Get the best from your food.

Trying to eat a healthy balanced diet can be challenging;  On top of our desire to grow the majority of our food we have also been taking a few simple steps to get the best from the food we eat:

1.  Purchase Organic, or get to know the farmer and go "beyond organic," to eliminate your exposure to hormones, pesticides and GMO's. (some of my local sources)

2.  Eat more raw produce:  nutrient damage to food as a result of exposure to heat has been said to begin, and progressively accelerate, at the following temperatures:

• Enzymes and co-enzymes begin losing effectiveness 118 F (47.7 C)
• Various vitamins show losses of function 130 F (54.4 C)
• Protein denaturing begins 161 F (71.6 C)*

* The temperature used to pasteurize milk
What cooking does to our food Info Source

3.  Juice your produce!  The Canadian Food Guide indicated that the average adult should consume between 7-10 servings of vegetables and fruits each day, juicing is a great way to be sure you get your recommended serving amount.  Some other health benefits of juicing are: (Source)

• provides vital nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for our bodies to repair themselves, strengthen the immune system and for cell regeneration and growth.
• Normally we do not consume peelings, seeds and pits of fruits and vegetables. These parts are a rich source of vital nutrients we normally throw away. A good quality juicer extracts juice from the whole veggie or fruit, including peelings, pits and seeds to provide vitamin and minerals that would otherwise be lost.
• minimizes heat in order to preserve the most live enzymes possible.
• Unlocking nutrients of raw foods is one of the vital benefits of juicing. Fiber is quite literally locked into many vegetables and fruits and the potential benefit of the fiber is lost as the digestive system does not unlock it. Juicing releases the fiber’s nutrition so that benefit may be realized.
• The antioxidant effects of juices will help detoxify your body and help you eliminate the toxins, fats, preservatives and chemicals that a diet of processed foods leave behind in your body.
• Juicing makes foods easy to digest and thus, easier for the body to receive maximum benefit 
  from the source food.

4.  Make it yourself!  Homemade food is always the best option, in my opinion.  With 2 kids of preschool age this can sometimes be a challenge.  Things like bread and pasta, even soda can be made at home with higher quality ingredients.

5.  Soak grains, beans, legumes as well as raw nuts and seeds to release the anti-nutrients and enzyme inhibitors.

Almonds Soaking                                    Some nuts after soaking

**You can also sprout your grains such as wheat, quinoa, spelt, millet, rye and your beans such as Mung, Garbanzo, Moth, Adzuki, Lentil, etc. Benefirs to sprouting your grains, legumes and seeds are: neutralizing phytic acid very effectively, you also neutralize the enzyme inhibitors, aids digestibility and increases nutritional content.

**Warning:  Sprouted Beans and grains should be cooked as they may contain toxins and irritating substances, although these toxins and substances are neutralized when cooked. (The main advantage to sprouting that you do not receive from soaking is an increase in nutritional content)  Info and other links found here.