It's true - you are what you eat.

A young student came to the clinic today as part of a work experience component of her high school education.  She was very bright and curious and wanted to learn about naturopathic medicine.  As we talked, however, I told her that despite all the fancy treatments and remedies that I have at my disposal, I could probably improve 80% of the conditions that I saw if patients would just simply eat better.

No matter where you live or how much money you have, one thing that is certain is that you have to eat.  Companies realize this and it’s no wonder that the food business is big business.  The best way for a company to add value to your food is to process it with added sugar, salt, fat, and chemical additives and preservatives.  Furthermore, you package it nicely and market it so that people like you and I want to eat it instead of nutritious whole foods.

So, what’s the big deal, you ask?  Well, it all translates into extra calories with decreased nutrition.  That, in turn, translates into obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer and a myriad of other chronic health conditions that result from these.  Actually, now that I come to think of it, I could probably help MORE than 80% of my patients just by getting them to eat healthier!

If you want to start getting healthy, start thinking about what you’re putting into your mouth.  What’s in your food?  Where did it come from?  Is it healthy?  If you don’t know the answer to those questions, pick a healthier alternative.

Certain foods get sprayed with more pesticides

If you’ve recently tried to buy more organic food in an attempt to benefit your health, you probably realized that your grocery bill will be substantially higher.  Now, it’s hard to put a price on your health, but most people have a limit to how much they can spend on the food they eat.

So then, where are you going to get best organic bang for your buck?  Well, in terms of fruits and veggies, consider the amount of pesticides that are sprayed on the surface of the produce and whether you can avoid eating those toxins.  If the food has a thicker peel which you will not be eating (such as bananas or oranges) might not be as high on the organic priority list.

Here’s a list of produce items that you should definitely consider buying organic because of the high amounts of pesticides used to grow them: Peaches, Nectarines, Grapes (especially from outside North America), Pears, Strawberries, Apples, Cherries, Bell peppers, Celery, Spinach, Carrots, Lettuce.

Other foods that you should definitely consider buying organic include coffee and tea, meat, and dairy.  For more information on this topic, check out Wayne Roberts’ book Real Food For A Change.

Do not heat styrofoam in the microwave

When you’re hungry, leftovers from last night’s tasty dinner are a real treat.  But before you go and heat them up in the microwave, think about what is touching the food.  Chances are, it’s plastic – a plastic food storage container, styrofoam, food wrap, etc.

When heat is applied to food, chemicals may leech out of the plastic and come into contact with your food.  While many scientists debate the safety of heating food in plastic containers, University of Missouri researcher Frederick vom Saal concluded that, “there is no such thing as safe microwaveable plastic”.

To be safe, take a minute to transfer your food to glass or ceramic containers labeled for microwave oven use first and do not heat food wrap in the microwave.