Get Fresh

With summer rapidly approaching it’s the perfect time to purchase and consume fresh local fruits and vegetables. (What better way to supply the body with much needed enzymes).

The latest North American food guidelines recommend adults consume between 5 to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily. Although that may seem like a lot, it is an easy goal to reach and something we need to strive for.

Studies are showing that a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables helps to lower the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and other chronic conditions. Many of these fresh foods have high amounts of vitamins and minerals and some of these foods have also been shown to have strong antioxidant qualities. In addition to all the nutrients fresh fruit and vegetables provide, they are also a very good source of fiber.

Not only do fresh fruit and vegetables taste great they are also low in fat and calories and contain no cholesterol. For anyone watching their weight these foods can be effective for long-term weight management.

Fresh food markets are now open, making it the ideal time to purchase fresh fruits and veggies and have fun as well. Many of these markets offer pick your own programs (also known as U-pick) and many provide activities for children and adults alike, making them a great way to get some exercise and introduce children to the joy of healthy eating.

To find a market near you, visit http://www.pickyourown.org/canada.htm where you can find a pick-your-own farm near you. This website is loaded with information on finding a farm, what is in season or coming into season, picking tips and tons of other information. It also provides a listing for farms in the USA which can be found at http://www.pickyourown.org/statelist.htm#statelist .
One thing I should point out is that most of these farms also have fresh foods already picked and ready to take home, as well as pickles, preserves and fresh baked goodies! You can also check with your own provincial/state Ministry/Department of Agriculture to find out where a farm is located in your area or search on the web.

Besides all the nutritional benefits fresh fruits and vegetables have to offer, they can add a great deal of variety to everyday meals. Because they come in such a wide array of rainbow colours, flavours, and textures, fresh fruit and vegetables can be used in practically every meal. And if you’re looking to maximize your consumption of these fresh foods try adding fruit to salads or using fruit and veggies as toppings and garnishes.

Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is a delicious, nutritious way of getting the vitamins, minerals (and enzymes) our bodies need every day. Go ahead..Get fresh!

Visit My AIM Store at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com for more information on healthy eating.

Balancing your body’s pH

pH is a scale that measures the ratio between acids and akalines in our body fluids. The scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 to 7.0 being acid and 7.0 to 14.0 alkaline. pH is the abbreviation for ‘potential of hydrogen’.

The key to vibrant health and well-being is partly a matter of keeping our pH in balance. The cells in our body cannot function if the pH varies too far from the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45. Our body will go to great lengths to maintain this level. If we have a health problem, it is most likely because we are too acidic.

The body needs to have a balanced pH or it does not function properly. The alkaline level is very important because, as research has already proven, disease cannot survive in an alkaline environment but will flourish in an acid one.

Research also shows that unless the body's pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. If the body’s pH is not balanced we decrease the ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease the ability to repair damaged cells, decrease the ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumour cells thrive, and make us more susceptible to fatigue and illness. Our body’s pH affects everything.

An acidic pH can occur from toxic overload, emotional stress, immune reactions or anything that deprives the cells of nutrients. But the primary cause of an acid medium in the body is from what we eat and drink. And it has nothing to do with how the food and drink tastes in our mouth. Foods that are sour such as grapefruit and limes can taste acidic, however, upon ingestion break down into a base-forming alkaline “ash”. “Ash” is the end product which remains in the body after the food has been broken down through digestion. Foods which produce an alkaline ash are classified as “base-forming” foods, whereas those producing an acid ash are called “acid-forming” foods.

The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur. Fortunately, it is quite easy to change the pH level almost immediately for the better and make it more alkaline. It’s a matter of changing your diet and eliminating some of the more acid foods and adding more alkaline foods.

Before you start, it’s a good idea to get a baseline of what the pH is in your body so you can see how you are improving or if you need to continue to eliminate more acid foods and add in more alkaline ones. You can do this by testing the pH of your saliva on a regular basis. This is really simple to do using the AIM Canada pH Test Kit (range 5.0 – 9.0). The test kit contains 100 pH test strips.

In addition to decreasing the amount of acid foods we eat and increasing the amount of alkaline foods we eat, one of the best ways to immediately begin changing our pH is to drink “green drinks”. AIM BarleyLife® will help support our health by providing the body with the necessary nutrients to help balance the body pH and is an excellent source of alkalinity.

To learn more about the AIM Canada pH Test Kit or AIM BarleyLife® please visit our AIM Store Website at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com click on Products, then…Canadian Residents, then…Products and Sales Tools. You will find the PH Strips under the heading AIM Canada pH Test Kit—100 pH test strips about one third of the way down the page.