The saying, “you are what you eat” has more scientific basis than folklore. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that chronic diseases like stroke, heart disease and cancer cause more than 50% of adult deaths every single year.  Complications due to diabetes such as kidney failure, lower-limb amputation and blindness are common and on the rise.  Paying attention to the nutrition data on goods you consume could help prevent these kinds of ailments.

The CDC recommends checking the nutrition information for sodium especially, as high sodium in packaged foods leads to high blood pressure and possible stroke.  A recent study done in England proposed millions in financial savings plus added years to people’s lives just by cutting back daily sodium intake.

Nutrition Facts

Diets high in fruits and vegetables, lean protein and fiber, and low in saturated fats, sodium and sugar can ward off certain diseases and help maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Nutrition is the basis for how we feel and how our bodies function.  Without the proper nutrition, the body doesn’t have the tools to maintain proper health.  A recent study at Northeastern University about preventing coronary heart disease through food and nutrition suggests that fruit, vegetables, fish and whole grains are the best tools for maintaining heart health.

Nutrition Analysis

The American Cancer Society recommends that preventative measures against cancer may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-other disease related mortality.  This suggests that what is good for the body in one way is also good for the body in a whole slew of other ways.  These antioxidant foods help promote heart and vascular health:

• Berries, dark green veggies, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes and mango
• Olives, nuts, whole grains and beans
• Salmon and tuna (fatty fish)

These foods contain Vitamin C and E, Selenium, and Beta Carotene, which are all vital in vascular health.

What is Healthy?

While some doctors agree that supplements can help remedy certain nutritional deficiencies, our bodies primarily need nutrients from food sources.  Dr. Joel Fuhrman has stated that there are unknown phytochemicals in our whole foods that can’t be duplicated in supplements.  Nature knows the proportions and combinations that the human body needs more than any study ever will.  Healthy is less about the calories and grams of fat consumed and more about the nutritional value.  The foods mentioned above have high-yield nutrition for their caloric intake, whereas potato chips do not.  The calories in a candy bar may equal those found in apple slices dipped in almond butter, but the nutritional yield into your system is much different.

A healthy diet is the best way to prevent disease and promote health and longevity for you and your family.  Make sure to manage your sodium and chemical intake with a printable grocery shopping list of healthy favorites.  When in doubt, whole foods like fresh produce, nuts, grains and lean meats are the best option!

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Lately everyone is using the term “fair trade.” But what is fair trade exactly? Fair trade is the movement to put an end to the exploitation of poor regions for their natural resources.  In order to get fair trade certification in the United States there is a rigorous process of fact checking that must occur to ensure that:

• The people producing the product are working in safe conditions and being compensated with a living wage
• Profits are being used to help develop the community
• No genetic modification (GMO) to food is allowed
• No child labor is allowed
• No hazardous chemicals are used

Fair Trade Products

Most stores carry at least a few fair trade products, most commonly coffee and chocolate, tea and sugar. Any fair trade product will be labeled with the fair trade certified logo generally found in one of the 4 corners on the front of the product. Flowers, cotton, fruit, clothes, jewelry, spices, wine are other items are joining in the fair trade movement.  The growth of this kind of commerce is expanding exponentially and is expected to exceed 5 billion dollars in 2012.

Numbers

According to the World Bank, 2.7 billion people exist on less than $2 per day.  In certain parts of the world, thousands upon thousands of children work on cocoa, coffee or cotton plantations and factories and work in hazardous labor conditions.  Fair trade certified means that the supplier has been thoroughly investigated for these kinds of practices and absolutely does not participate in them.  In the U.S. alone we can choose from over 7,000 fair trade products from 58 countries.

The Fair Trade Movement

The fair trade movement is starting to take hold and gain ground globally. It is now possible to create grocery shopping lists full of fair trade products.  This is a positive thing for all nations, and especially for women and children.  Community development and humane work practices will provide the world with quality products, not at the expense of ethical standards. By providing money for education the children can go to school and female workers have ways to make money for themselves and their families to help promote equality and independence.  The extra cost to the consumer in the U.S. is minimal and as consumers start to demand only fair trade products, companies that practice exploitation will be cut out of the equation completely.

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