It's all about Farmer's Markets!

This morning I had the pleasure of doing one of my favorite things: Shopping at my local farmers market! These days almost all cities, towns, and communities have some sort of farmers market. I am really lucky here in Phoenix, I have several to choose from. Almost everyday of the week there is a farmers market set up in a different valley location. For all of my local AZ readers, I have posted a link below to see all the days, times, and locations.
I haven't always been a farmers market shopper, but let me tell you, "Once you go local you never go back!"

My farm fresh eggs hanging in my kitchen!

In my quest to live a healthier lifestyle, I have found that shopping at the local farmers market gives me the most quality, organic produce at the lowest price. A few of the staple foods in my families diet, I now exclusively buy at the farmers market. Farm fresh eggs for example. Once you have tasted an egg
straight from the farm, you will wonder why you were ever buying store bought eggs to begin with! The consistency, color, and taste of the eggs are a whole world different! And did you know they don't have to be refrigerated?? That's right...straight from the hen's coop to an egg basket in your kitchen. The whole reason store bought eggs have to be refrigerated is because they go through a series of "baths", of bleach and other chemicals. This process strips them of a natural coating they have that keeps them fresh. We are actually one of the only countries in the world that refrigerate their eggs! At my local market, I pay $4 a dozen. Before, when I was buying the quality organic eggs at the grocery store I would pay $4 at least...sometimes $5. The cost difference for me is almost nothing, and I am getting the freshest, tastiest, eggs ever! Some of my other favorite products to buy at farmers market are fresh, local honey, avocado oil (healthiest oil to cook under heat), and 100% grass fed beef.

Fresh, un-processed honey!

Beef from happy cows!

Avocado Oil

Farmers markets are great for so many reasons other than fresh organic food. They are a healthy part of our culture that brings together the consumer and the grower. This atmosphere ensures that there is a transparency to the food system. What I find is that so many Americans are very disconnected from their food source. We mindlessly pull items off the shelf on our weekly grocery store trip, not really thinking about where it came from, or who was involved in its production. This is scary because so often  the faces behind the food industry are not at all concerned with you or your health.

On the flip side, shopping at the farmers market, you are having face to face interaction with the people who grow and produce the food you are buying. You'll find out that most of them are just regular folks who have families just like yours. The difference is they care about the health of others, and our planet. Sometimes at the farmers market, some unique items do cost a little bit more. But for me, I would way rather hand that extra dollar over to a man or woman who I can look in the eye, instead of into a big pot of corporate money that's going to the CEO of some food processing plant who is raking in millions of dollars a year and sacrificing the health of it's customer in order to do so.

Here are some of my favorite reasons to shop farmers markets : 

• Fresh, Fresh, Fresh! The freshest produce you can buy aside from growing it yourself! It's straight from the ground to you.
• Buying whats in season. It's very important for our health to be eating foods that are in season locally. Great prices on Organically grown produce!
• Unique items you cant find at your local supermarket.
• Farm fresh Eggs!
• Free range organic meats.
• Sustainability for our environment! This is a whole other topic in itself, so lets just say.... if you care at all about the health of our planet, this is a great way to honor it.
• Friendly, chill atmosphere.
• Fun place to take kids!
• No harmful toxic chemicals, additives, or preservatives!

I hope you find yourself strolling the rows at your local farmers market soon! I would love to hear comments about your experiences with markets. I know I have alot of California and Arizona readers so below I have links to finding farmers markets in your areas. For my other readers, it's easy to go online and google the name of your state and farmers market.
Hope you all have a great holiday weekend! I bet there will be some great markets being held in a town near you this very weekend!


Blessings,
Lisa

Links:

http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/index.cfm

http://www.arizonafarmersmarkets.com/

TOP 10 FAVORITE ORGANIC KIDS PRODUCTS

Hello fellow mommies! Today I am posting a list of my top 10 favorite organic kids products. I have found that the things I listed here are not only healthy organic options, but are also VERY appealing to the little ones! As mothers, our number 1 priority is the health of our kids. What's one of the best ways to ensure our kids are healthy? The answer is food!
Childhood disease is on an incredible high and statistics show 1 in 4 kids under the age of 10 take at least one prescription medication on an ongoing basis. According to a 2010 report by Medco Health Solutions, children's drugs are now the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry, with sales rising over 10% per year. This is crazy! Children's little bodies are the most susceptible to the adverse affects of  pharmaceuticals, yet they are the most medicated group! How did this happen? How did the youngest members of our society become the most unhealthy? Well in my opinion, it starts with the food.

Food is supposed to provide kids with the nutrients they needs for healthy cell function and brain development. But too often these days the food they eat is actually causing more harm than good. Some of the most dangerous additives and chemicals are in the highest concentrations in foods that are marketed for kids. Corporations spend $1.6 BILLION dollars a year marketing food to kids. And all but a few of the kids products that line the shelves of most supermarkets are classified "Junk food". The corporations are starting to get tricky with their marketing too, throwing out labels like "whole grain" and "sugar free", hoping these terms will entice mothers to give in to buying the brigthly colored packages, even against their better judgment. It really is tough as a mom to know what is healthy and what is not. And trust me, I know from personal experience that none of us moms want to deprive our kids or make them the odd one out. Fear not fellow moms, the good news is your don't have to deprive your kids of anything. There are a ton of great companies out there making quality kid friendly products, without jeopardizing their health.  First, I'm going to outline some of the worst food offenders so you know exactly what to stay away from.

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup
Not only is HFCS made from Genetically modified corn, it is also today's number 1 cause of childhood diabetes. Check the label on most juices or even Gatorade, the labels read water first, then HFCS as the second ingredient. That means it's mostly made from HFCS. And it's not just beverages, it's in everything from bread, to ketchup. Check your labels and make sure HFCS is something you defiantly stay away from!

2. Food Dyes
All of those brightly colored kids products are made possible by food dyes. You may have heard of them before, Blue 1, Red 40, and Yellow 5 and 6, among others. All you need to know is that several studies have shown links between the dyes and childhood cancer. They are to blame for several others illnesses as well, but for me hearing cancer was enough to convince me. Other countries such as Europe have banned the use of food dyes. We need to send a message that here in America we don't want them either.
3. Hydrogenated Oils
Most kids products are loaded with these. They are widely used to increase shelf life of processed foods. Hydrogenated oils cause a myriad of health problems ranging from heart disease, to type 2 diabetes, to cancer, autism, food allergies and autoimmune diseases. Stay away from "partially" hydrogenated oils too. And look out for tricky wording like "fractionated" vegetable oils, they are the same as thing.
4. MSG

It's not just in Chinese food people! These days it's in everything. Most chips, crackers, canned soups, hamburger helper, salad dressings, and frozen meals all contain MSG. Although you wont see it on the label as MSG. Real chemical name = monosodium glutamate. Other common names food makers like to use include : Glutamic acid, Magnesium glutamate, Yeast extract, “hydrolyzed protein”, anything “hydrolyzed”, Autolyzed yeast, Calcium glutamate. MSG has been scientifically proven to cause obesity. Other side effects of MSG include headaches, nausea, depression, behavioral and learning disabilities, and asthma.

5. Artificial Sweeteners
Names : Splenda, Equal, Sweet n Low. Quite possibly  the worst offender. Artificial sweeteners have been proven time and time again to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). In animal studies it caused holes in the brains of monkeys. It is used in all "diet" and "sugar free" products. As far as a "diet" product, this couldn't be farther from the truth. It actually causes you to crave carbohydrates as well as stores formaldehyde in your fat cells. In kids, it has been shown to cause seizures and several other neurological effects. Again though, these are not the names you will see listed on the labels. Here is how you can recognize it on a label : sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium. 


So with all of that out of the way, on to my favorite kids products!

1. Annie's Organics

Annie's makes a huge variety of organic and all natural kids foods, from macaroni and cheese, crackers, chips, and fruit snacks. My kids favorites are the "Bunny Grahams" and the fruit snacks. 




2. Honest Kids

Honest kids makes 5 flavors of organic pouch juices (they come in large bottles too). They are a great alternative to the Capri Sun's, with half the amount of sugar! Super convenient to pack in lunches too!



3. Yo Kids Squeezers

An awesome alternative to the highly popular GoGurt, but without the food dyes. Made with organic milk, not treated with antibiotics or hormones. Trader Joe's also makes their own brand of organic squeezers which I buy all the time too.



4. EnviroKidz

This company makes several flavors of cereal, frozen waffels, and snack bars too. My kids favorite is the Peanut Butter Panda Puffs cereal. All of their products are organic and 1% of their revenue is donated to species and habitat conservation.



5. Yummy Earth

 Makers of organic lollipops and gummy worms. Our family's favorite are the Vitamin C pops. Candy and vitamin C in one, cant go wrong there!





6. So-Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk

True to it's name, this stuff really is sooo delicious! They make soy and coconut milks but we prefer the coconut. Too much soy can be really harmful to little girls reproductive organs. Anyway, the chocolate coconut milk is a big hit in my family. We try to cut down on the amount of dairy we consume, so this is a great healthy alternative.


7.Organic peanut butter

I didn't specify a brand on this one because there are so many to choose from. Peanut butter is such a staple of most kids diet and really needs to be organic. By choosing organic peanut butter you are avoiding hydrogenated oils and other chemical preservatives. Two of my favorite organic peanut butters are actually generic brands from Fry's and Safeway (Ralphs and Vons in California).


8. Trader Joe's organic ketchup

Another staple food of so many kids is ketchup. My kids like to put it on everything. Most conventional brand ketchup contain high fructose corn syrup as one of the main ingredients. By choosing organic you are getting organically grown tomatoes and avoiding HFCS. Trader Joe's is a great one. I also buy the O organics generic from Safeway.


9. Healthy Handfuls Luckie Duckies

Ok I hate to break this to you moms, but goldfish crackers now contain MSG. Over the past few years they have changed their formulation and it now contains MSG (especially all those flavor blasted ones). So the once healthy snack that millions of toddlers enjoy is now tainted. :( booo!
Good news though, here is the organic alternative. Healthy Handfuls makes these "luckie duckie" cheese crackers and a few other flavors too. They come in boxes or individual packets perfect for lunches. I find them at my local health food store but they are also sold at Costco. 

10. Nordic Naturals

Ok, so this last one really inst a food but I decided to include it because I it's one of my favorite products for kids. By this time, you may have noticed that it is hard to get all the nutrients needed from food sources alone. For this reason, my family and I take vitamins. I figure if your going to spend your money on vitamins they might as well be quality ones. So many kids vitamins out there are really lacking an adequate amount of nutrients they need. This company supplies some of the highest quality adult and kid supplements on the market. My kids take the multi-vitamin and the Omega 3 fish oils (which are super important for developing brains). They taste great and have 3x the amount of nutrients than most store bought kids vitamins.


While fresh fruits, vegatables, and whole homeade food is best, the above items are some of the best packaged kid products on the market. I have personally tested all of the things I recommend here and they have all recieved rave reviews from my little ones. The best way to ensure your kids want to be healthy is to educate them. Make a trip to the grocery store and educational experience. Explain to them that not all the food they sell there is good for your body. Put it into terms they understand. Being healthy is a lifelong journey so why not start em' young. Trust me, your kids will thank you for it!

As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to post them here. I appreciate each and every one of you, and applaud you on taking steps to better the health of you and your families! Moms rock!

Till next time,
Lisa

Eating out can be healthy!

Often times when someone embarks on a new lifestyle of eating healthy they think they must give up one of life's simple pleasures: eating out. Not true!

This weekend my husband and I celebrated our 8th anniversary and in the process discovered a hidden gem right here in Phoenix   (I actually have to give him all the credit, he found it all on his own!). We had dinner at a great place called Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale. The owner and chef at Rancho Pinot is the founder of the Phoenix chapter of "Slow Food International". . Here is a description from their website "
"A non-profit member-supported association, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world". 

http://www.slowfood.com/ 
I love this concept and everything this movement is about so you can imagine my joy when I found out the chef was a founder! The menu at Rancho Pinot changes seasonally depending on what is available locally. All of the ingredients are local and organic. The beef is 100% grass fed and the chicken is organic free range! This restaurant is one of those places that is ALL about the food. It is only open for dinner and requires a reservation because it fills up fast. It has something for everyone including some of the most delicious veggie dishes Ive ever had, right along side a steak and potatoes plate for all you husky boys out there! The meals are prepared slowly and with love and you can really taste it. Everything we tasted was like a flavor explosion! Who said health food has to be boring? Honestly I could not have dreamed up a better place to have a gourmet meal with my love.
The point of my story here is that just because you've made a commitment to eat healthy does not mean you have to sacrifice eating out. Since my family and I have changed our eating habits I actually find that eating out is MORE fun! And really, it hasn't been difficult to find. More and more restaurants are stepping up their efforts to provide healthy options and lately I have seen a huge trend in new restaurants opening that are totally dedicated the healthy food. With that being said I must point out that fast food places offering so called "healthy" food is not what I'm talking about. I don't care what it is, if its at a fast food joint it is most defiantly NOT healthy! Trust me on this one folks, I have done the research. 
Back to the good news though. Its seems to me like healthy places to eat actually just find me now! It really is true that you attract to yourself what you are projecting to the world. Prime example: Last weekend some good friends invited us to go out to eat at a restaurant I had never heard of. While this usually would have made me nervous, we decided to accept the offer and join them. Little did I know that we would be going to an amazing little place called "Hot Pot" in Chandler. I knew it was a hit right when we walked in and I noticed the Feng shui design. All the food at this place was super healthy and delicious and they served us the most amazing pitchers of cucumber water I've ever had. The concept of this restaurant is not something I have seen before. The food all comes out raw. At your table you get this boiling hot pot (hence the name) of broth. You get a bunch of fun utensils and start putting the food into the broth. Low and behold it cooks right before your eyes! The meat cooks super fast in like 30 seconds or 1 min. Some of the veggies and noodles take a few minutes longer. After several rounds of food going in, your broth takes on all the amazing flavors of the food and your left with a delicious soup. I was super impressed with all the fresh greens and huge variety of Asian veggies (which I have never tried before, but were super delicious). The guys at the table were happy with the great lean cuts of Kobe beef. My favorite part of the restaurant is the fact that you take your time and really get into the food. You get to see your food as it is cooking right at your table and it really doesn't get much fresher than that. 
The moral of the story here is that healthy food options are out there, everywhere. Your just have to have your eyes open! 
Please share on my comments some of your favorite places to eat healthy! I'd love to hear them! 
Till next time, 
Lisa 


Links to "Rancho Pinot" and "Hot Pot" : 

http://www.ranchopinot.com/ 
http://thehotpots.com/

What's the scoop on Organic?

Hello all! As promised, here is the first of many posts to come about ways you can take charge of your health!

Today we are going to be talking ORGANIC. One of the most important changes you can make in your diet is switching to organic produce. First I'd like to dispel one of the most common misconceptions about produce. I hear so many people say this... "I don't need to buy organic because I wash my fruits and vegetables really good". OK, while its true that you are getting rid of a good amount of the outer pesticides by washing, there is still a HUGE amount of toxic chemicals you are missing. Where? INSIDE! Yes that's right, inside. Most of us are familiar with the way nature works right? Whatever is in the soil grows right up into the plant. For example if you grow a plant in nutrient rich soil that is well fertilized you will grow a healthier plant. Well the same is true for chemicals in the soil. Today's soil is incredibly saturated with pesticides and herbicides from continual spaying over many years. Those toxic chemicals are now finding their way up into the plant and in turn are highly concentrated in whatever fruit or vegetable the plant produces. So while washing helps some, its not addressing the whole problem. Did you know that todays average peach is sprayed with over 9 different chemicals? Another interesting fact : Apples top the list of the most contaminated produce! So I guess that old saying about "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" may not be so true anymore.

So what am I saying here? Don't eat apples? Absolutely not! Please, please continue to eat apples. Just make sure they are organic! Honestly there are several reasons to buy organic, all the way from the health benefits to the impact on the environment. I cant cover them all so here is a list of the top 3:

TOP 3 REASONS TO BUY ORGANIC

1. Eliminate/Reduce Pesticide Exposure
You might ask...Whats the problem with pesticides? Most people are under the impression that the pesticides we are ingesting are such a small amount they have no effect upon our bodies. Wrong. Pesticides play a huge role in the biochemical activity inside our body. In particular the nervous system. Pesticides are a group of chemicals called neurotoxins.When people are exposed to neurotoxins they may feel dizzy, lightheaded, confused, get headaches, and may have reduced coordination and ability to think. These are the short-term effects, while long term exposure can result in reduced IQ and learning disabilities. That's just the beginning! Pesticides have been linked to a whole host of other illness including asthma, fertility issues, endometriosis, childhood cancers, and ADD. If fact, TIME magazine (well known and mainstream magazine) published an article linking the use of pesticides with ADD and ADHD in kids. Here is the link to the article if your interested in reading more:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989564,00.html

2.Avoid GMO
Never heard the term GMO? It's Ok, alot of people haven't. The term GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Honestly I could write a book about GMO's but for the sake of your time and mine I'll just give you a quick synopsis.

GMO's are seeds that have been genetically modified (basically their DNA has been messed with) to withstand the pesticides/herbicides that are being sprayed on them constantly. Agricultural companies were finding that not only were the bugs and weeds dying, but the chemicals were also having a negative affect on the crop. Their solution : modify the DNA. Kinda scary right?  Right now there are 2 major GMO crops. Corn and Soy. Today 91% of soy and 85% of corn are genetically modified. The only way to avoid GMO is to buy all of your corn and soy products organic. GMO is relatively new to the scene, so there have not been alot of studies showing the health effects yet, but I can bet its probably not going to be good. Alot of countries including Europe have completely banned GMO. Let's send the message that we Americans don't want it either. Like I said, I don't want to get into a huge thing here on GMO (maybe another post in the future), so the bottom line is : Stay away from GMO. I think nature has a pretty good handle on seeds and the way plants grow.

3. Higher Nutrient Content
What are nutrients? Nutrients are the basic materials your body uses to repair tissue, make cells, and to function the way it's supposed to. Today our food supply is severely deficient in nutrients. Alot of this is due to over processing. But even in the case of fresh fruits and vegetables some studies have shown nutrient content to be 40% less than it was 50 years ago. This is due to poor soil quality. Remember what I was saying earlier about "whats in the soil is in the plant"? Well the same is true for nutrients. There are several studies being done recently that show strong evidence of higher nutrient value in organically grown produce. One such study was performed on strawberries grown in California over a 2 year period. The study concluded that the organic bunch had much higher levels of antioxidants and vitamin C among other benefits. The organic soil also outperformed it's conventional counterpart in several key areas such as increased zinc, iron and enzyme activity. So while yes, you are paying a higher price for organic produce, you are also getting a much higher nutritional value for your dollar.

Healthy Headlines is born!

Well here it is! My blog is up and I am so excited to share it with you all!
So you may ask: what is this blog all about? In a nutshell its about health. But its really so much more than that. Health is such a broad term, usually used to describe the state of a persons physical body. But what does health mean to you? For me, health is a body free of disease, a mind that is clear, and a spirit that is happy. What I'm going to be talking about here is not your mainstream "healthcare" (which in my opinion is more like "sickcare").
I want to introduce you to a different way....the holistic way. So again I pose a question to you. When you hear holistic or natural what pops into your mind first? For many people there is an automatic stigma that comes to mind. Words like "hippie, quack, health freak, and new age" are all commonly used.  These are all misconceptions. Here is the real definition of the word holistic (taken from Wikipedia) :

"Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole."

Seems pretty straightforward right? I think anything other than seeing someone as a "whole" is really quite crazy. My favorite of the above misconceptions is the idea that holistic or natural healthcare is in some way a "new age" phenomenon. Ha ha ha! This one gives me a good laugh every time! In fact natural healthcare, using the resources our earth has provided, dates back at least 10,000 years! Ancient civilizations all over the world have been using plant based medicines for centuries, yet somehow it is now considered to be the "new thing"! In all actuality, western medicine that uses chemicals as a way to force a response within the body, is really the new thing.
Chemical based medicine was discovered sometime in the late 1800's but was really popularized in the 1920's, and has since become a way of life for so many Americans. So lets review. Chemical based medicine that has been around for about 100 years, or plant based medicine that has been around for thousands of years? I cant help but trust the one that's been around the longest. And it's not just about how long it's been around. It's about it's reputation! How many people have you heard of that have died from vitamins, supplements, and herbs?
In 2003 a study reported that at least 106,000 people die every year from adverse side effects of prescription medication. That's about 275 people every day! And that's only side effects, lets not forget about other conventional medical mistake cases that claim the lives of over 783,000 people every year. That's 2,150 people who die every day as a result of the system that was supposed to keep them healthy.  Need I make my case further?
Dont get me wrong, modern medicine has made some amazing discoveries over the last century. I do believe that there is a time and a place for allopathic (western or modern) healthcare. Like say for example you are in a car accident, or your appendix ruptures, or your severely injured. These are situations where a medical doctor is capable and qualified to save your life! The problem occurs in less emergency situations.
How about depression, anxiety, heartburn, ADD, colds and flu's? Is a magic pill really the answer?  Even more importantly, what caused these ailments in the first place? Why is it that most Americans trust their medical doctor 100%, but believe a naturopathic doctor is a quack? How did we get here?
In my opinion, it's no accident. The media is a major player in this game and the driving force behind it all is money. Now, I could go into some long drawn out rant about politics, money, and government, but thats not what I want this blog to be about. Most of us already realize that the system is broken. To what degree you believe that is a very personal issue and not something I want to discuss here. The bottom line for me is that while all of this information is very overwhelming and we all have different points of view, we do share one commonality: The innate desire to be healthy and happy. I don't believe anyone wakes up in the morning wishing to be sick or unhappy. Of course not. Health is something universally regarded.

So that brings me back  to my intention of this blog. I intend on providing information on a ton of topics such as healthy food, recipes, herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, and positive thinking practices. I believe it all plays a role in health so I don't want to limit it in any way. My intention is to provide you with valuable information that can help you to make more informed decisions about your health. I believe that knowledge is power.
I am very new at this writing thing, so I would appreciate your feedback on all of my posts. I am very passionate about this stuff, but I really want to make sure my posts don't come across sounding "preachy" or "ranty". I want you all to know that I am truly compassionate to wherever you are on your journey to health. I make no judgements about where you are or the current things you are doing. My only desire is to help you get to where you want to be, healthy and happy!

Please share this blog with any and all of your friends and family that you think could benefit from this information. And please ask me questions! I love to answer your questions so feel free to leave comments here or email me anytime.  Remember knowledge is power and I know it sounds cliche', but I really believe "people will do better when they know better."
Thank you all so much!
Lisa