Healthy Breasts For Every Woman

We hear so much about diet these days.  There are always new wonder foods.  The government in its Change 4 Life campaign is telling us to eat more fruit and veg, eat less and exercise more.  We all lead busy lives and convenience foods and ready meals are so much quicker (or so people think) and a lot of them now exclude hydrogenated fats, artificial preservatives etc.   It is still confusing.

My personal philosophy has always been to eat the freshest and most natural ingredients.  To me this means eating as much organic food as possible which hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or includes ingredients to lengthen its shelf life and has been grown locally, where possible.

I have just read an article in Canceractive’s February newsletter where we can learn about the reasons why it makes sense to have a slightly alkaline body.  In a healthy body with an efficient immune system, the cellular systems all need a pH of about 7.4 (7.2 is neutral) to operate at their maximum. This means, in simple English, that they need to be slightly alkaline.  You may be surprised to know that every day we each make 200 or so pre-cancer or potential cancer cells. If our immune system is working effectively it can ’deal’ with these.

Unfortunately, the British common diet these days encourages our cells to be acidic and cancerous cells thrive in an acidic environment.  Also cancerous cells do not need oxygen to grow and spread - in fact, oxygen can destroy them.

So if you want to keep your cells healthy, look at avoid acid-making food and keep your body oxygenated through exercise.  The biggest culprits are eating too much salt, dairy products and sugar.

To read more about keeping your cells healthy through what you eat and how you exercise, go to http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=1025&Title=Acid%20bodies%20increase%20cancer%20risk.

You can also order the book, “The Rainbow Diet”, through the Canceractive website.  It is written to be cancer-beating but is also a great basis for a healthy diet for anyone wanting to maintain a strong immune system and healthy body.

Diet is such a huge area but I think if we follow the simple rules of fresh, pure and good quantities of alkalising food, then we are on the right track. 

Nikki Mattei

Whilst driving back from the gym today, I heard the speech which Prince Charles made at the BBC Radio Four Food and Farming Awards and I agree wholeheartedly with everything he said.

The Prince applauds the return of Britain’s ‘food culture’ which has been led by ordinary men and women across our country with a passion for natural and sustainable agriculture.

He questions the current arguments that organic, naturally produced food has no health benefits by looking at things like the necessary cleaning up of our water to remove pesticides and chemicals, the rise of illnesses like Type 2 Diabetes and E-Coli and the amount of food we waste.

He finishes by stating, “The truth is that by treating food as an easy commodity, rather than a precious gift from Nature, we have started playing games with our health and with the environment, from which humanity can only stand to lose.”

If you believe in the importance of a healthy, natural diet and using safe everyday products in our homes, I think you will really enjoy reading the whole article at http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/a_speech_by_the_prince_of_wales_at_the_bbc_radio_4_food_and__2034279616.html

I do everything I can in my life to provide an organic and natural lifestyle for myself children as our health comes above everything else.

Have a healthy and natural New Year!

Nikki Mattei

The press is full stories that it has been proved that organic food is no healthier than non-organic.

A study has been undertaken by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).  The study has looked at scientific papers published over the past 50 years and has concluded that eating organic food give no nutritional enhancement.  The study shows that a number of small differences in nutritional content exist but are not believed to be important.  However, small benefits over a wide-range of products over a lifetime could make a difference, I think.  It’s the same as using personal care products with small quantities of harmful chemicals over a lifetime of exposure every day.

The study does not look at pesticide and herbicide residues or animal welfare.

This study will not change my opinion on choosing to buy organic products because I don’t want to eat food or put products on my skin which have been sprayed with pesticides (a lot of which have been taken off the market in recent years because they are harmful to human health) or eat meat which has been pumped with hormones.  I haven’t had time yet to read the research in detail but I wonder where the organic food tested came from?  Were the comparisons done comparing like with like?

This study was a one-year £120,000 project.  In 2007 there was a £12 million 4-year study funded by the European Union which proved that organic food was better for you with up to 40% more antioxidants, which could cut the risk of heart disease and cancer, and more minerals such as iron and zinc.

Also this latest study is not new research it is purely the pulling together of research over the past fifty years which is a long time, particularly in terms of how our soil has become depleted of minerals and nutrients during that period.  There is also a five-year research project being undertaken on behalf of the European Commission and the results should be out next year.  It is believed that this report will show that organic food is beneficial to health.

You’ll just have to make up your own mind!

Nikki Mattei

www.healthybreastscampaign.co.uk

I have been using “safe” products in my home, including my cleaners, my cosmetics and all our toiletries for about 10 years now.  Ten years ago that was quite unusual - today it is much more widely known that there are lots of harmful chemicals in our everyday lives.  I have also bought organic fruit and veg and most other food for about four years.

I know that we are in the age of the “credit crunch” but I would still rather focus on “apple crunch” and put the health of me and my family at the top of my spending list.  Even though I know that buying a cleanser free of mineral oil, SLS and parabens and buying organic apples costs me more money, I can’t go back because I know too much now.  Health is always going to be at the top of my agenda because I know what it’s like when you don’t have it.  Plus I want to give my children the best possible start in their lives because who knows what the future holds!

What decisions are you making in your household budget?  Are you having to cut back on things you would rather not?

NIkki Mattei

www.bestthinkpink.com