A Friend Stopped By | 01/26/2010 3:00 am

12 Easy Ways to Get Healthy, by Nutritionist Patty James

Certified natural chef and author of More Vegetables, Please! shares really simple changes that offer a lifetime of benefits …

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I know it’s January even without a calendar as my phone rings, and rings, with women who are determined to do whatever it takes to regain their good health this year. "I’ll do whatever you say" is the mantra. They are willing to empty their kitchen cupboards, replace with all new healthier choices, completely change their way of eating, join the gym, moving from a sedentary life to spin classes all in one fell swoop. A week later, they are so sore they can’t walk, are hungry from eating nothing but broccoli and if they have a family, they’ve drove all the members batty.

It’s best to think small and sustainable. You will stick with it and feel good about that fact. Big changes that you cannot maintain leave you feeling disappointed with yourself, paving the way to the Ben & Jerry’s. Promise yourself to make one small change a week and by year’s end those small changes will be well-used habits and you will feel healthier and quite pleased with yourself.

Editor’s Note: Patty James is a certified natural chef with a master’s degree in holistic nutrition. She founded the Patty James Cooking School and Nutrition Center, the first certified organic cooking school in the country. Patty also runs Shine the Light on America’s Kids, an organization that educates children on how to live a healthy lifestyle. She is the author of More Vegetables, Please! For more, visit PattyJames.com.

Read more about: A Friend Stopped By, Diet, exercise, Health, Nutrition, Patty James

13 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

ChromeToe
does anyone know WHEN which vegetables and fruits are in season? I always want to buy in season but have no idea when that is lol!
By ChromeToe on 01/26/2010 9:15 am
JustThinking1
The fruits and vegetables that are "in season" are the ones that are least expensive at the grocery store.    =)
By JustThinking1 on 01/26/2010 9:37 am
SherryDale

Here is a website that is very helpful;  http://thisfoodthing.com/index.php/2007/11/06/fruits-and-vegetables-in-s…

By SherryDale on 01/26/2010 10:31 am
BittsC
Thanks, SherryDale.  I didn’t know much about that, either.  That will be a big help!
By BittsC on 01/27/2010 12:31 am
GreenTears
Chrome, besides the specials at the big chain stores, consider going to a greengrocer for your produce. The prices are reasonable and the quality is far more reliable. The personal touch is worth going out of your way for.
By GreenTears on 01/26/2010 10:33 am
SherryDale
What does people like me iwth Crohn’s Disease do?  I can’t eat raw vegetables, high fiber foods make me sick, whole grain is a nightmare.  I’m lactose intolerant and can’t eat nuts or popcorn.  If I ate what healthy dictates, I’d be in the hospital.  Any advice?
By SherryDale on 01/26/2010 10:27 am
audb

if you eat something, and you feel good, then eat it.   If you can’t eat it… don’t.   Books are subjective.  There is no right answer for everyone.  if you can’t eat raw, cook it.  High fiber foods make you sick? - try suplimenting with that benefiber .. you know - disolves completely in liquid.   As for lactose? - try soy.  (remind me to tell you about my blind date who was lactose intolerant….LOL)  I am a sucker for the soy yogurt and that chocolate soy milk.   And there is nothing wrong with taking a vitamin in liquid form.

There are some really great books out there that will claim their way is right… but it’s THEIR way… not yours.    books - mental salad bars… take what you want and leave the rest.

A coworker of mine has Crohns…so i know what you suffer… and believe me, my heart goes out to you.

By audb on 01/29/2010 11:29 am
BelindaJoy
Great advice, but I say to stop looking like a cow, you must eat like a cow. Graze, graze, graze throughout the day on food. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and lean meats, all day long. No starving yourself, no skipping meals. To keep your metabolism going it needs energy. And food equals energy.
By BelindaJoy on 01/26/2010 10:58 am
BittsC
So true, BelindaJoy.  As long as you eat the right foods, and not too late at night, the more you eat the more you lose.  I found that out a few years back when I got about 20 lbs. over my ideal weight.  So I started eating once a day.  And I gained weight!  Finally someone told me to eat a lot, and which foods to eat.  And I’ll be dog-gone if I didn’t lose weight.  It works!!!  When you don’t eat, your body makes up for it by using up your reserves of fat.  And it doesn’t take long for those "reserves" to show up … loud and clear.  :) 
By BittsC on 01/27/2010 12:24 am
BellaMia

We live in a rural/suburban area in South Jersey - The Garden State.  We are surrounded by produce farms.  We also grow our own vegetables in the spring and summer.  With the coming food shortages brought about by the politically imposed drought in California, experts like Jim Rodgers says food prices are going to skyrocket. 

A severe food shortage is on its way, according to well-regarded investor Jim Rogers. Food inventories are the lowest in decades and "[m]any farmers cannot get loans to buy fertilizer now, even though we have big shortages developing," Rogers said on CNBC.

For investors, that could mean a buying opportunity in commodities, in particular coffee and cotton, Rogers said. In fact, he says commodities are a much better buying opportunity than stocks right now.

For the rest of us, a food shortage could mean skyrocketing food prices. "Sometime in the next few years, we’re going to have very serious shortages of food everywhere in the world and prices are going to go through the roof," he said.

Read more…..

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/investing/are-food-shortages-on-the-wa…

By BellaMia on 01/26/2010 11:53 pm
BellaMia

Here’s the article about the EPA caused drought and the food shortages that will result….

 

The result has already been devastating for the state’s farm economy. In the inland areas affected by the court-ordered water restrictions, the jobless rate has hit 14.3%, with some farming towns like Mendota seeing unemployment numbers near 40%. Statewide, the rate reached 11.6% in July, higher than it has been in 30 years. In August, 50 mayors from the San Joaquin Valley signed a letter asking President Obama to observe the impact of the draconian water rules firsthand.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that he "doesn’t have the authority to turn on the pumps" that would supply the delta with water, or "otherwise, they would be on."
…….
The issue now turns to the Obama Administration and the courts, though the farmers have so far found scant hope for relief from the White House. In June, the Administration denied the governor’s request to designate California a federal disaster area as a result of the drought conditions, which U.S. Drought Monitor currently lists as a "severe drought" in 43% of the state. Doing so would force the Administration to acknowledge awkward questions about the role its own environmental policies have played in scorching the Earth.
More….

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020473180457438473189837562…

By BellaMia on 01/26/2010 11:58 pm