The New "Dirty Dozen" List is Out!

All the more reason "organic" produce should be more common and reasonable for people to buy than chemically altered produce! The "dirty dozen" produce has over 67 different pesticides! I don't know about you but I don't want to be the guinea pig to see if it has side effects & what those might be! Try to buy organic whenever possible, you may not get to all the time but some of the time is better than never.
~ Remember, ANY fruit & veggie is definitely BETTER than any sugary, processed food! ~

*The following is EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce

EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.

This year we have expanded the Dirty Dozen with a Plus category to highlight two crops -- green beans and leafy greens, meaning, kale and collard greens - that did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops.

Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in US stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn.

Dirty Dozen Plus™ (Buy these organic)
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries
6. Nectarines – imported
7. Grapes
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce
10. Cucumbers
11. Blueberries – domestic
12. Potatoes
Plus
+ Green beans
+ Kale/Greens
+ May contain pesticide residues of special concern

Clean 15™ (Lowest in Pesticide)
1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Cabbage
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Eggplant
10. Kiwi
11. Cantaloupe - domestic
12. Sweet potatoes
13. Grapefruit
14. Watermelon
15. Mushrooms

Invest in yourself!

I made the decision 3 years ago that I can be what I want to be and no one or thing can hold me back. In this case it was a "thing" holding me back...food. I recently came to grips with the fact that I am an emotional eater but it's not going to be the downfall for me. I embrace the fact now so that I can steer myself in the right direction.

I've learned that everything is all about being "aware". If you are aware of things and have an open mind then you can keep growing and learning. If you are aware that you can feel healthy, happy, and full of energy then wouldn't you want to do what ever that is that makes you that way?! Isn't that why you spend money every month for a gym membership or buy diet pills that you quit using halfway through because you have "fallen off the diet plan" and you then feel guilty, embarrassed, ashamed, and eat yourself into a sugary coma.

If you invested in companies to make you feel like a failure then it's time to give up the dream of a miracle pill or a hamburger that has zero calories and no trans fats. It's time to INVEST IN YOURSELF! Give yourself the best thing you can in life, connect your mind & body by meditating for 30 minutes a day, yoga is a great way to find inner piece. Connect your body with the Earth by eating what it provides for you. Connect your life with the one your are living, be in the moment of everything you do today. Make one change, one small step to better yourself everyday and soon you will feel the power of awareness to yourself and you will no longer have feelings of disappointment or guilt about yourself!

I invest in myself everyday!

Wake up and smell the organic strawberries!

It's been 4 days since I decided to stop living in "lala land" where there's no consequences for eating everything the food industry want you to spend money on. I'm still going strong and I turned down fast food and even Starbucks this morning! I thought about the progress I've made over the last year and a half when I first set out on my journey to take control over my life and my body and I've lost 65 lbs! I can believe it though because my mind and body are in sync finally, it only took 30 years to figure out how. ;) I was beginning to get sucked into a whirlwind of medications and now I'm only taking one and I'm working on getting off that but it takes time to rebuild your body after 30 years of treating it badly. I now realize how ignorant I was towards food. Thinking that companies wouldn't be allowed to sell products that weren't safe for our bodies. I was nieve to think that a honey bun was a food group and that the food industry was all about making things "better" for you to eat. WRONG! It's all about a quick buck and turning food into an addictive drug so we only by more of their products. I am not a conspiracy theorist at all but there happens to be some wrong doings between the government and the food industry. It's terrible how they prey the poor by making 5 liters of soda for $1 but you have to realize the medical bills you will pile up by paying a company $1 every week for the rest of your life to feed you a product to make your body fail to have the necessary nutrients and make you fat while starving you in the process. Think of all the prescriptions I was on and when I changed the most simple thing in my life, food, then the world looked greener, my mind worked better, my body didn't need medicine to help it get through the day anymore and the best part was that the pounds started to drop off! It made the most sense once I opened my mind and thought about it and stopped shutting my eyes to nutrition while also learning about fruits, vegetable, beans, and seeds and the difference between organic produce, and non-organic produce.

I'm thankful I finally woke up and broke free from the addictive drug the fast food industry disguises as "food"!

Getting my mind back! It's empowering!

I woke up today, after having a not so nutritious day yesterday, feeling like absolute CRAP! I have been out of my fabulously healthy lifestyle ever since I got news that we were moving to Texas. My mind and emotions have been in over drive but not thinking at all about how I need my healthy lifestyle to help me cope with all these changes. So my mind drifted off in doughnut world where my problems get eaten away but that only lasts 2 hours and then I need another "fix". I slowly allowed myself to take out my stress, anxiety, and frustration on my body. Well not anymore!

I had an intervention in my mind this morning and instead of fixing a pot of coffee because " I deserve it, I have a lot of overwhelming crap on my plate lately" I decided to push the button to heat up water for some detox tea. With that small change in my day, I gained some control back into my life.

Right now it's about 3:00 and I have had nothing but lots of water, detox tea with peppermint and a 16 oz. green juice. I just got done doing a full butt-busting incline training workout with fitness guru, Jillian Michaels, and some yoga to clear my head and stretch my body. I feel refreshed! It's like I've been drowning in my emotions and was pulled out and splashed in the face with mother nature's curing sun-rays!

My mind is now clicked back into my body and I feel like I have wrangled my emotions back to where I can deal with them rather than letting them roam all over the place. I needed this kind of revelation to jar me back into what matters again. It's a lifestyle and it still is my lifestyle but I veered off and started letting myself get comfort from those crack selling convenient drive-thru windows. This will happen from time to time throughout my life but hopefully each time I stray it will be shorter and shorter until one day I will seek emotional comfort from meditation and yoga instead of letting addictive, unhealthy, sugary, processed food with absolutely no business even calling itself "food", be my comfort.

This lifestyle is just that...a lifestyle...not a sprint, but a marathon! It's hard work but results will always follow knowledge & dedication. Keep learning and keep growing, that is what makes us great!

Happy juicing everyone! Cheers with your green monster juice & don't forget to give yourself some CREDIT today! :)

Starbucks opens chain of raw vegan juice bars.

(NaturalNews) Starbucks, the coffee shop renowned for its seemingly limitless coffee varieties, is opening a new chain of juice bars in response to the growing health trend towards unprocessed and whole foods. In late 2011, the coffee giant also brought out Evolution Fresh, a juice company. Health foods now represent a $50 billion industry, and Starbucks has been very public about their intent to expand into the market and establish themselves as a major player.

Getting down and raw

The juice bars will offer fruit and vegetable options which can be mixed according to consumer preference, or in tried and true menu options like "Spiced Carrot" - carrot, blueberries, and cinnamon - to produce natural fruit juices that are high in dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, and E, and antioxidants.

Thicker smoothies can be supplemented with protein ingredients such as juiced wheat grass and nut butter, to help provide customers with a more nutritionally balanced meal. Healthy foods and snack options, including a wide menu to support vegetarian and vegan lifestyles will be available. The juices are all raw, having been pasteurized using a new method that doesn't rely on heat, to preserve the maximum possible nutritional content while still providing a degree of protection against pathogens.

The evolution of health trends

The juice bars were projected to open in mid 2012, but the first has already opened, months ahead of schedule, in Washington. Starbucks calls the expansion a lucrative investment by citing the easy financial returns and success of even small independently run juice bars. They think the market demand is high enough to warrant its own set of chains, not just an extra few fruit options on the menu at their coffee shops.

While they recognize that the market is smaller than that for coffee, Starbucks points to consumer spending trends that shows the increasing concern with health, including the raw juicing movement, as more than just a passing fad. The amount of money being spent on soda has been on the decline over the last several years. Despite this being a more risky investment than those to which Starbucks shareholders are accustomed, dollar market shares of the company are steadily rising, showing wide support for this move.

Over the past few years, the fresh fruit smoothie industry has bloomed into a billion dollar industry. Customer demand can be seen in the number of people purchasing bottled mixed vegetable and fruit drinks, seeking dietary reparation or preventative health measures against a wide array of illnesses. Growing numbers of people are turning to juicing for detox solutions. There is more than enough demand to support a major industry.

My opinion:
-This is very encouraging news to help get more options out in the world that are raw, vegan and fabulous! To show everyone that juices are the best thing for your body if they are juiced directly from the veggies & fruits with no added anything. Things that should be perishable but last 5 years isn't a smart thing to put in your body. We can't trust products that are man made because our bodies aren't man made in a factory. Our digestion is made to digest what nature gives us, not what industries concocted in the laboratory. Industries don't define us and our health, WE DO! We have the power to live longer and influence our children so they can develop healthy eating habits!

"we are what we eat!" - if you eat raw vegan foods that come from nutrient rich soil then your body will thank you by being all it can be for you. If you eat high calories and processed foods that your body doesn't know how to process and break down then you are left with a body that is toxic, overly fed but under nourished and starving to death. Your body will pull nutrients from your nails and skin and everywhere it can and that leaves you with skin problems and unhealthy nails as well as many other problems like obesity and diabetes.

I'm motivated & inspired for the day! Are you? :)

Getting back on the horse or incline trainer ;)

It's been about 2 weeks from my second varicose vein surgery on my leg and I'm trying to recover and get back into an active lifestyle. Taking a "break" from being active after awhile becomes a routine of laziness. My energy and eating habits are going in a downward spiral and I need to catch myself before I get out of control. Today started out with water and a cup of coffee, yes I can seem to get rid of this toxic beverage all the way but I only allow myself one cup. I then made a fruit/veggie juice when I got hungry. For lunch I ate a raw mediterranean salad Then I forced myself to get on the incline trainer and do as much as my body could and I feel energized and positive! I can't believe that I ever doubt the feeling I get after having a sweaty, music pumping workout. It beats the down-in-the-dump feeling you get after eating crap and not working out.
*Note to self:
Eat crap - no exercise = anxiety, depression, & no energy.
Eating raw, whole foods + working out= inspired, motivated and full of positive energy!
Lifestyle change isn't a "one size fits all" fad diet. It's reinventing your life to include positive things in your life.

A prescription everyone should be prescribed!

I accept myself unconditionally right now!

Everyone needs to remember not just to go to work, eat right, sleep and spend time with loved ones. We need to remember that to get the best out of ourselves we have to love ourselves unconditionally; which means... "affection without any limitations." (Wikipedia.com). You shouldn't hate yourself because you went on vacation and splurged on your lifestyle change by going out to eat more than usual., or you raided the fridge late at night and you had a slip back into your old unhealthy lifestyle habits. Everyone goes through self-hate after eating out of stress or emotions. It is just like a sugar junky to splurge on sugary foods when things in your life start to get tough. I have even fallen into this pattern just recently after hearing about our cross country move from NC toTX. I have to remember that I feel better and more in control of myself when I am in control of what I eat. Sugars are not the answer to comforting emotions, it's quite the opposite, it makes your emotions out of whack along with the rest of your bodies chemistry. With that in mind I am printing out this prescription that is the only medicine that is FREE and can be shared over the Internet and that is accessible as soon as you print it out! So follow me in my journey to discover that we are our best doctor to our bodies so let's take control!

Changing for the good!

Change is not an easy thing to do voluntarily, but when it is changing for the better it makes worth it! I would change my diet every January for my new year resolution but I seemed to always go back to my old habits, so I really can't say that I changed at all, until now. I have been on a journey to lose weight and then my goal changed to shoot for something bigger, my goal changed to be the best I could be to my body. With all the commercials and advertisements today it's no wonder people are confused and they think they are changing for the better and that they are making the right choices for their body but in reality they could be damaging their bodies even more. Fat free, low fat, no sugar added, low calories, no carb, low carb,....who can tell what the next marketing ploy will be to make you think you are eating healthy?!

First we should start by reintroducing foods in our diet that our ancestors used to eat and had great success with healthy living, vegetables and fruits! Today we are so brainwashed to CRAVE the next new food that is on the fast food menu that our bodies and our taste buds are so out of whack!

If you sit back and write down what you ate within the last week, most people will have written down:

12-18 Meals that contained meat in 7 days (should aim for eating meats 1-2 times a week)
18-24 Meals that contained dairy in 7 days (should aim for eating dairy 1-2 times a week)

Now why is that wrong when meat and dairy are a part of the famous nutritional food pyramid?! Maybe because the informational findings were funded by the meat and dairy industries because they are the most lucrative businesses. You can't make a quick buck if people just ate organic fruits and veggies, where's the profit and the fast turn around!? Americans lose quality because quantity brings more money to the table. If everyone ate quality food then what in the world would pharmacies do with all those pills?

I have changed my way of thinking about food and I've changed how I feel about food. It is no longer needed for any other purpose in my life than to fuel my body so my body can work properly for me and be my medicine. Of course this journey is also to try to make things taste fabulous while still eating clean and healthy and once you flush the processed foods from your life you will realize that your taste buds have been sleeping along with your body's energy. You will feel more alive and all the internal problems with mood swings and emotions will diminish after you throw out everything you thought you new about "dieting". "Dieting" only let's you fail and who wants to fail at life? 'Changing your lifestyle' is an accomplishment that you will be proud of and everyday you will gain more motivation and more inspiration! I know because I have! It's like I found a long lost secret to happiness and it's been at my fingertip the whole time, I just was distracted by money hungry marketing.