When I was 17 I weighed 368 pounds. That was my peak. I had a 56-inch waist. I was six feet tall. I was pretty sure at that point that I was going to die extremely obese.

I was active, but at my weight I was extremely prone to injury. I wanted so badly to be liked, to be popular, to have a girlfriend, to have sex, to be able to ride my bike or skateboard without being laughed at, to be able to walk around town without being attacked.

I grew up in a pretty rough town; at least it was rough for me. Judging by the crime statistics , I’d say it was pretty rough for a lot of people.

I was picked on a lot. With Asperger’s syndrome, a serious lack of social skills, an intense need for attention, and 180 pounds of fat on me, I was a prime target. And I was depressed for obvious reasons. I blamed all of my problems on being fat. I was miserable because I was fat. I ate because I was miserable.

When I binged, I didn’t feel anything but good. It felt so good to have a mouth full of food. And I wanted to swallow it as fast as possible so I could get more of that feeling, that taste when it’s best, which is when it’s fresh, when it first goes into my mouth. I could eat more and I could eat faster than anyone I knew, including those guys on TV in then hot dog eating contests.

When my stomach is full I don’t feel anything but my full stomach. This makes for easy self-medication when depressed.

And I puked. I didn’t do this to stay thin, that wasn’t possible. I ate and ate and ate and I puked so I could eat more. My parents couldn’t afford my binge eating with bulimia so I at least managed to curb that for their sake. But I could not stay out of food. If there were hotdogs, chips, cereal, pasta, casserole, sweets, soda, cheese, milk, I ate it. I did my very best to save some for other people, less I get in trouble, but I got in trouble a lot. I could eat two packages of hot dogs, a bag of chips, and a half-gallon of milk in mere moments, and then sometimes I would steal money to go buy more so I wasn’t caught.

I loved Chinese Buffets. I could eat all I wanted for one low price without stealing. I, and most fat people I know, will tell you that it’s not the amount of food that we love about buffets, but the choices. Today just thinking about all those choices makes me a bit nauseas. But I could easily put away 7 or 8 huge plates. More if I went to the bathroom and regurgitated.

At age 17, I laid eyes on Julie. I was a desperate virgin who wanted so badly to be accepted, to be liked, to have a girlfriend, and yes, to have sex. And Julie was this amazing beautiful woman (and she still is today) who absolutely changed my life by just being there. I spent the next 12 months doing everything I could to become her boyfriend, which included loosing weight. I lost 148 pounds in 12 months. And I could have done it faster, but I was still eating like there was no tomorrow. But I was making better choices, throwing up when I didn’t, and exercising like crazy. My fitness regimen included weightlifting for an hour and playing basketball for two hours every day, and running once a week.

Julie became my first girlfriend almost exactly 12 months after I first saw her.

I became pretty popular. And I beat up bullies. I had a very good time, and I had the hottest girlfriend of any of my friends. I felt great. And I still ate way too much.

I still eat too much. I work out so hard in order to be able to eat as much as I do without getting fat. Fortunately, during my journey and discovery of natural health, I developed a taste for healthy food and very rarely binge on crap like I did as a kid. It’s harder to get fat on salads, fruit, brown rice, beans and quinoa. It’s possible, I assure you, but it’s not easy.

I still want to eat when I am stressed. I still want to eat anytime emotions are overwhelming, bad or good. It’s like a break from reality. Feel nothing but good while chewing. Feel nothing but full when finished. And when I am full, nothing feels like it’s missing from my life. When I am full, I don’t feel bad about anything except the fact that I ate too much. When I am full, I have no real problems. And when I am eating, it’s bliss. When life feels like it’s too much to handle, I can handle the food I put in my mouth. That’s how it feels, like I am taking control. But the irony is that is how I am out of control.

Being an amazing cook compounds the problem. But I do cope. It’s always there, this desire to stuff myself sick. I have an extremely addictive personality and eating is my first addiction, my first love. I cope by staying in the moment, by feeling, by experiencing everything I can. Like the writer I am, when things feel out of control, I stop. I listen. I look. I feel. I absorb it all in. Pain, pleasure, anger, whatever. If I am going to eat, first I am going to feel. I stay in the moment, even if I do decide to eat too much. I stay aware. And I appreciate it. No matter how good or bad it feels, I appreciate the moment.

Other than that, exercise, and my position as a health advocate keeps my weight in check. As an adult the highest I’ve been is 280 pounds but I usually stay around 220. I look best at 205, maybe more depending on how much I am weightlifting. I also gave up the car and bicycle everywhere. And since I’ve had Gabriel, my son who is 6 months old at the time of this writing, I’ve felt a void fill that I tended to fill with food. I don’t binge as much anymore. It is very rare, and almost always on watermelon. Ok, it’s not rare, but it’s almost always watermelon.

One of the Most Nutritionally Balanced Foods on the Planet

Foods that have an incredible array of health benefits that go well beyond just their nutrient value are considered “super-foods.'” One of the oldest and yet seemingly most misunderstood superfoods on the planet is hemp.  Hemp is an incredible multi-purpose plant that can be used for anything from paper, rope, and cloth.  It is also one of the most nutritionally well-balanced foods on the planet.

Although many people associate hemp with its sister plant marijuana (Cannabis sativa l.) the two are not the same.  Hemp products come from a special variety that contains virtually no THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the chemical that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects.  Therefore hemp is a perfectly safe food that will not make one “high” or cause anyone to fail a drug test.

Hemp has been cultivated and used by any ancient cultures since the beginning of recorded history.  Researchers have found its use in China, India, Babylonia, Persia, Egypt, and the native cultures in North & South America.  Hemp fiber was used to make rope and cloth, while the stalk was used to make paper.  These cultures also used the seed for nutritional purposes.  It can be eaten as shelled seeds, oil, butter, flour, and protein powder.

Hemp is a Complete Protein Source:

Hemp protein is one of the very few plant based complete protein sources.  This means that it contains sufficient quantities of all 9 essential amino acids.   Hemp is a great source of sulfur containing amino acids methionine and cysteine which are necessary for cellular detoxification and the production of vital enzymes.  Additionally, it is rich in branched chain amino acids that are needed for muscle growth and repair.

Almost 60% of the protein in hemp is made up of a globulin source called edestin.  Most of the rest is in the form of albumin.  Albumin and Edestin is a very similar molecular makeup as the protein found in the human body.  Because of this common link, hemp protein is very easily absorbed into human blood and used for roles as critical as DNA repair.

Hemp Has the Optimal Fatty Acid Ratios:

Most of our world is suffering from abnormal fatty-acid ratios.  Two critical forms of essential fats are the omega 6 and omega 3 varieties.  Due to the heavy consumption of processed vegetable oils and grain-fed meat & dairy products most people have very high levels of omega 6.  The World Health Organization recommends a 4:1 omega 6:omega 3 ratio.  The typical western diet produces a ratio from 20:1 – 50:1.  Abnormal ratios cause heavy increases in inflammation that leads to accelerated aging and advanced disease states.

Hemp contains the optimal ratio of 3.75:1 (omega 6:3) making it a powerful source for an anti-inflammatory diet.  Hemp is also a great source of the omega-6 essential fat gamma linoleic acid (GLA).  GLA is only found in quantities of significance in hemp, borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, & Spirulina.  Because of the scarcity of GLA much of our society is deficient in this essential fatty acid.  GLA is critical for reducing inflammation in our body and is one of the most powerful nutrients for balancing hormones.  Additionally, sufficient quantities of GLA promote healthy skin, hair, & nails.

Hemp is Rich in Fat Burning GLA:

GLA significantly increases metabolism by encouraging stored fat known as brown adipose tissue (BAT) to be effectively used for energy.  Additionally, GLA activates the metabolic process by providing key nutrients for the cellular energy system called the sodium-potassium pump.  When the sodium-potassium pump is effectively operating in every cell it can remove toxic substances from deep within the cell structure.  If the pump is weak, cells will store toxins and the metabolism will be slowed.

Hemp is used by healthy conscious individuals in a variety of ways.  I personally like to occasionally snack on hemp seed, use a high quality hemp seed protein powder, and my favorite way of consuming hemp is through hemp seed oil.  Hemp seed oil is great in green shakes or smoothies.  It is also good salad dressing oil.  However, you would never want to cook with hemp oil due to its essential fat content and it should always be stored in a cool, dark area.  Ideally, it should come in a dark container at the time of purchase.

Sources For This Article Include:

• http://manitobaharvest.com/articles_studies/3802/Hemp%3A-Nature%27s-Forgotten-Superfood.html
• http://manitobaharvest.com/articles_studies/3804/Hemp-Protein-%3D-King-of-the-Plant-Kingdom.html
• http://www.naturalnews.com/029841_coconut_superfood.html
• http://manitobaharvest.com/articles_studies/3813/Hemp-%26amp%3B-GLA%3A-Good-Fat-Burns-Bad-Fat-.html
• http://manitobaharvest.com/articles_studies/3814/Hemp%3A-The-Right-Choice-for-Omega-6-.html

Upcycling with Do It Yourself Gardening Techniques

Shelling out money for flower gardening supplies can be a real pain in the grass. For many homeowners, gardening expenses are some of the first to be cut when the going gets tough. Fortunately, do-it-yourself solutions to garden needs can be found all around the house. By recycling and re-purposing old bottles, cans and other materials, you can turn your garden from drab to fab for a fraction of the price.

DIY Planters

Planters are a necessary addition to any garden, and with a little imagination, can be made out of basically anything. All of these supplies can be found around the house or at a thrift store if saving money is your number one priority.

• Boots: Have an old pair of leather boots lying around? Clean them out, fill them with soil and get to planting! If the beat-up-leather look isn’t your thing, throw on a few coats of paint to add some flair.
• Wheelbarrows: Wheelbarrow planters give your garden a rustic, vintage feel. They are typically a bit shabby and run down but chic nonetheless. Plus, they give you plenty of space to plant.
• Wine Bottles: Repurposed wine bottles are all the rage these days. Whether they’re used as drinking glasses, planters or lamps, they make a great addition to your garden. Be careful when making them though, as the glass is sharp and very hazardous.

DIY Birdfeeders

Birdfeeders are a great way to bring some wildlife into your garden. Hummingbirds, and other winged-creatures, are not only pretty to look at, but also aid in the pollination process. By welcoming birds into your garden, you are creating a better habitat and ambiance.

• Tea Cups: Tea cups are adorable, no one can argue that. You may have never expected to see them in a garden, but superglue one to a saucer, fill it with birdseed and voila, you have a super cute, DIY birdfeeder!
• Plastic Bottles: Odds are in elementary school you were told to make a birdfeeder out of a milk carton or liter bottle of soda. Not only are they easy to make, they hold an immense amount of birdseed. Unfortunately they can look a little dingy if not decorated, so be sure to add some color.
• Watermelons: Watermelons in the summer are aplenty. Rather than tossing away your rinds like you always do, etch out some space for some birdseed and hang them from a tree in your backyard. Birds like sweets so a taste of watermelon is sure to encourage repeat visits.  

DIY Outdoor Sofas

Outdoor sofas combine the comfort of indoors, with the tranquility of nature. Although frequently exposed to the elements, outdoor sofas are great for seating guests during outdoor parties or barbecues. If kept covered, they will provide a place to put up your feet for many years to come.

• Cribs: Cribs don’t have to solely be for babies anymore. Once Junior grows out of his crib all it takes is some repurposing and a couple pillows and you have prime garden seating.
• Wood Pallets: Wood pallets have all kinds of uses, many that you wouldn’t expect. If you have some lying around your backyard, stack them up, throw a sheet and a few pillows on them and your guests won’t know the difference.
• Milk Crates: Milk crates are some of the ugliest things you can have around the house. Instead of tossing them out, find a wall to stack them up against. After that, lay a pad on top and you will have a DIY couch worthy of any guest.

Dressing up your garden doesn’t have to break the bank, in fact, sometimes the cheaper option ends up being the best looking in the end. Instead of spending your hard-earned cash on expensive garden décor that’s only going to be weathered over the years, be creative and utilize what you have laying around the house.

If one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, then it won’t be long before that grimy, old wheelbarrow becomes a glimmering beacon of hope among your greens. So, get out there, get a little dirty and turn what was once ugly into dingy, shabby beauty!

Further Reading:

• Planning Your Organic Garden
• How to Start a Vegetable Garden – How to Grow Vegetables
• 5 Natural Pest Remedies for Your Garden
• Medicinal Herb Garden – What To Grow and How To Keep It Growing All Winter
• Ten Great Gardening Tips
• How to Make Your Own Compost Tea

Kelp is a group of large sea algae that is commonly referred to as seaweed. This amazing plant species has been used for many years by sea dwelling cultures. It is renowned for its powerful nutritional benefits.

The Sea Vegetable PowerHouse

Kelp is part of the brown algae family in the order of Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera of this form.   In the 19^th century, the word “kelp” was used to describe seaweeds that were burned to form soda ash (sodium carbonate).

Kelp grows in shallow, underwater oceanic forests. It depends on cool temperatures between 43-57 degrees F (6-14 degrees C). Some kelp species grow well over a foot a day and can reach heights of 250 ft. These kelp species are easily harvested due to their surface canopy and underwater growth rate.

Kelp is Rich in Alkaline Buffering Nutrients:

Kelp is extraordinarily rich in alkaline buffering nutrients such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. It is also a phenomenal source of chlorophyll to boost blood cell formation and purify the body.

Kelp is considered the world’s most potent source of naturally occurring iodine. Some species have been known to concentrate iodine by up to 30,000 times the amount in sea water. Iodine deficiencies are becoming increasingly common throughout the world. The areas with the least amount of iodine deficiencies are typically coastal regions where seaweed is readily available. Iodine deficiencies are known to cause hypothyroidism and goiter formation. Kelp has been used for many years as a remedy for these problems.

Kelp Boosts Glutathione Levels:

The Japanese call several Pacific species of kelp Kombu. These cultures use Kombu in many traditional dishes such as soups, stews, and sushi. Kombu is a powerful source of natural glutamic acid which is a precursor to the body’s master anti-oxidant, glutathione. Kombu is often used to soften beans during cooking and help convert challenging sugars into a more digestible form and thus reduce flatulence.

Sea vegetables like kelp are also a great source of the mineral vanadium. Vanadium helps form the haloperoxidase enzymes that help provide a natural antioxidant defense that has allowed these sea vegetables to flourish. Vanadium is a critical trace mineral that enhances insulin signaling and blood sugar balance by inhibiting the tyrosine phosphatase enzyme. This process also reduces glucose formation and enhances the body’s ability to store sugar in the form of muscle and liver glycogen. This is an important adaptation that helps the body withstand stress more effectively.

Kelp Has Unique Sulfated PolySaccharides:

Sea vegetables also contain a unique group of polysaccharides called fucoidans. These fucoidans have a characteristic branching pattern with sulfur containing molecules. They are being widely studied for their ability to reduce inflammation within the body. These sulfated fucoidans have been shown to reduce pain, fight viruses, and prevent atherosclerosis.

Fucoidans produce their anti-inflammatory effects by blocking selectin production and inhibiting pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and enzymes. Selectins are glycoproteins (sugar-protein molecules) that are often used to signal inflammatory processes in the body. Fucoidans also inhibit the enzyme Pphospholipase A2 (PLA-2) that turns on inflammatory processes.

Immune Boosting Activity:

These sulfated polysaccharides have also been shown to block the typical binding sites for many viruses such as Herpes. By blocking binding sites, the virus is unable to replicate. Without adequate replication, the viruses are unable to survive.

These sulfated polysaccharides are also revered for their powerful ability to reduce blood clots. Heparin (Coumadin) is a popular medical agent used to reduce clots. Heparin is also a sulfated polysaccharide although it is a synthetically derived form. Both of these reduce platelet cell coagulation that forms blood clots. Heparin comes with a number of dangerous side effects while naturally occurring sulfated polysaccharides in kelp have no known side effects.

Sources for This Article:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelp
• http://www.noamkelp.com/technical/handbook.html
• http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=135
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haloperoxidase

When it comes to organic gardening, you want the best of both worlds. You want healthy, bug free plants without resorting to toxins or pesticides. However, garden pests don’t always cooperate. One great organic solution is to plant companion plants. These plants can help to ward off bugs and make the plants you love grow bigger and stronger. Here are some examples:

Plant Catnip with Collard Greens

Catnip helps prevent flea-beetle damage on the collards.

Surround Broccoli and Potatoes with Sweet Alyssum

This quick to spread, fragrant, low-growing, flowering plant is a member of the mustard family, with a taste similar to horseradish. It also attracts beneficial insects to protect your broccoli and potatoes, and you can eat it.

 Protect Spinach with Radishes

Planting radishes near your spinach helps to keep leaf miners away from delicate spinach leaves and allows the radishes to grow unharmed underground.

Let Corn be Your Beanstalks

Allow beans to grow up the tall corn stalks and you will help protect the corn from predators. Bean plants draw in beneficial insects that eat the bugs that love corn.

Grow Cabbage with Thyme, Dill, and Tomatoes

Thyme repels cabbage worm, while dill attracts cabbageworm predators. Cabbage helps dill grow strong and upright. Tomatoes also repel diamondback moth larva that likes to chew on cabbage leaves.

Defend Carrots or Beans with Rosemary

Rosemary is not only a tasty herb, it also repels bean beetles and carrot flies.

Save Your Roses with Garlic

Plant garlic alongside your roses to ward off bugs.

Plant a Border of Marigolds and Wormwood

Marigolds repel a variety of bugs, including nematodes that attack the roots of your melons. Wormwood repels animals like deer and rabbits as well as white flies. Together they make a great border to help keep your organic garden pest free.

Plant smart and keep your garden healthy.

There are so many supplements to choose from, so many supplements with so many claims. I have tried hundreds. One of the reasons I do what I do is that I have always been very in tune with my body. I can tell what feels good, what feels amazing, and what feels like nothing, or worse. Most of the supplements people take don’t do anything. Or worse, these mainstream supplements often toxify the body.

Don’t get me wrong, I do a lot of research. I’m researching almost every day for hours and hours. But my body knows best. And in my experience, the two supplements everyone should have are a nutrition powder and a very good all purpose detoxification tincture.

The Best Nutritional Supplement

I don’t take a nutritional supplement every day. I am fortunate to have access to a wide variety of nutritionally dense vegetables and I eat large salads with a wide variety of produce virtually every single day. This is by far the very best way to get your vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and all of the nutrients you need for vitality.

But every now and then I do need extra nutrition. And sometimes I can’t or don’t have one of my salads. When I am traveling for instance, it can be tough to find healthy produce. I like to have a complete whole food sourced multivitamin/mineral nutrition powder with me for times like this. And if you don’t eat fresh raw produce regularly and/or if you eat refined processed foods, you would benefit from a high quality nutrition powder.

For mass produced supplements I like Green Vibrance. It’s a good company that makes good products. For the money and the availability (you see Green Vibrance everywhere these days!) it’s a great product.

But for getting the most nutrition possible, insuring that all of the nutrition is completely bio available, I like Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula. It’s not as easy to find. In fact, there are only a very few places you can get it. But it’s the best nutrition supplement on the market that I know.

It doesn’t have the most ingredients, but what it does have gives your body the right building blocks for health and wellness. When there are too many ingredients in a formula, it can’t do that. Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula has the highest quality ingredients and you will actually feel the difference. It’s amazing.

Is is expensive. In fact, any good nutrition powder is going to be pricey (Total Nutrition Powder and Green Vibrance are about he same price). Sure, health is priceless, but getting your nutrition out of a bottle costs a lot when it’s quality.

Want to save some money? Eat salads like the ones I make (click here). Still need a good supplement? Most people do. I recommend you make your own (click here).

But of course, you can always purchase from us. Total Nutrition is available at our store, Green Lifestyle Market.

The Best Herb

I have to give you two here. Garlic and Cayenne are a tie. I could not include one without the other.

The Amazing Benefits of Garlic

Garlic. If you are coming down with a cold, chew on a clove. Breath in and out of your mouth and keep chewing as long as you can (it likely won’t be long at first, but you’ll get better and better). I put raw garlic in my salads and when I cook I put in garlic at the last minute so it doesn’t cook and lose it’s effectiveness (sometimes I put some in early and then some in later). I feed garlic to my dog in her homemade dog food. It keeps fleas and other parasites away.

My family of four goes through a lot of garlic. I suspect anyone who knows a tenth of what garlic can do would eat a lot of it.

All that garlic can do for us is astounding! Its nutrition includes magnesium, calcium, B1, B6, C, phosphorus, copper, potassium, selenium, and tryptophan.  Garlic can help with a wide range of ailments including, but certainly not limited to, hair loss, acne, colds and flus, bacterial infections, fungus (yeast, Candida, athletes foot, etc.), psoriasis, weight control, cold sores, detoxification, cardiovascular health, and inflammation reduction. It even wards off mosquitoes!

The Amazing Benefits of Cayenne

Capsaicin is incredible. What Capsaicin can do is just mind boggling to me. I always try to keep a bottle of liquid cayenne extract with me because it can actually save someone’s life. If you see someone suffering from a heart attack, they need Capsaicin and lots of it! It can make the difference between life and death, and it can also make the difference between major damage and an easy recovery.

Capsaicin increases blood flow, helps to sooth muscle tension and pain, wakes you up, and helps with focus. Capsaicin is also used to treat bursitis, diabetes, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, shingles (herpes zoster), postherpetic neuralgia. stomachaches, digestive problems including stomach aches, indigestion,  cramping pains, gas, treatment of the circulatory system, and hemorrhaging.

The Best Herbal Supplement

The best herbal supplement has garlic and cayenne. Ingredients also include Red clover, chaparral, poke root, periwinkle lower, mullein, burdock seed and root, yellow dock root, goldenseal root, Oregon grape root, and bloodroot. This is not for the faint of heart! This tincture will kick you in the mouth! But it’s truly amazing stuff.

Shillington’s Blood Detox

I was really sick recently. I haven’t been sick in such a long time, but I was bedridden, feeling like I was 90 years old on my deathbed.

I have little restraint. And I loved getting high. I had just moved to California and got a prescription for marijuana. I told them I needed the prescription for anxiety, which was due to using marijuana illegally. I thought it was funny, but the prescriber made me come up with another reason to get the prescription. I think we said insomnia.

I got high a lot. And my tolerance shot way up very quickly. I was over a gram a day in less than a week. I was wasting a lot of money and my health was deteriorating. I am not one of those people who have convinced myself that smoking marijuana is good for you. THC has its benefits, but smoking anything, as much fun as it can be, is not healthy. And that’s not to mention the likelihood of smoking pesticides and other chemicals.

Within a couple of months my thyroid was shot, my adrenals were barely functioning, and I was peeing dark brown, almost red urine, And I still had a bunch of weed left!

One day I woke up and I couldn’t move. My body wouldn’t stand. I felt nauseous and dizzy and as sick as I’ve ever been. The next day I was worse. I won’t bore you with the long list of symptoms, but the point is that I made myself very sick (for the first time in so many years!) with a combination of way too much smoking and (probably) some weed that got sprayed very heavily with pesticides. And yes, it was medical grade.

I called my warehouse and told them to send me some Blood detox.  For 3 days I was having trouble simply making it to the restroom (and urination took forever!). When I got the Blood Detox, I was up and walking normally within an hour. It was amazing.

It was a great experience, too–one that I am yet to completely recover from– but I’m back to about 97% (I need to take the time to do a radical full body detox). I learned a lot. And I suppose you could say I grew up, since my desire to get high is next to nothing now. But mostly, it solidified my belief that blood detox is the most amazing herbal supplement I’ve ever come across.

For absolutely any health condition, I recommend blood detox. By itself, in many instances, it can make a huge difference. In combination with other target herbal remedies and nutrition it can work miracles.

If you can only afford one herbal tincture, Shillington’s Blood Detox is what I recommend you have and keep with you at all times. At the first sign of a cold, like a sore throat or congestion, take a dropper full. For any and all ailments, from cancer to diabetes to fibromyalgia, this is the first tincture I recommend, second only to a healthy diet. After a night of drinking and/or using recreational drugs (not that I condone getting high) I do recommend Blood Detox afterwards.

Healthy blood means a healthy body. There is nothing more important for your health than getting enough nutrition and having clean, relatively toxin free blood.

If you need a total body detox or are suffering from any serious ailment, I recommend using the Blood Detox Tincture in conjunction with the Blood Detox Tea.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask underneath within the comments or contact me via Facebook or Twitter.

I often hear things like, “I’m on a tight budget. I live off of Top Ramen!”

I regularly get clients who want to change their diet though they live on a very limited budget. The common misconception is that eating healthy costs more. It can, but it doesn’t have to.

What I tell people is that you need to spend your money on nutrition, not calories. And this video explains the difference beautifully.

The more active you are, the more calories you need. I recommend people with active lifestyles bulk up on beans, brown rice, amaranth, oats, and quinoa. If you shop around, you can get these products for $2 a pound or less. And they provide nutrient dense calories.

Even if you’re at a gas station, usually, you still have decent choices. You know that little fruit basket that’s right by the register? A banana will usually cost you less than the Snickers bar, and instead of robbing your body of nutrition to balance out the acidity and undo the other damage refined foods cause, you’re feeding your body.

“But Snickers really satisfies!” one client said to me, quoting the old marketing line. And it may be true.  If you’re used to eating junk food, it is what your body wants. And lots of that junk food tends to sort of stick with you for a while. While the sugars get digested very quickly, much of the other ingredients in refined crap food don’t digest well at all. This leaves people with a full feeling for a longer period of time than when they eat fruit and vegetables. The trick is to learn to not need that full feeling. Or to always have those above mentioned bulk foods ready and waiting to consume.

I always eat lots of produce. On days that I am active, I also eat  more beans, brown rice, amaranth, oats, and quinoa. But most importantly, I’ve learned not to want that full feeling. I feel lighter and cleaner. And I pay careful attention to how my body feels due to what I eat. But most importantly, nutrition, to me, is the most valuable thing in the world, next to air and water. And that’s how I chose to spend my money and feed my body.

And be sure to check out local farmers markets for higher quality, more densely nutritious produce. Since farmers markets are trendy these days, you’ll probably have to shop around quit a bit for the deals. If you’re lucky enough to live by a u-pick farm, you cannot get any better than that! When I stayed in Arizona. I got most of my vegetables for $2 a pound  at Schnepf Farms. Organic, and as fresh as it can be, you can’t beat those prices! And getting a little dirty while really seeing where your food comes from is good for the whole family.

But because I myself am often on a very tight budget, this is the most important rule I live by when shopping for produce:

In order of most to least desirable produce:

1. Fresh, truly organic (I am not talking about the certification), heirloom, and local
2. Fresh and local heirloom
3. Fresh and local
4. Fresh and organic
5. Fresh conventional (sans GMO and some of the worst offenders for being laden with pesticides like the dirty dozen here)

I almost never buy frozen and never buy canned produce.

It takes practice. Changing your diet the right way means changing your lifestyle. It means preparing your own food. It means shopping with a totally different mindset. Learning new recipes and learning how to cook quick, healthy, delicious meals takes time. But the reward can be a life without aches, pains, and disease. Vitality is not only priceless, but in the long run, it’s much less expensive. And if done right, it’s even cheaper in the short run.