire others to do the same!!
