A financial advisor recently shared a saying in her industry: “A wealthy man’s greatest asset is good health.” If it is true that we are what we eat, then surely what goes into our bodies pays its dividends one way or another - as a good health investment or driving our bodies further in debt. Skipped meals, eating on the run, depleted soil and early-harvested, un-ripened produce for long-distance shipping contribute to poor diets. Here is a series of treasure maps for your hunt for great food investments to increase your nutrition and treasure of wellness.
Treasure Map 1: If most of your current food inventory is in boxes and cans, mixes and processed snacks, and sugar-laden drinks, you may actually have very little nutrition in your diet. The next time you shop for food, find ways you can get whole foods into your cart (closest to nature, with little or no processing). Easiest are foods in their original raw form. With processed and packaged foods, read labels carefully. For example, substitute peanut butter made of just peanuts (look in health section) for ones with sweeteners and other additives or 100 percent real cheese for processed cheese spread. Instead of heat-processed canned fruits and vegetables, try the real McCoys – fresh ones. A good rule of thumb: if your mouth can’t pronounce an ingredient, your body probably won’t embrace it. Regard food as fuel instead of filler. Two of the biggest culprits of negative filler are sugar and aspartane; see /www.NutritionCancer.com.
Treasure Map 2: Another reason for careful food buying is the amount of pesticide residues in our food supply, which builds a good case for going organic. Download a great little pocket guide of which fruits and veggies are the best and worst in pesticide residue at www.grinningplanet.com/2006/update-2005-05-24/pesticides-in-food.htm.
Recently, I helped my physical therapist convert her home to safer cleaners and personal care products. Her family went a step further to eating only organic foods. With a master’s degree in biology and a doctorate in physical therapy, Jodi Reyerson of Taylor Physical Therapy in the Waverly Health Center has the background to understand her results: “I think it makes a difference on a cellular level.”
In just a few days, she noticed a difference in fluid retention, her kids had more focus, her husband noticed they were full on smaller portions and they all had more energy. It also cut down on their eating-out budget. By planning and cooking ahead, Reyerson feels families can cook nutritionally with success.
Treasure Map 3: A growing number of our large supermarkets have healthier and organic offerings. Local small grocers who carry nutrient-rich and organic foods are Roots Market on Main Street in Cedar Falls, Moo Roos Dairy in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, TnK Health Foods and Greenfield’s Health Foods Center, both in Waterloo. At farmers markets this summer, encourage more organic choices just by asking for them.
Treasure Map 4: An alternative to growing your own produce is to buy a farm share with a Community-Supported Agriculture farm (CSAs) like Sunflower Fields in Postville (www.sunflowerfields.org, 563-380-8847) and Genuine Faux Farms in Tripoli www.genuinefauxfarm,com, 319-610-9201). Both make Cedar Valley weekly deliveries.
Treasure Map 5: Check out the “Buy Fresh-Buy Local” food project that networks consumers and local producers at the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy & Environmental Education website: www.uni.edu/ceee/foodproject/.
Buying food locally saves on fuel costs and can reduce the amount of preservatives and sprays for some growers. According to David Swenson, an Iowa State University economist, “If residents of the Black Hawk county area purchased locally-grown fruits and vegetables just three months out of the year, that would mean 475 new jobs and $6.3 million in labor income added to the local economy.”
Treasure Map 6: Making a radical switch all at once may work for some, but baby steps help build greater success and momentum for others. If you need some help determining those steps, in my health coaching I offer a hands-on four-step process to more natural cooking I call “Looking & Cooking” that works with individuals, couples, families or groups. For more information, call 319-277-7444.
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