Holistic Health Library

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’ »

Exercise is an important component in staying healthy when you have arthritis. Moderate physical activity on a regular basis helps decrease fatigue, strengthens muscles and bones, increases flexibility and stamina, and improves your general sense of well-being.
Continue reading ‘Exercise for Those with Arthritis and Joint Problems’ »

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’ »

Aging doesn’t have to mean looking and feeling old, getting flabby, and losing your sex drive. Your biological age can be much younger than your calendar age with a few lifestyle changes. If you desire good looks, a hard body, and the sex life of a 25 year old, you can have it. If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you are at an optimum time to start preserving what you have. If you’re 40 plus, it’s not that hard to regain everything youthful and keep it.
Continue reading ‘Tips For Growing Younger’ »

Over the last decade, America’s reliance on prescription drugs has grown by staggering proportions. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s June 2006 report, “Prescription Drug Trends,” the number of prescriptions purchased per capita in the U.S. population rose from 7.9 in 1994 to 12.3 in 2005.
Continue reading ‘Just say NO’ »

A lot of people say they ‘hate’ exercise, but I think what they really hate is the expectation of long hours of organized exercise for the rest of their lives. Joining a gym makes some people cringe, and others just can’t afford it. And a lot of people don’t have an extra hour or two each day for a brisk walk, a run or to do aerobics. Let’s face it, life is crazy busy these days. Now that the truth is out of the way and our excuses are made, what we do know is that some exercise each day is good for us – actually, it’s vital for good health. And it doesn’t have to be an awful chore we must face each day – it can be easy, customized, and fit into our busy schedules. And remember, to start with, any kind of movement can be considered exercise.
Continue reading ‘Simple Tips to Help You Exercise More’ »

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.
Continue reading ‘Blood Sugar Imbalance’ »

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.
Continue reading ‘Bio-Individuality: What Works for You’ »

#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.
Continue reading ‘The American Healthcare System Is Failing Us’ »

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’ »