America's Food Crisis

Quick Preface: I blog to encourage, motivate, and inspire you. Today's entry may feel harsh, but I feel my passion for change in our nation's food industry needs to be voiced. If you refuse to rethink your food choices after reading this, I pray someone else emits their passion on this subject in a way that will reach you. Your LIFE depends on it.

STOP making EXCUSES!--"Good for you" food tastes bad, your mama only cooks with ham bone and lard and her health is fine, it costs too much, it's inconvenient...

It's 2011. You can't hide from the obvious health benefits of certain foods (as a Public Health Professional I am comfortable with being a "nerd" when it comes to credible health information backed by scientifically sound research conducted to prevent disease and delay avoidable death). However, access to non-researched based information (Please do NOT use wikipedia for all your life questions and answers, actually just limit this site for "who is famous for what" type questions in trivia games!) can be accessed with extreme ease. Please exert caution searching the internet for health information, particularly on nutrition. The food industry has BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of dollars to market to consumers about the false "health" of their products (I need to elaborate more on this in a future blog)!

When you read an article, look up the author. Check their credentials. Is he or she a medical doctor? Nutritionist? Did they get paid for writing the article? By whom? Are their claims backed by research? Who endorsed the research? If an article tells you how Fiber One bars are better than KIND bars, see if Fiber One endorsed the study. Was the word "better" even defined? Are we talking vitamins/minterals, protein, sustainable energy? Why not just grab a handful of nuts or a couple of eggs? Both are super cheap, jam packed with vital nutrients, and contain a perfect amount of protein to keep you full and energized.

Ok I have gone on a huge tangent and I don't want you to miss today's motivating message!

As for the vast majority of people who fall short of eating enough vegetables every single day (click on Harvard School of Public Health for a great article on how much f and v's we should be consuming), I would like you to stop for a moment and think about all the things you do throughout a typical day tracking your energy levels and the types of foods you are eating. A huge factor to our stress and waning energy levels boil down to this basic malfunction in our nation: We are OVERfed and UNDERnourished! Eating properly can drastically change our ability to keep our bodies GOing day in and day out!

Now onto brag about my yoga class which was my initial reason for blogging today! I teach yoga to 3 wonderful ladies in one of my dear client's basement (soon to be relocated to her backyard as this fall weather is rapidly approaching!!). At the conclusion of class today my client treated us with JUICE!

Her concoction was absolutely delicious. I'd like to name it in her honor, "Julie's Jam Juice!" Kale, spinach, carrots, beets, ginger, cilantro, and apples packed this creation with vitamins A, D, E, K, antioxidants boosting anti-aging, cancer-fighting, immune-building, inflammation eradicating (perfect post workout!) benefits, plenty of iron, folate, calcium, potassium, B vitamins, fiber, magnesium and tons of other trace minerals...I mean talk about a nutrition powerhouse!!

Yes, this was a very generous and sweet treat for me and I am extremely blessed with amazing clients. It made me want to get my own juicer!! Any suggestions!?

So how will you CHOOSE? It IS a CHOICE. Daily. Every snack. Every meal.

How will you FUEL your body TODAY?

Will you consume foods for energy and optimal bodily function enabling you to interact easily with others and perform work related tasks with ease? Not to mention experience mental and emotional stability by keeping your blood sugar level steady through whole grains coupled with fiber and protein rich foods? Or will you err on the side of ingesting foods with ignorance while simultaneosly contributing to the unyielding obesity, diabetes, and premature death rates of our nation's chronically food obsessed culture.

Until we rid our homes and our minds of the dependence on nutrient lacking foods, (It's true: I too love chocolate and french fries-don't deprive yourself, just look for a benefit in each food. Try dark chocolate for some antioxidants or bake sweet potato fries to at least get some vitamin A. We only get one body and if we do not take care of it through choosing foods that benefit how our bodies work MORE OFTEN than foods according to taste or mood) we will stay enslaved to the few big corporations that run our nation's food industry; stuffing our families with sugar coated, fat-filled, bleached, refined, syrup-glazed, oil-coaxed, artificially-flavored, genetically-mutated, chemically-altered, deep-fried, over-sauced, salted, smothered, and cream-covered meals may provide a temporary pleasurable experience, but the compounded internal damage over time is a threat to us all.

If you are skeptical about the cost of eating a nutritously dense, delicious, and extremely affordable diet then let me show you how with a grocery store tour. It will change your life and your budget on food. I GUARANTEE it! Email me This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

Nourish your body and soul by eating well and encourage others to do the same!