Exercise your health in 2012: Five crazy simple ways to be crazy nutritious

Source: kansascity.com
By Paula Sirois

OrganicPortal NewsRoom

Here comes the first of the year. Let's give a moment of silence before the million New Year's resolutions come rolling in. Eighty percent of these will focus on getting fit, training for a marathon, losing weight and various other things that scream health. These are all good resolutions and worthy of your time. But if you're looking to find some easy (and we're talking easy) ways to get healthy, read on:

1. Eat vegetables. We all know this one and have heard it from every mother since the dawn of time. We've also promptly ignored it. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter how you eat those vegetables: steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, juiced, raw or even covered with chocolate. Really. If you can find a love for veggies by making a Nutella and raw veggie fondue every night, go for it.

2. Go organic. Sure, organics are pricier, but this is our body, people! Your body, your mind, your hair, your organs, your life. Seriously, if you're spending more money on premium gas for your car or paying extra to have every cable channel, you need to double-check your priorities. Organic foods are simply better for you. And the extra money is a small price to pay for making an immediate improvement to your health.

3. Join a CSA. That's community-supported agriculture, and it's the new hip thing to do. Basically you pay a local farmer upfront, so that you can get a box full of local and, ideally, organic fresh fruits and vegetables. What's great about this is that you're eating foods that are grown in your backyard and not shipped from across the globe. You're also supporting farmers, which is just cool no matter how you look at it. An added bonus is that you'll be supplied with produce you would probably never buy on your own, allowing you to expand your palette and eat healthy at the same time. Did you know that there are some lettuces that are hot and spicy? Join a CSA and find out all about them.

4. KISS. You know that saying: Keep it simple, stupid. Well, moving forward, this is how our healthy lifestyle should be. This means a few things. First, keep your meals simple with just a few ingredients - no more than five. Second, instead of cooking various meals for all your family members because Johnny doesn't like this, and Mary wants that, just cook one meal and introduce your family to a Lazy Susan covered with condiments, herbs and spices. Your kids can doctor up their meal all they want. And thirdly, always cook one meal in anticipation that it will be used again (maybe for breakfast or lunch tomorrow).

5. Supersize it. That doesn't mean opt for the supersize portion at the drive-thru; that means start picking up some of the super foods that are out there waiting for you to discover them. According to WebMD, "Imagine a superfood - not a drug - powerful enough to help you lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, and, for an added bonus, put you in a better mood. Did we mention that there are no side effects? You'd surely stock up on a lifetime supply. Guess what? These life-altering superfoods are available right now in your local supermarket."

So what are they? Beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea (green or black), tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yogurt. Bet you have some of those in your fridge right now.

Becoming healthy doesn't have to mean becoming overwhelmed. Keeping things simple and easy is really a good place to start. Just buy local fresh food (organic if possible) and then simply cook it and eat. Yum!

Paula Sirois is a Florida-based writer who specializes in family life and frugal living for http://www.RetailMeNot.com - the No. 1 online coupon site in the world.

Tip: OrganicPortal USA - Organic Food

OrganicPortal NewsRoom

22.12.2011

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