Spring into Your New Life -step 3

I've probably mentioned this before, but I'm going to say it again...I hate when someone compares the food we eat to the fuel we put in our cars. Gasoline makes the car go (providing everything else is in order)...but when it comes to making our bodies 'go', food is so much more than fuel. Think about it. When your car breaks down, it doesn't matter if you have a full tank or only a quarter tank. The fuel won't repair the car. But the food we eat has an effect on our body's overall state.

Everything you put in your mouth is going to have an impact on your body and your health. Your body has the most amazing ability to repair, to regenerate, and to rebuild itself. Some things better than others. Every single cell in your body will be replaced at one time or another, some within days others taking up to ten years, and what you've been 'fueling' your body with is going to show up in one or more areas. 

Has this ever happened to you? You get a random cut or scratch that leaves a scar, but that other injury that everyone groaned and said "That's gonna leave a mark," is no longer visible. Why?

The food you eat provides the nutrients or building blocks for a healthy body. Empty calories, endless chemical ingredients, pre-packaged, processed foods are far from the best you can do for  yourself, because instead of making you the best possible you, your body has to scramble to sort, remove, process and neutralize all the crap you've been feeding it. Do you need an endless supply of caffeine to keep going? Do you have skin issues, mood swings, mental fog, aches and pains to name a few? Could your body be trying to tell you that it's reached its max toxic load?

So now that we've got you reading labels in and around the house, what about your food? This is where you can throw in, "You are what you eat." I'ts as simple as that. If you're thinking something like, "Eating Organic is just too expensive," we'll get into that in just a bit. I found two videos you might like to take a look at. The first one is about 2 min, and the second covers the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen. Think of it as a good place to start. Just click on the links. 

Toxins in the body, and the Dirty Dozen. 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this journey, it doesn't take long before you start to feel the effects of these green and healthy choices. I think you just might be in for a wonderful surprise. 

Where do you start? 

Pay attention to what you're eating. If you are buying your food in any other form than what comes straight from Mother Nature, read the labels attentively. If it doesn't sound like something you'd use in your kitchen, but rather in a science experiment, you might want to rethink putting that in your mouth. Cameron Diaz wrote in The Body Book, "Just because you can put something in your mouth, chew it, swallow it, and poop it out, doesn't mean it's food." And that says it all. 

My suggestion here is to become aware of what you've been feeding yourself. The last thing I promote is cutting things out of your diet, because restrictions bring out resistance and sets you up for failure, or a walk of misery. This should be a celebration! You matter enough to merit loving care. Organic produce on sale is affordable. Buying from the clean fifteen (see video) is awesome, because you know these foods are safe. Avoiding the dirty dozen also keeps toxic food out of your diet. There are ways to get healthy...many ways.

If you start making yourself a smoothie for breakfast (or any one meal a day) you will have changed over 30% of your diet with this one, simple move. Now how's that as food for thought?
See? It really isn't that hard. Taking baby steps over a long period of time will get you farther than running off half-cocked, only to give up ten days later. We are not trying to make this painful, we want to make lasting changes, healthy choices, and we want it to be a wonderful experience of learning and growth.

Cheers!

Here is a list from dirtiest to cleanest veggies that came out 2 days ago from the Environmental Working Group.
https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php