Question: What are your thoughts on hydroponically grown produce? I was wondering how it compares to organically grown food.

Hydroponic farming is the process of growing plants inside a greenhouse with the use of a mineral solution instead of soil. With artificial lighting, you can even grow hydroponic produce right in your own home.

While hydroponic farming has several significant advantages, there’s no guarantee that the resulting food will be of equal quality to that which is grown in a more natural environment. The following information will help you evaluate if the advantages of hydroponically grown food justify this uncertainty.

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Despite the undeniable evidence supporting the superiority of organically farmed food, many people are still not convinced enough to buy it. If you’re one of them, there are several tests you can try at home that are likely to change your mind and increase your appreciation for organic food.

Not all benefits of eating organic food are immediately apparent, and as such, it’s understandable why people are hesitant to spend the extra money on it. However, if you go about it the right way, buying organic food is not as expensive as you may think. But regardless of the cost, the following tests will hopefully convince you to buy organic based on principle alone.

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I’m looking for some healthy energy shakes. I’ve got flax oil, organic frozen berries and organic whole milk. What could I use (besides bananas) to give the shakes some texture? Is there any other ingredient you would recommend always including?

Also, any links to recipes for healthy, organic shakes would be much appreciated! Shakes are convenient for after work-outs and for quick breakfasts when on the go.

With our fast paced culture and a trendy fitness industry, protein shakes have become quite popular. They go by many names and are also referred to as smoothies, energy shakes, workout shakes or recovery shakes. They’ve become so popular that there are even shops and franchises dedicated to selling them.

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The most common excuse I hear about not eating organic food is that it’s too expensive. I have a few suggestions for you that will hopefully change your mind.

Investing in Health

There are many ways to make organic food more affordable, but before I get into them, I want to discuss the concept of investing in your health. If you think organic food isn’t worth it’s price, then I highly suggest you read about the benefits of eating organic food to make sure you understand it’s importance.

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If you value your health and your freedom to choose unpolluted food, then your help is needed. The USDA is trying to mandate a program that will be so costly and bureaucratic for small farmers that it will likely drive them out of business.

Small farmers are the most significant source of high quality organic food. If you don’t understand why their longevity so important, I suggest you read my articles about toxic meat and why to buy organic.

NAIS – The National Animal Identification System

NAIS is an animal identification system that the USDA has been trying to mandate for about 5 years. According to the USDA, the program is intended to improve food safety, but in reality, it’s more likely to worsen it.

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Whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds are widely recognized as healthy foods, but without taking a few important precautions, they may not be nearly as healthy as you think.

Most people buy grain products that are heavily processed and nuts that are roasted and salted. The processing involved reduces the nutritional quality of the food and usually involves the addition of unhealthy additives. If it’s not enough that people eat these processed varieties on a regular basis, the problem is made worse by some of the undesirable substances that exist in grains, beans, nuts, and seeds when they’re not prepared properly. As such, it’s best to buy these foods in their natural and whole form, or as close to it as possible, and prepare them yourself. If that’s not possible, you should at least buy from companies that have already done the work for you.

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Saturday is Valentine’s Day and millions of people across the world will be getting a box of chocolates.

Although a holiday like Valentine’s Day is an obvious opportunity to break the rules, not all chocolate is as bad for you as you may think.

The Cacao Bean

Believe it or not, chocolate actually comes from a tree! Although most people think chocolate originates from cocoa beans, the proper name for the beans and the tree they come from is cacao. The term cocoa is more appropriately used to describe the powder that’s created from the beans.

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When the topic of organic food comes up, most people think of fruit, vegetables, and perhaps dairy, but almost always fail to consider meat. This is an unfortunate mistake because meat from conventionally raised livestock comes with significant risk.

You Are What You Eat

Each of the trillions of cells that we’re made of are created from the nutrients we eat. While a healthy diet will support optimal cell function, a poor diet will promote cell malfunction and lead to disease. As the saying goes, we are what we eat!

This applies to animals as well. If forced to eat poor quality food, they’ll likely become sick and develop disease. By eating meat from these unhealthy animals, you’re relying on a poor source of nutrition and are consuming the toxic chemicals that made them sick. They’ll eventually make you sick as well. In other words, you are what your food ate! This is an important concept to keep in mind throughout the rest of the article.

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Nutritional supplements have become so popular that they’re readily available in supermarkets and even department stores. But are they good for you? And do you need them?

Diet Comes First

Just as their name suggests, nutritional supplements are meant to supplement a good diet, not replace it. If you’re not eating well, supplements aren’t going to make up for it.

Our bodies are evolved to get the nutrients and minerals we need from food, not pills. Because natural foods often contain unique combinations of nutrients that are necessary for proper assimilation, natural food is often absorbed and utilized better than supplements are. And depending on the quality of the supplement and whether it’s from a natural or synthetic source, the nutrients from the supplement may not even be absorbed at all.

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I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent peanut butter scare. According to NBC Nightly News, about 500 people have come down with salmonella poisoning within 43 different states and over 100 peanut based products have been recalled.

Peanut Concerns

Peanut butter and peanut based products have practically become a staple of the American diet. Most people consider peanuts to be nuts, but they’re really legumes. Either way, nuts and legumes both tend to be considered healthy foods. However, even though peanuts are natural and whole, they still present a few risks that you should be aware of.

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