If You Could Improve Just a Little.....

Here are a few simple suggestions that could make a huge difference in your health...

• Double your antioxidant intake in your meal by adding herbs to your salads, vegetables and main dishes: any green herb, ginger, cumin, marjoram, lemon balm – it's all great!
• Even if you don’t buy all organic produce….. The 12 most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables include are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach, and potatoes. So buy these or most of these grown organically!
• Eat lots of greens in at least two meals: kale (the best), collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, chard, and leaf lettuces.
• Eats lots of red-orange-yellow foods: carrots, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and more – these are full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
• Cut out the refined fats, and go only for the good fats: avocado, raw nuts, coconut, etc. And better yet, add avocado, olive oil, nuts and olives to your red-orange- yellow fruits and vegetables to boost your immune system and increase your fat soluble vitamins, example: add avocado to your salsa, olive oil to your steamed vegetables, nuts and olives to salads, and more!
• It is said that people who eat less, live longer! So don't eat until you are full, just eat to satisfy.

And here's a new idea... Get a Recipe Make-Over at http://livingahealthylifestyle.com/store.htm

Sometimes the hardest thing about making a healthy change in your diet is giving up your old family recipes. But it may surprise you that some of your old favorite recipes just need a little bit of tweeking to make them just as tasty, but much healthier in content. So if you have a favorite recipe that you don’t want to really give up, but you’d like to see a healthy twist to it – get a recipe make-over of it. Here’s how: just go to: http://livingahealthylifestyle.com/store.htm and click on the link to submit your recipe. It’s simple!

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton

Build Strong Bones!

There is much said about osteoporosis today, and reason enough since there are many who suffer with osteoporosis as they age. Here are some things to consider for keeping your bones strong.

First, view these statistics and findings:
1) A 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women concluded that milk drinkers broke three times more bones than those who rarely drank milk
2) A study of women in Sydney, Australia concluded that high milk drinkers showed higher bone fractures
3) Pasteurized milk actually leaches calcium from the bones which is one of the major causes of osteoporosis – see http://notmilk.com
4) Soft drinks also dissolve calcium from teeth and bones because of the acid content
5) Acidic foods (cooked, high in sugars & starches, animals proteins) also leaching calcium from bones

There are many foods that are high in calcium and are better assimilated by the body – some of which might surprise you:
• green leafy vegetables: Swiss chard, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, beet, mustard, and turnip greens are loaded with highly absorbable calcium; spinach is the exception as the absorption rate is low
• beans (legume family) – chickpeas, tofu, all kinds of beans and peas are full of calcium plus magnesium which the body uses to build strong bones too
• seeds – sesame, sunflower, pumpkin seeds are all great sources of calcium
• sprouts – especially alfalfa sprouts, sunflower sprouts and others are also great sources of calcium

The most important thing is not just getting enough calcium, it is keeping the calcium you get:
• Active people keep more calcium in their bones than inactive people
• Jumping rope, running or jogging (not just walking), or playing some kind of active sport keeps your bones stronger
• Children should also be encouraged in active play (running, jumping, ball playing, etc.) to develop strong bones as they grow
• Weight lifting (dumbbells or sand weights) causes your muscles to pull on your bones making them more dense and stronger
• Remember too that Vitamin D is needed in order to keep your calcium – and getting 20-30 minutes of direct sunshine each day is really important for that

Again, the message seems to be to Eat Healthy Foods and get plenty of Exercise and Sunshine – if so, you have a greater chance at stronger bones!

Don't miss your chance to attend one of the Health Retreats this spring. They are just around the corner starting next month, so get signed up here: http://erleentilton.com/retreats.htm

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton