March is National Nutrition Month and everyone knows how important nutrition is to live a long and healthy life…but do you? Do you have a hard time making healthy eating decisions? People are eating more processed food than ever and over the next decade, it’s almost certain that we will have more and more autoimmune diseases and illnesses related to the foods you put in your body. I decided to look into some scary facts about three commonly eaten processed foods – maybe this will help you make a better decisions about what goes in your body!

Processed Meats: Such as hotdogs, salami, sausage, bacon, and ham greatly increase the risk of many chronic diseases including high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bowel and stomach cancer. A statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) research agency classified processed meats as carcinogenic. It also found that eating 50 grams daily increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Yikes.

Healthy Alternative: Avoid pre-packaged stuff and deli counters – roast a chicken on the weekend and use that meat for sandwiches or salads for the week. If you’re short on time, buy an already roasted chicken.

Potato Chips: A 2011 study in “The New England Journal of Medicine” found that the link between potato chips and weight gain was stronger than the link between weight gain and other dietary components, including processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages. Not only did they find that daily consumption of a single ounce of potato chips led to almost 2lbs over four years, it increased the risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and some forms of cancer. Eeek.

Health Alternative: Unsalted (or lightly sea salted) Air-popped popcorn is a better option, providing extra fiber. It’s also very easy to pop your own popcorn using coconut oil and kernels popped in a brown paper bag! That way you don’t get any of the bad stuff from pre-packed popcorn!

Soda: A Danish study revealed that people that drank a regular soda every day for six months saw a 132-142% increase in liver fat, a 117-221% increase in skeletal fat, and about a 30% increase in both triglyceride blood fats and other organ fat. Their consumption also led to an 11% increase in cholesterol, compared with the people who drank other beverages such as water or milk. Gasp.

Healthy Alternative: For the soda drinker – try sparkling mineral water. For the something sweet drinker – try homemade lemonade using honey instead of sugar. For the caffeine drinker – try homemade iced tea using honey instead of sugar.

According to Psychology Today, “Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present.  When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feeling from a distance, without judging them good or bad.  Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.”

Could something as simple as being aware help you sleep better, stress less, improve focus, feel better??

The Facts:

• A study in people who eat out frequently found that eating mindfully resulted in people eating 20% fewer calories.
• A US study found that just four days of 20 minutes per day mindfulness training improved working memory and the ability to sustain attention.
• A study from Northeastern University found that people who practice mindfulness are five times more likely to behave compassionately towards others.
• A recent review of nearly 50 scientific studies found that mindfulness was as effective as all anti-depressants in helping depression, but with no side effects.

Need help getting started?  Try these simple steps:

1. Walk with no destination in mind.  Let go of all thought of a schedule or an agenda, and simple allow yourself to “go with the flow”.  Take in your surrounding and reward yourself, there is nowhere more important for you to be than right her, right now.
2. Eat your food and consume your drink as if they were your last.  Even if dinner was Chinese takeout, how would you eat it if you know it were your last?  Would you savor each bite, maybe slow down to enjoy the meal more?  Try being thankful for the meal and those who prepared it, thinking of the farmer who grew the vegetables to the chef who prepared it.
3. Before bed, take 15-20 minutes to sit in silence.  Breathe deep and notice everything around you.  Notice how soft or firm your bed is.  Let go and simply be.

Haven’t you heard? Beef is the new Salmon! Before you rush to your nearest grocery store and pick up some steaks for dinner, I’m not talking about your run of the mill cow. I’m talking about 100% grass fed, organic beef.

Grass feeding not only improves the quality of the beef, but alosm aces it more nutritious. Organic grass fed beef has been found rich in omega-3 fats, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and CLA.

The amount of fat in grass fed beef is also less. Studies have found it contains about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast. The cholesterol content of grass-fed beef is 22-39% lower than conventional beef. This also means fewer calories! In some areas, grass fed cows have 100% the daily requirement of omega-3. You will want to check with your local farms for specific Nutritional content. Here’s my list of favorite growers and restaurants they service:

Local Farms: Deep Creek Ranch, Deep Roots Meat, Lake Meadows Naturals, Grandmother’s Farm

Local Restaurants: Ravenous Pig, K Restaurant, Harmony Market, B&B Junction, Funky Monkey, JW Primo, Rusty Spoon

Determining if Acupuncture is a good option for you can be a daunting task.  Join us in learning the answers to frequently asked questions in a video blog series with Constance Fraatz, AP/DOM.