In today’s quite fast moving world its all about saving time and convenience. We look for things to simplify our lives. With food, the old fashioned way of preparing meals in our own kitchen has become too time consuming for most people. Even buying fresh groceries on a frequent basis is not an option for many busy working people. It seems an better option to get groceries every other week or so which is only possible due to a load of preservatives in processed foods. Anything that us really fresh, such as fruits and veggies (preferably organic and locally grown) spoils rather quickly.

Consequently it is not a surprise that the majority of people lack vitamins in their diet. Those that are aware of their vitamin deficiency probably try to find alternative, convenient ways to get more vitamins – and here we are at the peak of Vitamin Supplementation. Just take a few pills every day and you get the full dose of vitamins which is recommended by certain associations. Is it really that easy?

Considering the still skyrocketing numbers of severe diseases and people getting sick constantly – I doubt it. And possibly these supplements even have severe side effects which might in the long run be more detrimental than beneficial to our health. In Germany scientist have recently announced that they no longer advise the intake of vitamin supplements over an extended period of time. There is still a lot of research to be done but it does not look to good for the supplement-industry. There are certainly some instances where it is good for you to take a supplement over a short period of time. But vitamin pills on a regular basis as a supplement for real vitamins from real food, this is something I consider a risky adventure.

Our health it the foundation for everything we want and will achieve in our lives, so it should be worthwhile for everyone to take the time to buy groceries and prepare your own meals! Your mind & body will thank you

Many have probably heard about the so called rBGH which can be found in dairy products. Have you ever asked yourself what this actually is and if it might be a potential health risk?

According to the Organic Consumer Association “rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) is a genetically engineered variant of the natural growth hormone produced by cows. Manufactured by Monsanto, it is sold to dairy farmers under the trade name Posilac. Injection of this hormone forces cows to boost milk production by about 10%, while increasing the incidences of mastitis, lameness, and reproductive complications.” In 2008 Eli Lilly’s acquired rBGH for about $300 Million US Dollar from Monsanto. There is no exact number but it is estimated that about 30% of all dairy contains this artificial hormone. When you go to your local supermarket, I encourage you to read the labels in the dairy isle. If there is no statement regarding rBGH you should assume that the product does contain the hormone. Several products, which are rBGH FREE, have a little sentence on the label stating that there is no significant difference between dairy with or without rBGH. The reason why every rBGH free product is labeled in such a way is because it is mandatory by the FDA – scary huh? So they want to convince us, the consumer, that it really does not matter if we consume dairy with or without the genetically engineered growth hormone rBGH. YOU make the choice – I can tell you my choice is to avoid rBGH by all means. Any product that is non-organic (100% organic products do not contain GMO organisms), or does not mention anything about rBGH is a NO-buy for me. For example, most ice-cream does not mention anything about rBGH. I recently discovered that Ben & Jerry’s only uses dairy from farmers that pledge not to use rBGH. Check it out, next time you pick your ice-cream, you will be surprised!

Nobody really knows what health risks come with rBGH but I do not want to be a guinea-pig. The rising rates in breast cancer and girls having their first period at 8yrs or even younger – well, that to me already shows that there must be something wrong with what we put in our bodies. Certainly, the rBGH may not be the only cause (considering all the processed foods and toxins in our immediate environment) but I am quite certain it does play a very significant role to the detrimental of our health. If you ask me: Say NO to rBGH.

I personally love fish. When I say fish I am not talking about a Fish Burger from McDonalds but fresh fish from the wild big ocean. Fish is extremely high in Vitamin B-12 and Omega-3 Fats (the good fats that actually help lower your cholesterol). Unfortunately, human mankind has excessively polluted our environment including the ocean. Just remember the oil spill in 2010 – it seems that everyone already forgot about it. Then all the other waste that we create every single day. A lot of that stuff ends up in the oceans. Maybe you should start recycling today (unless you already do it), just an idea.

The bottom line is that due to pollution of the ocean, fish is certainly not as healthy anymore as it used to be 20 years ago. So I would not recommend eating it on a daily basis. I also do not like the fish that is farm raised – don’t eat it. In the grocery store you will find for example farm raised color-enhanced salmon. What, color-enhanced?! Speechless again. Basically the farm-raised fish is fed amongst others with corn (most likely the modified kind that has literally flooded the country and thus the grocery stores) to make them grow faster. Since corn is not the kind of food a fish is supposed to eat from nature, the fish gets sick and thus needs antibiotics. And because a sick fish does not look healthy they need to enhance the color by adding, well I guess chemicals. It is kind of similar to what is going on in the red meat industry. Very sad, but this is how a profit-driven industry works.

If you want to eat fish and get the health benefits, especially Vitamin B12 and Omega-3 Fats, I recommend you to eat wild fish. The best fish you get close to the ocean since it is the freshest. If fish has this “fishy” smell it is most likely not fresh anymore. Wild Ocean Seafood Market is a place in Cape Canaveral, Florida that sells wild caught fish which is amazing. If you scroll down the page you will learn why the wild caught fish is much better than the farm raised fish. I especially like Wild Ocean Seafood Market’s Mission Statement: “To provide high quality, fresh, local, sustainable seafood to our customers at the best price and to educate the public about their food choices and the value of locally caught, sustainable, fresh seafood.” Sounds good to me!

In Europe we like to eat bread, and I am talking about good bread. When I first came to the United States in 2007 I had a very hard time because there was NO BREAD anywhere, at least what I would call bread. Even though I would find almost an entire isle in the grocery store dedicated to “bread”, I was not happy about what I saw: Highly processed, refined flour, enriched with vitamins, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Triticale, Monoglycerides and the list goes on. A total of twenty to thirty ingredients in bread?? Some of the “darker” breads have labels claiming things such as “whole wheat”, “whole grain”, “heart healthy”. Just to make this clear, this is really not right – tell people this kind of processed bread is good for you. I don’t think anybody knows what real grains are.

Real whole grains are very rich in nutrients and should be part of a healthy and balanced diet. Unfortunately, in today’s food dilemma, almost everybody I talk to is either gluten-intolerant or on a low-carb diet. This is really sad to me. Now, I will tell you what real grains are and what the difference to refined grains are:

Any WHOLE GRAIN consists of a bran, germ and endosperm, which all contain valuable nutrients. The bran and germ carry most of the nutrients, the endosperm only contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals. Here is a nice graphic illustration by Mayo Clinic of how a whole grains looks like. So what is most important in terms of health benefits are bran and germ. And guess what? These two are being removed from all refined grains (white flour, white rice etc.). To make up for the dilemma, namely the lost of vitamins and minerals, they now add vitamins back to the refined flour. All these vitamins are not how nature gave them and I have my serious doubts that our body can absorb them. I even believe that some of the added vitamins are toxic. Do some of your own research on vitamin enriched flour, you will probably not want to eat it anymore.

I am an advocate of eating whole grains on a daily basis. This is how I grew up and I do experience how beneficial it is for your digestive system and iron intake (especially for women). I buy the grains at a local food co-op that sells any type of grains in bulk (brown rice, spelt, wheat, rye, bulgur, quiona etc.). And I have a mill, that grinds the grains into flour; so I actually bake my own bread 100% whole grain, the real deal. Besides I use the flour for other delicious meals such as pancakes and pizza.

During my personal coaching sessions I actually show you how to get the benefits of whole grains. Yes, I will show you how to make your own flour. Please contact me, if you are interested.

Today the Story of Stuff producers have released the STORY OF BROKE. It tells you where our tax money really goes and how it’s literally being wasted. The movie explains very well why there is still enough money to build a better future. It’s in our hands. Here is the movie:

Please share with alll your family and friends!

Here are some of my favorite quotes that I want to share with you!

“Be the change you want to see in the world”
-Mahatma Ghandi

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
-Charlie Chaplin

“We’ve had enough of the official mantra: Work more, enjoy less, pollute more, eat toxic foods and suffer illnesses, all for the sake of increasing the gross domestic product. Why not learn ways to work less and enjoy it more; spend more time with our friends and families; consume, pollute, destroy and owe less; and live better, longer and more meaningful?”
-Quote from Natural Awakening, Issue Nov. ’11, Article: Economics of Happiness: The New Economy by John de Graaf and Linda Sechrist

I think a very essential part of a healthy way of eating is fresh produce. But even here, you have to be very careful to make the right choice so you really get the health benefits.

The produce in the grocery stores is most likely heavily treated with pesticides. You will also be able to buy most of the produce all year long. For example tomatoes are always on the shelves. But tomatoes do not grow all year long so they must be imported from far away. For example, to allow tomatoes to look fresh and ripe upon arrival at the grocery store, they must be picked when they are green. If you wish to find out more about the mystery of produce, I can recommend the book Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook.

To get the health benefits, I follow a few simple rules regarding fresh produce:
1. Buy organic produce (less pesticides for your body)
2. Try to find a local Farmer’s Market
3. Focus on produce that is in season (to find out what it is you can Google e.g. produce in season in “your state/area”)
4. If time allows, buy produce several times a week and prepare your meals fresh (the fresher the produce the more vitamins it will contain)

Here is one of my produce stories: Back in July I bought two pounds of organic green beans at the Farmer’s Market. Yes, they were dirty and it took me a while to clean and cut them (that’s actually fun to me), but the soup I made was so delicious. I only paid $3 per pound and at the nearby grocery store I saw a small bag of green beans (probably half a pound) for $4.99. So buying local and SEASONAL produce is not only healthier, it is much cheaper, too!

I do support the idea that meat and dairy products are essential for a healthy wholesome diet. Vitamin B-12 which can only be found in “animal” products such as fish, meat, eggs and dairy products is of utmost importance for our body. I totally respect vegetarians and vegans but would recommend the intake of Vitamin B-12 supplements (do your own research on which ones to take, since most supplements cannot be absorbed from our body).

Now when it comes to meat especially red meat, we have to be very careful to really get the health benefits. Unfortunately, in the profit-driven food industry, feeding the cattle with (mostly GMO) soy and corn has become common practice. As a result the animals become sick (from nature they are supposed to eat grass) and are being treated with antibiotics. On top of this, growth hormones are injected into the animals so they grow faster and produce more milk in a shorter period of time. The end product, which is the meat and milk sold in the grocery isles (unless organic), is more a HEALTH RISK than anything else. If you want to get more in depth information about how most of the cattle is being raised in the US, I highly recommend to watch the movie Food Inc.

Now what meat is safe and also has the original health benefits? Find a local farmer that raises 100% grass-fed animals and and also offers milk, free of antibiotics and growth hormones. I personally prefer raw milk because of it’s extremely high nutritional value. All milk that is pasteurized (at high temperatures) loses many of the health benefits since the pasteurization process kills any kind of bacteria, good and bad ones. If you cannot find a local farmer, please contact me and I will give you some information on how to order excellent grass-fed meat and dairy products online (information will soon be on the website as well).

Regarding white meat (poultry) it is a little bit different since chickens mainly eat grains, not grass like cows do. But here again, make sure to buy organic meat and eggs from chicken free of antibiotics and growth hormones, preferably from your local farmer.

If we don’t start boycotting animal products that are harmful due to antibiotics and growth hormones they will keep selling them. Make the change today and start buying meat and dairy products from 100% grass-fed animals (if not poultry) and free of antibiotics and growth hormones. Your health and body will be very thankful!

Several weeks ago, I went to a Farmer’s Market in Hollywood, FL. My number one buy was an absolutely amazing Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete, Greece.
For centuries Olive Oil has been known for it’s incredible health benefits. The high amount of mono-saturated fats make the difference. If you want to make a little change today – to improve your diet and thus your health – buy a very good Olive Oil and use it in your kitchen on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, the industry has taken advantage of the health benefits of Olive Oil by selling a variety of so called “Virgin Olive Oil” for very cheap. I went to a grocery store recently and was so overwhelmed by HOW MANY different Olive Oils they had. And here again, the quality goes down the pipe. As a note: A 1996 study by the FDA found that 96 percent of the extra virgin oils they tested had been adulterated with cheap, inferior oils.
This was 15 years ago, I am sure the situation today at the peak of food processing has not improved the quality of Olive Oil.

So for you to really get the health benefits from Olive Oil, make sure you buy REAL Olive Oil, that is Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil in dark glass bottles (to protect the nutritional content). Now where can you get this kind of Olive Oil? I personally would not buy any Olive Oil that has been produced in the U.S. since the U.S. is not a member of the International Olive Oil Council which implies very high standards regarding the purity of Olive Oil (the ONLY ingredient of Olive Oil are OLIVES, nothing else). If you are lucky and you are planning to go on a trip to the Mediterranean (Italy or Greece) you will find delicious Olive Oil from local producers. Make sure it’s organic and thus does not contain olives treated with harsh chemicals. Another option is to find a vendor that imports real Olive Oil from the Mediterranean. The Olive Oil that I bought today is from Kolympari, and the good news is they do have an online portal where you can purchase the Olive Oil online.

ENJOY!

We all like sweet isn’t it? Unfortunately, almost every product that you buy has some kind of sweetener in it. Let’s name it: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Splenda, Aspartame and the list goes on. Even products that don’t necessarily have to be sweet like BREAD have some type of sugar or sweetener in it. Real types of sugar like cane sugar, maple syrup, raw honey or fruit sugar are very rare to find on the ingredient label.
I suggest you make your own survey: Go to the grocery store, read the labels and see how many items contain High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup and Co. It is shocking (especially when you take a look at the soda isle) and so is the rise in obesity and childhood diabetes in the US. There is a lot of supporting research out there. Here is one example: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain. Here is another article from msnbc.com discussing how dangerous High Fructose Corn Syrup really is. Read it and also do your own research!

If you want to be good to your health try to avoid any type of artificial sweetener including refined white sugar. They are not what nature gave to us but the result of some kind of chemical process. Do you really want to put this into your body?

Some natural sweet & delicious alternatives that I like are organic maple syrup, raw cocoanut sugar and honey. And the key is MODERATION!