Let us not deceive ourselves here . . . if any of us think ourselves to be wise based on popular standards of this age, think again. But we can be smart. Oh, we can be real smart about what it takes to bring our bodies to a state of good and even great health! nnWe already know to give our bodies sufficient to abundant rest every day. Okay, sometimes we play a little catch-up with this on a five-day work schedule, but overall, we need to gift six to eight hours of the rest/sleep combo to ourselves every day. Regarding exercise, oh boy, let us make it really simple here. You know to do it, and if you are honest, you know about what you should do and how much your body requires. If not, grab a couple exercise books and stop by your local gym for some quick advice. It will only take a few minutes, and you will be well on your way to a new looking you within weeks. nnNow for the most enjoyable—food! Whether by whole food nutrition or whole food supplements, anyone can benefit. Consider these three food validations before eating or drinking and smart healthy choices will become second nature to your eating habits.nnFood Validation #1: Think about how you think about food and drinknnIs the character of our food so unthinkably bad, or are we allowing our human nature to be duped to the saturation point of fraudulence? Who is in control of what you think? Who is in control of what you put into your mouth? You should be! Are you? nnJust because you can chew or swallow something that fits into your mouth and gullet does not make it food, does it? Consider whole food as something edible that requires little or no processing before ingesting and is truly beneficial. nnWhat you ingest should actually be food. Your health depends on it. nnTake action: Sheer logic says that good food and drink in results in good health out, while bad, fake, or overprocessed food in results in poor health out. nnMake a decision now that will affect you for the rest of your life. Choose health. Good, whole food is grown in good soil with clean water and free of harmful chemicals. It contains 100 percent value because nature provides far more nutrition and gives far more support than anything man can isolate and reproduce in a laboratory. Whole food is a nutritional treasure from nature. Enjoy! nnHow old must one be to understand this food validation point? The sooner the better. My son learned this at age three. He stopped cold atop a midwest airport viewing tower one hot, smoldering afternoon with me in tow. He was not interested in watching his daddy fly off into the clouds. But he was interested (mesmerized, in fact) as to why a vanilla ice cream cone was not melting on top the roof in the blazing heat of day. He vocalized his choice in one simple phrase: “Acky. It no melt.” Wow! It was a good observation indeed! nnFood Validation #2: Think about why and what you consume nand are able to digestnnWe often tend to choose products that offer us the least benefit or actually hinder our health and performance. Why? What do we actually believe about food in its purest form? The purpose of food is for nutrition—to grow, energize, and sustain. nnGiving thought to honest characteristics of food can be more than just an eye-opener. It truly can be a life-changing experience. For some, even life saving! Just the very process of thinking about food gives us the necessary time for searching and validating. Thus we make better choices.nnTake Action: Choose smart, healthy, real, whole foods with the least amount of processing and containing a balance of protein and carbohydrates, raw milks and fermentation, whole food supplements and probiotics. Just say no to preservatives and most additives. Drink pure, clean water without the enzyme inhibitor fluoride, or a tea, juice, or smoothie without sweeteners are best. If you have the good fortune of acquiring clean, fresh, raw Jersey milk or goat’s milk, consider yourself gifted indeed. In all you eat and drink, do so for the sake of nutrition. n nFood Validation #3: Think about when and where you eat and drinknnWhat could be so basic and vital and yet so misrepresented even to the point of fraud? Food, of course. Stop believing all the advertising hype when selecting food and drink away from home. Making poor choices over years may cause you to miss out on a lifetime of good health. But you can still benefit with a turn in the right direction to whole foods now! nnHistory and science tell us that whole food groups of every color supply us with maximum health benefits. Having trouble finding quality food? Not to worry. Food and supplement manufacturers of noble character have proven that specific cold-pressed and low-temperature methods of drying and preparing their pure, raw materials ensure the highest integrity as sources of nutrition. nnTake Action: The simpler the meal, the more nutritious it is likely to be. Try these choices when eating on the go and packing your food is not an option.nn1. Choose whole foods that are as fresh and in season as possible. n2. For early meals, enjoy eggs, fruit, lean meats, and fish. Go light, or avoid nutritionally dead carbohydrates.n3. In the afternoon, try colorful salads with cold-pressed virgin olive or grape seed oil, lean meats and fish, fruit, and nuts. n4. When evening comes, partake of meats, fish, raw or lightly steamed vegetables, or salad. n5. For dessert, treat yourself to an organic, dark chocolate and say, “I truly deserve this!” nnWhen fresh, whole foods are not easily obtainable or when you need the extra support of supplements, choose those that are labeled “whole food.” And when probiotics become necessary or important to you, choose them as whole food, too. nnStart looking at the noble character of pure foods. Whoever thought it would become necessary to validate seeds, soil, and the water supply before consuming food? Until you really know what is in all that, you cannot know what is safe to ingest, digest, and surround yourself with on this great planet earth . . . even if the FDA and national dieticians give their blessing. Just how serious are you about your health? That of your children? That of their children? nnHmmm . . . and why sit you there until you die? Why not get on your feet and begin making good decisions based upon information that is overwhelmingly available for anyone at the click of a mouse? Think about your food issues from the perspective of truth. Make your daily food selections based upon what you have learned and what you know to be honest and of a good report, not on what some companies want you to buy, whose purpose is only to profit their stockholders. Why not give yourself a do-over by making today the beginning of the rest of your healthy life? Good health is not just about you. It is for your children and all those you care about who will have the early benefits of learning from you.nn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit
http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways3.html n