Let’s face it most towns have at least two or more supermarkets!  and there’s the same ol’ stores..  oh what a bore-for me anyhow!  local green grocers and unique foodie type deli’s are few and far between and most have moved out of existance (in my neck of the woods) and small businesses just can’t compete with the giant corporations.

Supermarkets serve a purpose in our society with easy convenience cash and grab, in and out in a jiffy,  bob in the microwave and meal in literally seconds. I know! I  know! I hear you saying…. we are all busy and time is an issue but the one complaint that is moaned about is our health.

Ever noticed how much room fresh fruit and veg takes up in a whole store- 10%? if that! 

The highlighted health information from the health service is “overfed and undernourished”

Supermarkets and large food corporations are a dab hand at marketing, they know exactly what the consumer buys into..  we all love a bargain, two for one, for example. 

There’s lots of tricks played in getting you to buy for extra value especially around nutrition for children!  Boxes of raisins, bags of small apples and bananas, cereal bar with fortified calcium, low fat yoghurts,  and we all want to give our families the best of the best..  but you could be paying allot more and be buying less nutrition especially the cereal bar and yoghurty type products with all the additives!  Is convenience what you really want? its big big business.

 But the  500gs bag of raisins is more value and much less package waste.    Just watch for the extra added value put on the price label if you would rather save a quid or more..

There are specifications which the supermarkets demand from their suppliers. Here’s one-

“Apples not too green not too red!” 

E.G. Fuji apples colour pale yellow /green- minimum 30% block of or striated red colour. Heaven help the Fuji grower with 29%! 

Natural features of English  apple varieties have waxy skins but this is not acceptable to supermarkets!

What’s really important,  the cosmetic size shape and smoothness or food that is going to be full of vitality and goodness lessen the NHS chaos and keep you feeling  happy that you have your fantastic health?

Go for quality quality quality that’s what I say

Feed/support the companies that have our health at heart

Like the small green grocer or local farm shop or your own back garden

Is counting your pennies saving your health?? 

Is it really cheaper to buy processed food??  to whom and for what??

“Don’t diet just change your life!” lifestyle changes! thats what they are saying! they being the experts the health advocates but how on earth do you  do that?

Hmmph………………… easier said than done I hear you say! – you are right some can, some like me can’t!

Some of us have Wake up calls!  but still can’t..  like heart disease/attacks, cancer, ME/ immune system break down.

I have moments, days, even weeks where it’s easy to eat vibrantly nourishing foods but diets are only temporary in my book, i have to be commited for a reason.  A why! what is your reason?

When do you get side tracked?

Mine are my emotional states if I get anxious, frustrated or sad these can lead me into eating foods that aren’t good for my body.

Some people can turn their health around especially when its a life death scenario as their choices are more limited those choices are less there are less places to go or even hide!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4hbV4RgzI8

Bill clinton had a wake up call – actually maybe lots before that too but he finally took notice. 

Interesting let  me know your thoughts.. and comment below

Is it in yours?

Yes, the word diet usually conjures up a cringe and a big sigh! Nobody wants to feel restricted and that’s the first thought that comes to mind when that word is heard or read.  Some of the comments that I hear over again are:

Diets are

• Boring
• Tasteless
• Limited quantity
• Rabbit food
• Little variety
• And ….no more pizza and chocolate!

But worse than that…

The diets often don’t work anyway OR once you return to normal eating again the pounds creep back on..  and it’s back to square 1

How many times have you gone on diets?
How many diets have you tried?

We’ve all been there but if you haven’t it does not mean to say that just because you haven’t a weight problem,  that you feel great and every bodily function is working properly. 

It could be that you have aches and pains, bloating and wind, constant flue and colds, reoccurring sinusitis, or a back problem. 

But wait, how are those related to what I put in my mouth?
Well what we reach for and eat at our meal times directly influences the mechanics in our body, much like a car! 

Oil is necessary for a car engine
Water is necessary for regulating heat in the radiator
The brakes need brake fluid so you have control 
The wipers need anti freeze fluid in the cold winters

Our body isn’t any different..  all those foods impact how your blood moves around vessels,  how hormones are produced to balance our moods, create enzymes to break down foods in our digestive tract, and  keep our heart beating and bones firm and strong!  

So how do we know why our eating habits aren’t keeping us healthy?

Lets face it you don’t want to start another diet just to fail again, then loose more money on the latest fads..  thats understandable!

Usually when we start a new health regime we have a very good reason!

1.  To be slimmer
2.  Deal with a bowel problem    
3.  Natural alternative to medications   
4.  Increase energy
5.  Lower your cholesterol
6.  Go on a detox

And the best reason of all, to feel happier and more confident!!  
Being happy is an emotion that influences every person you meet and every thing you do. 

Please comment on my blog Id be happy to hear from you!

At this time of the year its hard to find that extra umpph sometimes to get things done after the nights draw in the light becomes less and the temperatures plummet.  The sitting room beckons where curling up infront of the fire and keeping warm cuts the mustard!

But did you know that health problems like depression and ME cases rise dramtically at this time of year?  We’ve all heard of SAD syndrome!?  Seasonal affective disorder!  Only a few years ago SAD was not a diagnosable illness or symptom and many people were sent home with comments like “oh, theres nothing much wrong with you”, or “get some rest” or “it’s in your mind”  ”We certaily didn’t understand what the causes were so patients could be waved goodbye with a prozac prescription or possibly worse not even believed.   

Nowadays there is more understanding and empathy towards sufferers.  During the winter months light exposure is minimised and so light entering the eye decreases, in turn releasing more melatonin.  Melatonin is a hormone. It is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain which maintains the circadian rhythm,  an internal 24-hour “clock” prompting when we fall asleep and wake up. Your body produces more melatonin when it is dark and production of melatonin drops when there is more light.   Jet lag, shift work, and poor vision can disrupt melatonin cycles so can make you more susceptible to SAD and some of the ailments listed below!

 During winter a rise in melotonin  triggers a slowing down of  our body’s metabolism. Think of it this way, animals hybernate or birds flock to warmer climates and plants curl up and recede back into the earth.   In nature life goes to sleep and rests until early spring when daytlight hours start to stretch, more sunlight begins a gradual warming up of the earth  then once more life sparks new growth with speed and vitality.

But what do we humans do? We rise out of bed often earlier due to the lighter mornings, we work the same long hours then cram in long late night surfing the web and watching the television and possibly eating more nurturing foods as a means to chill out and relax,

symptoms associated with SAD

• Less energy
• insommnia
• feeling low and lacking motivation
• poor concentration
• foggy thinking
• sluggish digestion
• reoccurring physical illness, headaches, sinusitis, candida and aches and pains.

Various ways in which relief from SAD can be achieved.  Conventionally bright light source in the form of a special lamp can be used by the sufferer for a few hours p /day. 

Lots of raw basil leaves in salads and topped on main dishes or used in a green smoothie or green juice are great ways in a diet.

Inhaling basil oil or crushed leaves from a handkerchief . 

All green leaves, brassicas and sprouted pulses are fabulous foods to incorporate due to the high chlorophyll content (another form of sunlight)

Make your own herbal teas and cook with plentiful amounts of parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, sage, horseradish and ginger,  cinnamon is an excellent stimulant and has great antioxidant properties too.

Twice a year in spring and autumn (September) there is an equinox. This year the date was Thursday September 23rd at 03.09 hours. This means that the sun is at a right angle to the earth at the equator and so we have equal day and night. Between full moon before the equinox and full moon after (average 29.5 days) there the planets in the universe align into a position that creates different sunlight exposure to the sun. This has a huge impact on out planet altering climate through weather patterns. Temperatures drop, daylight shortens and rainfall usually increases. So this huge earth energy flip doesn’t just alter our external environment where we see;

• Animals going into hibernation
• Herbivores ovulate
• Plant growth slows
• Change of Seasons
• Root vegetables that grow under the ground and are best stored in the dark and cooking with the lids on is common for longer slower periods of time illustrating the matching of energy of the season.

Over about a 10 week period before,  during and after the equinox there is a surge of energy/movement so strong which not only creates ocean tides, seasonal change and animals to respond but causes many people to “feel” or experience symptoms and it comes from a movement of fluids at cellular level! (our body is 70% water) so affects our body internally too! This is because the energy pulls on fluids. Right down to the cells contents which contain the electrolytes calcium sodium and fats plus others.  Too many of these “particular” elements already consumed through diet or stress your body becomes highly acidic. As the blood  needs to be slightly more alkaline the body will attempt to redress the imbalance by eliminating accumilated acidity . Symptoms arise if our liver is too busy detoxifying other toxins. Over this period of the equinox it is very common for people to suffer with ailments like “catching” a cold, flues, headaches, joint pain etc…..it is well known by medics that patient numbers increase dramatically over the Spring and Autumn equinox. Flues are rife, acute illnesses occur and if these are treated and suppressed with medications acute symptoms can revert into a more chronic condition. It’s a well recognized fact too that depression SAD (seasonal affect disorder) rise, and before you know it the effects of the cleansing  Autumn equinox can put you to bed!

Our ancestors were more in touch with the earth because they lived closer to nature than we do today.

They realized that what happens in the cosmos above affected life below on earth. Celebrations and rituals over these times were practiced by performing dance, prayer meditation music and fasting and detox/cleansing type ceremonies.

In Eastern philosophy it was and (still is in parts) a tradition for people to visit their traditional doctor to perform energy healing such as tai chi, acupuncture, massage, herbs plus others, over the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. Their belief is that is you support the body over these powerful planetary transitions then health should remain good for the following 6 months before the next equinox.