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Food with Integrity – Aspartame
Food with Integrity
At the top of Nature’s Fare’s banned ingredient list is Aspartame. This excitoxin has been linked with both chronic and acute disease yet is present in over 6,000 different consumer foods and beverages including diet sodas and gum. Despite its prevalence in conventional food, you’ll never find aspartame in anything sold at Nature’s Fare. If you are looking for a zero calorie, zero carbohydrate, and zero glycemic index sweetener, we highly recommend stevia, an herb 300 times sweeter than sugar that has been used traditionally and safely for hundreds of years.
Aspartame
According to Osteopathic Physician Dr. Mercola, Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar that is derived from the excrement of genetically modified e. coli bacteria. It is marketed under a variety of brands including Equal, NutraSweet, and Aminosweet, and is approved for use in over 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine (problematic only for those who suffer from phenylketonuria), methanol, formaldehyde, and formic acid. The increased aspartic acid significantly raises the blood plasma levels aspirate and glutamate, two neurotransmitters that facilitate the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. In excess, they kill neurons by allowing too much calcium into the cells and trigger the release of free radicals. The long term consumption of aspartame can therefore have serious and severe effects on neural health and can lead to disorders such...
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba is the world’s oldest living tree, dating back 250 million years. Ginkgo leaves have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 500 years, and in the past three decades have been made into a highly concentrated (50:1) extract, standardized to compounds unique to the Ginkgo tree (ginkgolides and bilobalide).
Ginkgo Biloba extract has been subjected to a vast range of clinical trials documenting its ability to improve peripheral circulation and cognitive function, particularly in patients with early stages of mild cognitive impairment, senile dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and memory loss. Clinical trials also support the use of Ginkgo extract in assisting elderly patients in walking longer distances without leg pain.
A recent study based on previously published data in t he American Journal of Medicine made mainstream media headlines earlier this year with its claims that a leading Ginkgo extract did not reduce the decline in cognitive impairment. However, Mark Blumenthal, founder and director of the American Botanical Council, quickly pointed out several significant and important limitations of this study. First, the data used in the study was from a separate previous clinical trial which was not designed to determine the decline in cognition. Second, over 40% of the subjects dropped out during the duration of the clinical trial. Further, the subjects were not even monitored for cognitive function until several years into the trial, creating difficulty in determining whether or not they did experience a decline in cognitive function.
Several recent publications have demonstrated an improvement in cognitive performance using...
10 Minute Meditation
1. Turn off your phone & other distractions
2. Sit solidly wherever is most comfortable
3. Let your shoulders drop
4. Take 4 deep breaths, feel the air slowly fill then completely exit your lungs
5. Return to natural breathing, focus on the air touching your nostrils. In and Out.
DISTRACTIONS will come. Lightly acknowledge each then return your focus to the breath touching your nostrils. Imagine your distractions as images and sensations drifting away, quickly forgotten.
JUST BREATHE. Cool air in. Warm air out. Breathe.
When finished, gently open your eyes and slowly stretch your arms and legs, then your torso. Warm the muscles in a big, long comfortable stretch. Yawn a wide-mouthed yawn, opening the eyes wide, the nostrils wide. Stretch your face. Exaggerate your yawn. Expand the body, lungs and arms.
Written by: Ashleigh Magill, Nature’s Fare Markets
Food With Integrity – Salt
Food with Integrity
Salt
All living creatures require salt to survive. We use this essential mineral to regulate the water content in our bodies, to replenish our electrolytes, and to promote optimum biological function and cellular maintenance. Unrefined salt has profound healing qualities because of its ability to balance the body’s intended mineral levels, and can nourish the adrenals, sinuses and bronchial passages, and digestive systems. However, the wrong kind of salt can lead to a multitude of health problems including high blood pressure, accelerated cellular degeneration, blood sugar abnormalities, and liver and kidney failure.
Table Salt (Refined Salt)
Although it is extremely unhealthy, refined salt is commonly used as a seasoning, pickling agent, or preservative in both home and commercial uses. Refined salt is derived from rock or ocean salt that has been mined, heat blasted, chemically treated, and mixed with iodine and anti-caking agents such as alumino-silicate to ensure it will not clump when packaged. The high-heat processing kills the nutrients in the salt, removing 82 of the 84 minerals found in sea water and leaving only sodium and chloride. Our bodies cannot recognize and utilize sodium as it needs to in this solo form.
Unrefined Sea Salt (also known as Celtic Sea Salt)
Unrefined Sea Salt is produced from the Atlantic seawater off the coast of Brittany, France using traditional hand methods of salt-farming. This type of salt is harvested using wooden rakes and is naturally air and sun-dried in clay ponds to preserve its living enzymes. Unrefined sea salt contains at least 84 trace...
Your Guide to Eating Green!!!
Going Organic
Your guide to eating green
As a customer, your food-buying dollars become your power. Where and how you choose to spend those dollars becomes your vote for or against food production methods.
Buying organic products supports farmers who do not use chemical pesticides or fertilizers and adhere to federal standards to protect the environment. Organic products provide premium prices to producers for their extra management time and risk. Look for “Certified Organic” labels when shopping.
What to look for:
- Ethically raised meats: Avoid products from factory farms
- Free range, free run and organic eggs: Avoid eggs from battery cage hens
- Certified Organic dairy products: Avoid antibiotics and hormones such as rBGH
- Organic and local produce: Avoid chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides
Nature’s Fare Markets understands the importance of social and environmental responsibility in our communities. We are proud to carry only 100% Certified Organic produce, ethically raised meats, free range eggs, as well as a wide variety of fair trade and local products. Our bistros serve organic and natural foods made in our own kitchen and offer only 100% biodegradable takeout containers, cups, and cutlery made from renewable resources.
Live Well. Live Organic.
Food With Integrity – Eggs
Food with Integrity
Food with Integrity – Eggs
Nature’s Fare is committed to selling only eggs from free-range and/or organic hens. Nature’s Fare does not purchase or sell any Battery Cage Eggs.
Battery Cage Eggs
The vast majority of egg-laying hens are confined in battery cages. On average, each hen is afforded only 67 square inches – less than a single sheet of letter paper on which to live her entire life. Caged hens suffer from the denial of many natural behaviourss such as nesting, perching, dustbathing, and endure high levels of stress and frustration.
Cage-Free Eggs
Cage-free systems offer hens a slightly higher level of animal welfare than a battery-cage system. Most cage-free hens live in very large flocks of many thousands of hens who never go outside. However, these hens are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests. Cage-free egg producers must also provide perching and dust-bathing areas for the birds as well. These hens are spared several cruelties inherent in the battery-cage system, but it would be a mistake to consider cage-free facilities to be “cruelty-free”:
-Cage free farms typically buy their hens from the same hatcheries as battery-cage farms. Theses hatcheries kill male chicks upon hatching – more than 200 million each year in the United States alone
-Most cage-free hens have their beaks burned off, a painful mutilation
-Hens are typically slaughtered at less than two years old, far less than half their normal lifetime. They are often transported long distances to slaughter plants without food or water, and are often...
Foods Alive Minute – Leafy Greens
Foods Alive Minute
Nature’s Fare Markets is your proud sponsor of the FOODS ALIVE MINUTE with Raw Food Chef, Afke Zonderland.
This Kiss FM promotion is your key to healthy living and tasty tips.
Buying dark leafy greens like Romaine lettuce, kale, Swiss chard and beet tops is good for the environment, especially if your store buys produce from local farmers. With little exception, buying fresh means less waste and more nutrition. And, a head of romaine or a bunch of kale has no bones, fat or gristle to waste. If you think about it, including fresh produce gives plenty of crunch and colour on our dinner plates. Naturally colorful food is a great source of vitamins and minerals. Every meal you make with living foods, preferably organic, is a bold statement and has far-reaching effects on our community; plus long term benefits for your health.
Today’s tasty tip: Wrap a ripe banana in a romaine lettuce leaf for a healthy no-waste snack soaked in antioxidants. The sweet banana offers a wonderful contrast to the crispy greens!
Listen here: Foods Alive Minute – Leafy Greens
Thank you for visiting our website…
We are continuously developing our site to provide full access to health and wellness, articles, location and event details as well as the latest news and announcements – not to mention a more user-friendly shopping experience.
At Nature’s Fare Markets, our independence gives us the freedom to make the decisions we feel are best for our community, the environment & you. We believe in offering you a worry-free, feel-good shopping experience. We know good health can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve done the work for you & we’re waiting to answer your questions.
We hope you enjoy our website and we appreciate any comments, questions or suggestions to make it even better, please let us know by emailing news@naturesfare.com.
Live Well. Live Organic.
Nature’s Fare Markets
A Beginner’s Guide to Going Organic – Step 2
Going Organic
Pesticides and Produce
Nature’s Fare is Committed to Purchasing and Selling only 100% Certified Organic Produce!
The growing consensus among scientists is that even small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and childhood. Pesticides affect neurological development, reproduction, growth, and the functioning of the immune and endocrine systems. A US National Cancer Institute Survey found that children with leukemia are six times more likely to come from homes where pesticides were used, and the Canadian Cancer Society has stated that the toxins in pesticides can be carcinogenic. Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of them whenever possible.
Research done by the Environmental Working Group found that people who consume the “Dirty Dozen” (the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables) consume an average of ten different pesticides each day. There is a common misconception that washing or peeling will eliminate pesticides from fruits and vegetables, but nearly all of the studies conducted by the Environmental Working Group took these factors into consideration. While there is some reduction in pesticides through rinsing and peeling, there is also a significant loss of nutrients and fibre when the peel is eliminated. The best approach is to eat a varied diet, rinse all produce, and buy organic whenever possible.
The “Dirty Dozen” – To reduce the pesticide load in your body, ensure you always choose to buy these organic
- Peach
- Apple
- Bell Pepper
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Grapes (Imported)
- Carrot
- Pear
Source: www.foodnews.org
...Book Review – Knockout by Suzanne Somers
Book Review
I’m reading Suzanne Somers’ new book “Knockout”, and as I get further into the book I feel more and more passionate about getting every single person I know (and that they know) to read it as well. I’m from the generation where somers was the bubbly and cute stepmom on “step-by-step”, but I’m sure that those who know her best off “three’s company” shared my initial impression of her as an entertainer without much intellectual substance – I have been proven wrong!
I picked up her book the other day while at my favourite health care provider’s office. Her writing is easy to read and she spells out her case in layman’s terms, which is perfect for this book because it makes it accessible to everyone and anyone. “knockout” is about cancer – it details why conventional cancer treatments just aren’t working (citing plenty of academic studies proving chemo is not only harmful to the body but that it conclusively does not work on the majority of cancers) and then presents a handful of doctors who are curing incurable cancers by integrating alternative therapies with their conventional training. The testimonials are amazing and I can’t read one without getting goosebumps all over.
With me, somers is preaching to the choir because I’m already skeptical about pharmaceutical companies and the medical system as a whole. But for someone who still has faith (and that’s a good thing), this book at least presents another side of the story. It gives hope that there is...
