In the not so distant past , buying organic food was something that many of us considered unnecessary and frankly a little odd. I can recall hearing that fruit and vegetables grown in this way were more dangerous for people than food grown in the traditional manner. The comparisons of organic vs inorganic foods are yet being made, but the arguments against organics are holding less and less water with increasing numbers of individuals shopping for organic over inorganic.

now, buying produce that has been grown without chemicals is part of an overall green living awareness. Consumers are starting become aware that exposure to fewer chemical pesticides and modified ingredients must be better for our health and for the earth’s ecosystem. Proof of this change in public thinking is reflected in the increased number of products in the organic food section of our grocery stores. Once the produce manager might have given you an odd look if you requested such items, we now see the organic products spreading throughout the store. Everybody has their own reasons for making the change. My wake up call was my baby girl’s compromised immune system and food allergies that were my motivation to buy organic whenever possible.

THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD

The good news is that the word regarding the benefits of buying organic food is spreading. The bad news is that when you see a product with an organic label it is often accompanied by a more expensive price than traditionally grown foods. This is more than likely one of the only negatives associated with buying organic food.

BUYING ORGANIC ON A BUDGET

If your family budget is already stretched to the breaking point and you simply can’t afford to pay more to feed your family, a good approach may be to buy fruits and vegetables whose chemical pesticide retention rates make it worthwhile to buy organic.

Here are some of the vegetables that experts recommend that we buy because they are known to retain the most chemicals:

• Spinach and Lettuce Potatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Avocado

This is a list of fruits that are worth buying organic:

• Strawberries and Raspberries
• Cherries
• Grapes (Imported)
• Apples

BABIES

I try to buy the most important organic fruits and vegetables for my entire family, but at times I just can’t manage it. However, even during times of budget crisis my green parenting goal is to make certain that <b>everything</b> my babies eat is organically grown. Infants are very sensitive to the dangers of chemical pesticides because of their fragile immune systems, It just doesn’t make much sense to swaddle them in organic baby bedding and dress them in expensive organic cotton baby clothes only to feed them <b>in</b>organic foods.

DAIRY PRODUCTS and MEAT

Where buying organic really eats up a chunk of the family’s food budget is buying meat and dairy products. You may save money by buying from locals but I am thinking of saving even more by restricting the amount of these products that my family eats.

ORGANIC FOODS THAT AREN’T WORTH IT

With the information that we have, I’m sure that most people would go all organic if we could but in reality it’s just too expensive for most people. It’s a better plan to start eating more fruits and veggies that bring the least amount of pesticides possible to the table.

Here are some veggies that have few pesticides:

• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Avocado

And here are some low-risk fruits:

• Bananas
• Mangos
• Pineapples
• Kiwi

I focus on many of the items on this list so that I don’t feel badly about not buying all organic. And if you noticed as I did that there is no mention of seafood, the reason for this omission is because there are currently no standards in place.

I’d like to start a little discussion today about carbohydrates… and in particular, "white foods" as well as potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some even say such ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates".

Ok, now while I certainly agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding our bodies, I definately don’t agree with avoiding any and all "white carbohydrates". Now I know all of the buzz lately has been about colorful foods and the protective antioxidants that they contain. They tell you to focus on colors and stay away from white.

It’s true that colorful foods are great, but it is a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Let’s look at a few examples… Now lets explore some answers to the question, do fruit and vegetables provide adequate nutrition.

Onions & Garlic

What about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren’t easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet… such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Cauliflower

Another example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. And a little-known fact is that some of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to combat other estrogenic compounds in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat. So eat up on that cauliflower!

Mushrooms

Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.

Potatoes

Now that also leads us to another example – white potatoes (which by the way, can also be found in red, yellow, purple varieties, etc). Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index. First of all, understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates.

While a generalization can be made that most low glycemic index carbohydrate choices will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not all that it’s cracked up to be. There are many other factors that determine how your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods.

For example, using glycemic load as an example… it is known that watermelon has a high glycemic index. However, the glycemic load of a normal serving of watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to have any negative glycemic effect, that it is just non-sensical.

Not to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and lycopene. There’s just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high GI. My point is… candy bars, cupcakes, and donuts make you fat… NOT watermelons, carrots or potatoes.

Also, as i mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. For example, if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food. Again, I talk in detail about this entire topic in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book.

Alright, so back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as long as you eat them in the right form… with the entire skin, and please don’t ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries are one of the most evil things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.

Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try. Also, as long as you eat the skins, you get a decent shot of fiber too.

On the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don’t remember where I saw this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks. At the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost weight! I’d venture a guess that the reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can surely imagine you’d be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.

Now I would never recommend going to those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein. On that note, I have one of my favorite recipes for you, using potatoes.

Lean-Body Potato Side Dish

Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store… it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)

• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 or 2 onions
• a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)

Cut the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve.

This is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates, glycemic index, and my killer potato recipe idea! If you enjoyed this article today, feel free to copy/paste this link and email to your friends and family that would be interested.

For you to find more nutrition information go to http://www.yourfatbelly.com

Wheat grass has become one of the more popular “go green” dietary supplements. You find it offered at premium prices in juice bars, health shops, and many restaurants. It can be purchased in juice, salad, smoothie, pill, and powdered form.

So, what’s all the hype about?

In this instance, the hype is all fact. In addition to being loaded with micro-nutrients, wheat grass also contains high concentrations of raw protein, chlorophyll, calcium, Lysine, and vitamin C. Wheat grass is a true superfood and has been shown to provide a range of benefits including:

• Replenishing blood cells
• Restoring balance in the body
• Providing nourishment to critical organs including the kidneys, liver, and heart
• Flushing toxins from the body
• Supplying raw energy

A single ounce of wheat grass juice provides the nutritional value found in 2.4 pounds of raw, fresh vegetables.

This value is derived from the 30 enzymes and the 70% chlorophyll content found in freshly juiced wheat grass. And as most of us don’t get the recommended eight servings of fruits and vegetables in our daily diet, being able to obtain the equivalent nutritional value in a one ounce shot of juice is certainly an attractive alternative.

Many people are now growing their own wheat grass in their kitchen, or anywhere there is ample sunlight. Utilizing a wheat grass juicer, or even a household blender (not recommended as you lose much of the nutritional value via the high speed blending process), you can save that $2-$4 dollars you would pay in a juice shop and make your own juice at home.

Wheat grass is the young seedlings of wheat plants. It’s fast and easy to cultivate and can be grown in containers ranging from plastic cups to full size plant trays. Follow these steps to grow your own nutrition-rich wheat grass:

1. Obtain a bag of wheat berries (seed). They can generally be found in any natural food store for around a dollar per pound. They keep well, so stock up and store the extra in a darkened pantry.
2. Determine what you want to use to grow the plants in. You can use any container that is at least two inches deep. A used flat from a gardening project is ideal. And if you can find one with drainage holes, even better. Otherwise poke an appropriate number of small holes in the bottom of your selected container.
3. Select the wheat berries you intend to plant. There should be enough to completely cover the surface of the planting container. Err on the side of too many rather than too few. Soak the selected wheat berries, or seed, in clean cold water for eight hours.
4. Add soil to your container to a depth of at least two inches. Any type of good potting soil should be sufficient. Spread the seeds over the top of the dirt. Use enough to completely cover the planting area.
5. Although not strictly necessary, it’s helpful to cover the seeds in a light layer of moss of some type. I typically use Spanish moss, breaking it up and sprinkling it over the seeds. But any dry type will do.
6. Water the plants well and cover the container with a thin sheet of plastic. Sandwich wrap or the like can be used as long as light is able to get through.
7. After a couple of days, the seeds should have germinated and the plastic can be removed. Make sure the plants are positioned to get ample sunlight. Mine grow on the counter beneath a kitchen window.
8. To avoid mold (a common problem), mist the plants daily with a mixture of water, baking soda, and kelp extract. Assuming a 16 ounce spray bottle, fill with water and add two tablespoons of kelp extract and a quarter tablespoon of baking soda.
9. Once the grass has reached 3-4 inches in height, it’s ready to be harvested. Just cut around 3/4 of it’s length to allow the blades to regrow.
10. To juice your harvested grass, you’ll need a wheat grass juicer (a fruit juicer will not work due to the high speed process which will destroy the delicate enzymes in the wheat grass). An alternative is to put a half cup of water in a blender, throw in the grass, blend at a low speed, and filter the mixture through a fine strainer. But even this method will destroy many of the enzymes, reducing the nutritional value of the resulting mixture.

Go to Men Living Longer to learn more about wheat grass juicer recommendations and some limited time free trial offers Visit the author’s fitness, health, and lifestyle blog.

1. Eat At Least ONE Green Salad Each Day

North Americans are only consuming on average 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day! When you consider that the recommendation is for 5-10 servings per day and that most of our produce is nowhere near as mineral-rich as it was just 50 years ago, consuming greater amounts of vegetables and fruit has never been as necessary as now for nourishing your body with vital nutrients, alkalinity, and the life-prolonging food enzymes that it needs.

2. Drink At Least ONE Fresh-Pressed Juice or Green Smoothie Each Day

We live in busy lives. No one has time for anything anymore – not even healthy eating. Therefore, one of the greatest ways of supplying tremendous amounts of vitamins, minerals, food enzymes, and alkalinity to your body is through juices and smoothies. And remember, the greener the better!

It might be tough for some people to physically eat 5-10 fruits or vegetables during a day but with just 1 juice or smoothie you can easily meet that quota!

3. Eat 80% Whole Living Foods (raw)

Ever wonder why animals in their natural habitats do not suffer from the diseases that plague mankind? Isn’t also interesting that humans are the only species on earth that apparently "needs" to cook their food! There is no greater gift you can give your body then eating foods in their natural state – that is living or raw.

Cooking foods dramatically reduces their vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient content and destroys their vital food enzymes that are so beneficial to our health. Simply incorporating more raw fruits and vegetables into your diet can make a profound difference in how you look and feel…and in no time at all!

4. Eat Every 2-3 Hours (but only if you’re hungry)

It’s a fact – most people eat too much food! It’s no wonder that more than 60% of the North American population is overweight. One of the reasons for this is eating copious amounts of "empty foods". These are foods that have no nutritional value. Eating empty foods only prompts you to eat more food since your body is not receiving the nutrients it requires.

By eating smaller "nutrient-dense" foods more frequently throughout the day you will avoid cravings caused by blood sugar irregularities and you will also tend to eat less since your body will now be receiving all the nutrients it needs.

5. Eat Meat No More Than 2 Times Per Week

Let’s face it – meat is detrimental to your body. You can turn a blind eye if you want but the truth is that meat is acid-forming and causes inflammation in the body. Both of these conditions are common to every single disease known to mankind!

Oh, and don’t forget about the hormones, antibiotics, and inhumane conditions in which animals (for human consumption) are raised or the higher levels of cholesterol and saturated fats found in heavier meats.

Meat (especially red meat) also deprives your body of energy because it requires a tremendous amount of digestive energy and water to be broken down and assimilated into your body.

Yuri Elkaim is a Certified Kinesiologist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, former Professional Soccer Player, the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the University of Toronto men’s soccer program, and regarded by many as Canada’s leading Fitness expert.

For more information on nutrition and Yuri, please visit us at http://www.eatingforenergy.ca

Yuri Elkaim is the author of Eating for Energy,a guide to healthy eating that has awaken the world to the power of natural living foods. It includes 120 recipes, a 12-week meal plan, and more great nutritional tools for living the best life ever! For more information, visit http://www.eatingforenergy.ca

Many people forget about the nutritional values of foods when planning their meals. After all, it’s so much easier to just stop at their favorite fast food restaurant on their way home from work.

Everyone knows they should be eating more healthy foods, but some people aren’t quite sure where to start. Here are some things to look for when trying to plan healthier meals.

Are you eating lots of fruits and vegetables? The majority of us do not eat adequate amounts to keep us healthy. Experts recommend that we eat between 5 to 9 servings every day. That adds up to about 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables. Choose a variety of vegetables and fruits in different colors. Dark green vegetables like spinach, for instance, contain more nutritients than lighter colored vegetables.

Are you eating grains and cereals? Besides the well-known benefits of dietary fiber, grains and cereals provide many important nutrients for your health. Whole grain breads and cereals are much preferred over refined white breads or rice.

Are you eating a wide variety of foods? They say that variety is the spice of life. In reality, it’s the basis of a healthy diet. Our bodies need food from all of the food groups to function at peak performance. These food groups consist of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, beans and nuts. Sorry… candy is not a food group.

Do you eat breakfast every day? Yes, it’s true: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a good breakfast will give you the energy you need to make it through the morning and help eliminate those high-fat splurges.

Do you drink plenty of water? Soda and coffee may be liquid but they do not replace the water that your body needs. We need at least 16 ounces of water each day to keep ourselves hydrated and flush out the impurities that we may have accumulated in our digestive systems.

How much fat do you eat? Dietary fat is our enemy. Even though our bodies need a certain amount of fat, most of us consume 200 to 300 percent more than we need. That’s a scary thought! So, when you are making your food choices, look at the labels to see how much fat is contained in the food item. Vegetables and fruits are naturally lower in fat than meats.

How much salt, sugar and alcohol are you eating? Here again, moderation is the key. Serious problems can occur when you overdo. Salt can lead to water retention, weight gain and heart problems. Sugar, when eaten in large quantities over a long period of time can contribute to diabetes. And, excessive alcohol consumption is bad for the kidneys.

Your body will tell you when you are not getting (or when you are getting too much) of a certain kind of food. If you are gaining weight, you know you are either eating portions that are too large or you are eating foods that are high in fat. Feeling tired can mean that you’re not getting the nutrients from the foods required by your body to function.

Eating healthy foods is not as difficult as it sounds. In a nutshell: drink more water, eat less fats and sugars, and eat more fruits, vegetables and grains.

Jude Wright is an author and webmaster whose main interests are in cooking and gardening. Learn more about eating healthy foods at her website at http://nutritious-cooking.com.

The human body needs sufficient energy to perform various activities. To meet the energy requirements of the body, one has to consume the right kind of diet, so that the body is provided with the required Nutrition to enable physical and mental activity.

Thus, a nutritious diet is vital for sustainable existence. However, no single food or group of foods can fulfill all the nutrition requirements of the body. There are five main food groups which are as follows:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Cereals and Pulses
• Dairy
• Poultry, Fish and Meat products

A balanced diet of these five varieties of food groups helps meet the nutrition requirements of the body. One must also eat a variety of foods from within and across the food groups in order to compensate for varying the nutrition content of foods within each group. Besides, variety in food also appeals to the palate. The food group serving size, however, will depend upon various factors like age, activity level, body size and gender.

Fruits are rich in fiber and contain minerals like potassium, calcium, phosphorous etc. Fiber completes nutrition in the sense that it facilitates bowel movement and thus elimination of toxins from the body. A majority of the fruits also contain Vitamin A and C.

Vegetables too, are high in vitamins and minerals. Some vegetables not only have the obvious nutritional value but those like bitter gourds also have medicinal value.

Cereals and pulses fulfill the protein requirement of the body and provide nutrition for the muscles and bones.

Dairy products are especially rich in calcium which is quintessential for healthy bones.

Poultry, fish and meat products are rich in protein, fat and minerals. These are foods packed with heavy nutrition as the major nutrient is fat.

One must be careful about relative amount of consumption of each food group. Fruits, vegetables, cereals and pulses must be consumed in considerable amounts whereas dairy must not dominate the diet. Meat and other foods rich in fat must be consumed as per the requirement of the body. Excessive consumption of this food group leads to many heart related diseases. Consumption of all the nutrients proportionately is the key to suffice the Nutrition requirements of the body.

Provides articles about Nutrition. Consumption of all the nutrients proportionately is the key to suffice the Nutrition requirements of the body.