Holistic Health Library

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the primary government agency responsible for American food policy. It was created in 1862 as a regulatory agency to ensure an adequate and safe food supply for the American public and provide dietary advice to Americans. In essence, this agency is supposed to be our protector, like a parent who watches out for us and our best interests above all else.
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The primary agency responsible for American food policy is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which was created in 1862 as a regulatory agency to ensure an adequate and safe food supply for the American public as well as providing dietary advice to the public. The USDA published its first dietary recommendations in 1894. In 1916, the first food guide, called “Food for Young Children” was published. The author, Caroline Hunt, who was also a nutritionist, divided food into 5 groups:
Continue reading ‘The Truth about the USDA Food Pyramid’ »

Food is fuel for your body. Your body knows what it needs in order to keep running efficiently – it needs the fuel of vitamin and nutrient rich foods from a variety of food groups. That’s why it’s important to listen to your body and respond to its natural hunger. It will tell you what it needs, and if you don’t listen, it will find ways to keep reminding you – like headaches, a growling stomach, and obsessing about food.
Continue reading ‘Don’t Trust the Experts – Trust Yourself’ »

When we consume a diet of mainly fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as other whole, natural, unprocessed plant foods, we tend to have much better blood sugar control than those who eat more processed foods and high fat animal foods.
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There is no one perfect way of eating that works for everybody. This is called bio-individuality. Each person has very specific needs for his or her own health according to age, constitution, gender, size, lifestyle and ancestry.
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#1 Failure: Did you know that one-third of all Americans younger than 65 are uninsured? This means that more than 61 million people are without access to affordable, essential health services. Many of these people don’t go to the doctor or get medication when they really need it – they can’t afford it. America is one of the richest countries in the world. We have security, freedom and a lifestyle that many people around the world desire. However, the US healthcare system is failing the people in this country because it is run like a business, increasingly focused on generating income for insurers and providers rather than providing care for patients.
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Scientific research has shown that the food we eat affects how we think and act. Take sugar, for instance. Eating sugary snacks can give you a high and make you feel energized. It causes your blood-sugar to go up and you get that woo-hoo good feeling. But, as soon as it goes down, you feel tired and a drop in your mood. Without giving it a lot of thought, we reach for those sweet snacks mid-afternoon when our energy starts to flag. Why? Having preprogrammed it, the subconscious knows this will give a burst of energy because it has in the past. Then there’s the fact that sugar is addictive. And to go a step further, sweet snacks (like candy bars) are easily accessible (from vending machines) or easy to take with you to work. If we slowed down and really listened to our bodies, however, they would tell us we need some quality protein instead of sugar. A protein snack (like string cheese) would give us a boost in energy without that steep drop afterward.
Continue reading ‘You Are What You Eat’ »

In America one of the most popular subjects is diets. Most major magazines have at least one ‘diet’ article in every issue, if not more. It’s the subject of numerous articles in newspapers and on the Internet. New diet books hit the stands regularly and many become bestsellers. The diet and weight loss industry includes commercial chains like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, diet pills, artificial sweeteners, meal replacement shakes and belly-stapling surgeries. Weight loss is big business.
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During the normal metabolic activity of our bodies, a process called oxidant stress occurs. Oxidant stress is the name given to the cellular process that results in the formation of reactive by-products. These by-products are types of oxygen, or free radicals, that steal nutrients from healthy cells, essentially starving them to death. As the affected cells begin to degenerate, they release more free radicals and the process has the potential to multiply exponentially.
Continue reading ‘Antioxidants: The Answer to Vibrant Health’ »

Some things in life are very simple, yet we make them complicated. Good health is one of those things and the answer is simply: Balance, Moderation, Movement.
Continue reading ‘Health Made Simple’ »