Category: Food-Nutrition

Is Your Bottled Water Really Pure?

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Clean Pure Water

Although water is so important to our survival, much of it isn’t fit to drink.  According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 4 percent of US rivers and lakes are too polluted for swimming or fishing.  Pollution of our drinking water also appears to be reaching crisis level.

Antidepressants, antibiotics, fertility drugs and  angina medications, hair care and skin products, lawn chemicals, industrial waste, agricultural waste, nitrates, herbicides and pesticides ALL make it into our water supplies.

Bottled Water
Is Your Bottled Water Safe?

Therefore, bottled water is more and more popular.  American Water Works Association estimates consumers are paying an average cost of $7.50 per gallon for bottled water ALMOST 2,000 times the cost of an average gallon of tap water and twice the cost of a gallon of gas).  Water is the second most commonly purchased drink in America after sweetened carbonated sodas, with sales topping $15 billion in 2015.

Bottled Water Does Not Mean Safe

Bottled water companies go to great lengths to present their products as pure and from mountain springs and ancient glaciers.  Yet according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed a far from pristine picture.  Most contained at least eight different pollutants, including heavy metals, radioactive isotopes, caffeine, chlorine, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, solvents, plasticizes and propellants.

To date, the EPA has estimated there are 87,000 mostly man-made chemicals capable of causing endocrine disruption, which can cause cancer.  And, if that is not reason enough, the plastic used in single-use bottles contain #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) also poses a cancer threat.

Not What You Think

Today 43 percent of consumers are interested in enhanced vitamin water and energy sounding “smart” waters.  Many vitamin waters contain sugar or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which has been linked to neurological dysfunction.  And, in many cases these products are just filtered tap water.

So, where does this all leave us?  Drinking bottled water as a substitute for tap water is not the answer because of the wide variety of pollutants as they contribute to the body’s overload of toxins.  If drinking bottled water is a necessity, such as during travel, don’t leave bottles in the sun or in a hot car, as heat and UV radiation contribute to an even greater release of toxins as does microwaving and running plastic bottles through the dishwasher and reusing them.

Here are some options for cleaning up your water:

Faucet mount filters:  Most are activated carbon filters.  They help remove chlorine, sediment and VOCs. Costs $20-$50.

Filter Pitchers:  Granular activated carbon and resin filters bond with and trap contaminants.  Most remove or reduce organic compounds (VOCs).   Cost $20-$50.

Refrigerator filters: They filter out minerals, slats or dissolved inorganic compounds.  Costs $25-$150.

Reverse osmosis Units:  Units force water through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure.   Costs $200-$500.

I would recommend checking out the costs of the replacement filters when comparing these units.  Many of the filters are  expensive and add to the overall expense of the unit over the following years.

I am Shirley Noah, I teach the 9 pillars for health.  A step-by-step approach to good health.  Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.

Eat For Your Future, Too

Shirley Noah Leave a comment

Eat for Your Future

 

Eggs and Veggies
Plate of Eggs and Veggies

The nutritionally deprived, cooked and processed foods you eat today will damage your health tomorrow, as well as the health of your unborn children and grandchildren in the years to come.

This concept came from a book in the 1940’s by Francis Pottenger, published in his book Pottenger’s Cats.  Some nine hundred cats were fed various types of food, raw and some cooked.  There was a striking difference in their health as well as the health of the off-spring.  Within six months the cats eating the cooked food had infections, dental problems, vision problems, skin problems, allergies, arthritis, miscarriages and behavioral changes-including nervousness, viciousness and violent behavior.

The cats on the raw diet remained healthy and well-behaved, generation after generation. There is much to learn from Pottenger’s work; the most significant is the impact of poor nutrition, produced by cooked food proves the need for raw, fresh foods.

Think of all the people ( or maybe yourself) that you know who suffer from allergies, gum disease, heart problems, vision problems, arthritis, anti-social behavior, miscarriages and other health problems.  Could malnutrition, or perhaps even the malnutrition of their parents or grandparents be contributing to their problems? Or, even consider the baby boomer generation, the first humans to develop eating processed “TV Dinner” diets starting in the 1950’s.

How You Eat Matters

To eliminate these problems, follow a few simple guidelines, which will bring more nutrients into your cells and let wastes out of your body efficiently.  First eat the right combinations of food, because certain foods digest better together than others.  Next, chew your food well, to assist in the digestive process, and nutrients are absorbed better.  Solid food should be chewed thoroughly enough that it becomes liquid before you swallow it.  Nutrition starts in your mind and in your mouth.  Eat your food with the intent to nourish your body, rather than to “fill a void” in your stomach.

When you eat cooked foods, eating something raw first is best.  Cooked food appears as an alien to the human system and can invoke an immune response, just as if you are being exposed to a virus.

I’m Shirley Noah, I teach the 9 Pillars for Health.  A step-by-step approach to good health.  Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.

 

 

Apple Health Coach

Sticky: For Longer Life, Eat This Not That

Shirley Noah Leave a comment

Good Foods, Bad Foods and How They Affect Your Health

In a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, it reports that if you eating the right foods in the right amounts, your risk of dying from heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes could be cut in nearly half.

That’s pretty impressive, but what does “eat right foods” mean?  It turns out that “sub-optimal” diets are the undeniably cause in the development of illnesses.  So, that being said, if you’re at a loss for what is good for you and what’s really not here are some food and/or dietary components that affect your health the most.

  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Soybean and corn oils
  • Processed and unprocessed meats
  • Omega-3 fats
  • Sugary drinks
  • Seafood
  • Grain, nuts and seeds

Eat More Of These Foods For Optimal Health

In most US family’s meals consist of protein (meat), vegetables  such as potatoes or corn, grains including bread, rice or pasts, and salad and often desert.

That’s not all bad, but consider portion size, too many people get too much of a good thing.  For better results consider:

  • 3 pieces of fruit a day
  • 2 cups of cooked or 4 cups of raw veggies per day
  • 5 one ounce servings of nuts or seeds per week (about 20 nuts per serving)
  • 8 ounces of clean wild caught seafood weekly

Meat and Seafood For Your Health

Protein is necessary for good health, but serving sizes are critical because your body can only use so much.  Excess protein requires your body to rid itself of excess nitrogen waste from your blood, stressing your kidneys, and may lead to dehydration.  Most people eat twice as much meat as they need, and how it’s cooked is another factor also.

Also processed meats, including bacon, salami, pepperoni, ham, pastrami, hot dogs, some sausages and hamburgers, are now classified as carcinogenic (along with tobacco and asbestos).

Regarding seafood, once what was considered good for you is now potentially toxic, including shrimp and tuna.  Fish farming operations and mercury contamination are all factors to consider when choosing seafood.

Omega-3 Fats, Nuts and Seeds

Almond Nuts
Almonds

Omega-3 comes from both animal and plant sources.  The primary animal sources are krill oil and fish oil which provide EPA and DHA, which are heart protective.

Healthy nuts and seeds, are great snacks and contain healthy fats, fiber, protein, antioxidants and minerals and are great for your heart and may even help control your weight.

Eating raw seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower seeds, have a high level of good fats and oils, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to boost your immune system, fight free radicals and benefit your heart and immune system.

Not Enough Fruits and Too Much Soda

Apple
Sliced Apple

Fruits offer many vitamins, enzymes and minerals, but should be eaten in moderation due to fructose content.  Drinking fruit juices with added sugars does not provide the same benefits as eating whole fruit.

Soda and processed foods contain HFCS (High Frutose Corn Syrup).  This is linked not only to weight gain, but to diabetes, insulin resistance and leptin resistance.

The best recommendation for fructose is 25 grams per day from all sources and 15 grams a day if you are diabetic.

I’m Shirley Noah, I teach the 9 Pillars for Health.  A step-by-step approach to good health.  Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.