Wellness Wisely

                                       

When spending money (that is most times hard-earned), we should think about where we are investing that money.

I am not against doctors - let me get that clear from the start. I think there is a time that we all need a doctor, and I believe they can help us many times to get better. However, there is a fine line there for me. I believe that the way we nourish our bodies and our environment both play an integral part in our health. To feed ourselves internally with foods that are "real". This means vegetables and fruit either fresh or frozen, water, beans, nuts, seeds, and legumes first and foremost. Though I lean toward a more vegetarian diet, I am not vegetarian. I think that poultry and occasionally meat can be good for you. Fish also holds lots of Omega 3 that is good for the body, skin, hair, and nails. Grains are also good in a diet to help in the digestion of food. They contain fiber, minerals, antioxidants, carbs, fats, proteins, and various phytonutrients. Some people, such as myself can't process them as well as others, so I eat only a limited amount of grains but do get oatmeal in my weakly diet for heart health and digestion.

There have been numerous studies and you hear this all the time, but I cannot stress enough the importance of buying Organic.  This means non-GMO (genetically modified), All of the above-mentioned foods should be clean of artificial pesticides, no hormones in the meat, no by-products, artificial fillers, dyes, and try to stay clear of most boxed foods, and all foods that contain ingredients that you don't understand. Buying from your local farmers market is even better than the grocers, as you help aid in the pollution from transportation, by-pass the length of time it has sat in the bin at the grocers, and get to meet people who are actually producing your food so you know more of where it is coming from. If you read or watch studies such as the China study, from farm to table, The Engine 2 diet, food matters, forks over knives, etc., you will find real results from real people including doctors on how nutrition heals us. The medical industry has turned to impose pills onto their clients. The pharmaceuticals are making trillions of dollars off of this - us. Instead, they, and we ourselves, should be looking at the bottom causes of our illness and realizing that the planet provides us the majority of the time with solutions as remedies. It is time to stop masking the problems. It's time to stop feeding our dollars into these high profile corporations and individuals that are out to take it. Look to holistic means first and foremost. 9 out of 10 diseases can be fixed or cured with diet and lifestyle changes.

As important as what we put in our bodies is what we are putting on them. There are millions of man-made chemicals being put into our care products these days. Some of these have been tested for adverse health effects and have been shown to cause cancer, are known carcinogens, interrupt our hormones, and can cause numerous other health issues. Even more, chemicals that are being placed in products have not even been tested extensively. Why do we do this to ourselves? Because we want to not age which is inevitable? Because we are not educating ourselves? Because we trust these company's products that are on the shelf because we feel they wouldn't be there if they could harm us? To address some of these - we can age better if we are nourishing our bodies from the inside out. Slathering on chemical-filled lotion is NEVER going to help us age better. Stop wasting your money on the shelves of these products. Stop trusting companies that are providing you with options that are filled with ingredients that can harm you. Even some companies that claim to be "natural" are greenwashing and are not natural at all. Buy organic and do research on companies that provide real products that are organic and nourishing to your body. These will benefit you in so many more ways. This also provides less waste from buying so many products that simply do not work.

We must care about our land, our oceans, our planet, ourselves, and each other. When we care about our environment, nature, and life on it, then we find that it cares about us back. Our soils lack the richness of yesteryear. Our oceans are being filled with trash and chemicals that are killing our wildlife and in return ourselves. Our foods are losing the taste and richness of flavor from prior times. There is more sickness than ever ravishing people. Let's stop. Focus on minimalism. Focus on where we are placing our money. Let's be wellness wise from a global perspective.

Here are a few tips and places to enrich your lives.

• Buy from a farmers market first when you can.
• Buy Organic.
• Focus on fruits, vegetables, and water first.
• Eliminate almost all food and products you use that contain artificial or artificial chemical ingredients.
• Be less wasteful.
• Be mindful of the nature that surrounds you, and help to take care of it.
• Work some exercise into your days.
• Start small if it's a big change for you, and work your way up. But do take the steps.
• Check out ewg.org/skindeep to see what the chemicals in your product's rate.

Peace, M~