In an earlier post I mentioned that the French eat sustainable whole foods in order to maintain a desirable weight.

Many people are under the impression that the French eat whatever they want, but they don’t. The French simply eat what is available. What is available is sustainable whole foods; not the highly processed convenience foods that are so prevalent here in America.

So, what is sustainable living for a sustainable future?

Sustainable living isn’t just about eating healthy whole foods. It goes way beyond that.

Sustainable living refers to a practice that will sustain our health, our land, our local economy, and our future.

We need to buy locally grown and raised food that is free of pesticides, herbicides, and hormones for these reasons:

• Organically grown foods are more nutritious.
 
• Organically grown and raised foods are biodiverse. In other words, they   nourish the soil instead of depleting it.

• Organically grown foods do not pollute the local waterways.

• Buying local does not deplete fossil fuels. Shipping a piece of fruit across the country or half way around the world depletes our natural resources.

• Buying local, especially at Farmer’s Markets, supports our local farmers and our local economy.

• Buying local gives our farmers the incentive to keep on doing what they are doing. The more you buy, the more they will plant.

These practices help to insure that healthy whole foods will be available for ourselves, as well as future generations.

I hope that you found this of interest to you.
Remember, if you like the information provided in this blog… tell a friend. Spread the love.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life
www.AlexanderMorentin.com

I am proud to announce that My Fit Life has partnered with the YWCA of North Orange County.

The YWCA is pleased with the educational classes and fund raising efforts that I have provided throughout 2007, so they have appointed me as their official health and fitness advisor.

We will be providing a variety of seminars, classes, and product launches both in person and on the web.

Our first project is a series of classes which will be held from September 2007 thru June 2008.

Dates and Topics Include:

• September 11: Stop the Confusion

• October 9: How to Read Food Labels

• November 13: How to Eat Well During the Holidays

• December 11: How to Make Healthy Holiday Goodies

• January 8: Get in Shape for the New Year

• February 12: Supermarket Tour

• March 11: Supplements

• April 8: Healthy Eating On the Go

• May 13: Women’s Fitness

• June 10: Working Out On Vacation

I will keep you updated with specifics as the events get closer.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Specialist
www.myfitlife.net

Earlier today I was asked how to make a healthy chicken broth.

To tell you the truth, I really didn’t know the answer to this question.

As luck would have it, I received this recipe in an email that I received later in the day.

The author of this recipe is Luci Lock:

Many of you have asked how to make your own chicken stock at home, and it really is an excellent thing to do. It’s so much better for you than the boxed stuff from the grocery store.

It’s very, very simple. You can use any kind of chicken bones. Normally, I make stock after I’ve cooked a whole, roasted chicken and picked all the meat off the bones.

Rich, Homemade Chicken Stock

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Take your “picked over bird”, skin, bones and all, and place into stock pot.
2. Cover bones with water, at least to cover, or more if larger quantity is desired.
3. Cover, bring to boil over high heat, and then reduce to simmer for at least one hour.
4. Some prefer to add herbs and chopped veggies to stock. I prefer to keep it plain, as it can always be seasoned later on when used in recipes
5. After 1 to 1½ hours, remove from heat.
6. Ladle into glass jugs and refrigerate.Use for homemade soup or freeze in smaller containers. Keeps frozen for a long time.

That’s it! You’ve got some very healthy, nutritious, rich chicken stock. It’s great to make it yourself and know it’s actually good for you, very wholesome!

Enjoy!

Bye for now,

Alexnader Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
www.myfitlife.net

Here in America we hear a lot of stories about the French being able to eat whatever they want yet they don’t get fat.

This morning NPR (National Public Radio) aired a story on how the French eat in Paris. The reporter visited the produce stands, delis, butchers, and bakeries. She noticed that there were many mom and pop type of stores that were doing a bustling business. There were no franchises or large corporate stores anywhere in sight.

This piqued the reporter’s interest, so she spoke with a Paris city official in the planning commission regarding their business practices.

This is what the reporter learned:
City officials in Paris do not allow large supermarkets or corporate franchises to come into Paris. City officials do not want Paris to lose its feel and they want to maintain their availability of quality foods.

Parisians are willing to pay a little more for their food as long as it is fresh and grown or raised locally. Parisians enjoy fresh local produce, fresh local meats, and freshly baked and cultured breads, all of which are free of preservatives and genetic modifications.

The practice described above is known as sustainable living. I call it sustainable living for a sustainable future.

We have gotten away from this style of living in America and are now living a lifestyle of convenience… and it shows!

Vibrant health, along with a desirable look and feel, is not hard to achieve, but it does take a little effort.

In America we have more choices than any other country in the world. This is not a bad thing. We just have to get informed and make responsible choices for a healthy and sustainable future.

I will keep with this theme of sustainable living for the next several days. Sustainable living, also known as green living, is something that is dear to me.

I hope that you found this post of interest to you.
If you know anybody that may be interested in this blog, send them a link.

Have a wonderful day!

Alexander Morentin C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
www.AlexanderMorentin.com

In a recent post I discussed the importance of eating raw sprouted nuts and seeds. However, I didn’t explain how to sprout them.

Almonds are the easiest of all of the seeds and nuts to sprout. Simply soak them in water for 8 to 12 hours. This will sprout them.  Make sure to rinse them off thoroughly afterwards in a colander. You will see a brown film come off of them. You will say to yourself, “Man, I was eating that?” Sprouted almonds taste much different than regular raw almonds.  They have to be refrigerated and they only stay good for about a week. Only sprout as many as you think you will eat in about three to five days. 
Note: I am often asked if it is necessary to peel the almonds after they are sprouted.  The answer is no.

Isn’t that easy?

Here’s what I do: A couple of hours before I go to bed, I pour some raw almonds into a bowl and add some good clean water. When I wake up in the morning I rinse the almonds in the manner suggested above.

I sprouted some almonds last night and was able to add them to my smoothie in the morning. They taste delicious and they are easy to make.

Remember, sprouted almonds are nutritious living foods. There is no comparison between sprouted almonds and unsprouted almonds.

Try this out for yourself, you’ll be glad that you did.

Tenga un buen dia (Have a great day)!

Alexander Morentin
Holistic Fitness Coach
www.myfitlife.net

Salt is another area where there is a great deal of confusion. The kind of salt that we are accustomed to is processed and refined table salt.

Regular table salt is very bad for you. It is one of the white devils. Stay away from it. Table salt has been stripped of all of its beneficial properties until only the sodium chloride (NaCl) remains. Often times, a small percentage of harmful and other chemicals will be added to the salt. Table salt robs your body of its vital nutrient stores in order to process through it. Basically, refined table salt is like a poison to your body.

What Kind Of Salt Can I Use?
Salt in its natural form contains a variety of minerals which are beneficial to your body. There are two varieties of salts that can be beneficial for you:
1. Sea Salt
2. Himalayan Salt

Sea Salt contains a variety of beneficial nutrients. The amount and type of the nutrients contained in sea salt is dependent on it s source of origin. As with all other foods, the process through which sea salt is harvested will determine its nutritional benefit. The salt must be solar dried in order to keep its nutrient value intact. If it is subjected to high heats, such as in an oven, the delicate nutrients will be destroyed.

My Favorite Type of Salt
Himalayan Salt is my favorite type of salt. It has many benefits which are extremely beneficial for you:

• Himalayan Salt contains 84 of the nutritional elements we need. The highest elemental content of any salt.
• Himalayan Salt balances the pH in your body.
• Himalayan Salt contains no environmental pollutants.
• Himalayan Salt helps to regulate blood pressure.

I have listed just a few of the many benefits of Himalayan Salt. It is a bit more expensive than other salts, but it is well worth it. Basically, Himalayan Salt has beneficial nutrients that will be added to your body with nothing taken away.

Remember:
1. Stay away from table salt, it is like a poison to your body
2. Himalayan Salt and solar dried sea salt are good for you

Bye for now,

Alexander Morentin
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life

It is best to avoid roasted nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds that have been subjected to high heat, such as cooking or roasting, are not good for you. Reason being, the high temperatures denature the oils (fats) that they contain. What was once beneficial will now wreak havoc on your body.

Raw nuts and seeds are a much better choice than their roasted counterparts. It really does make a difference. If you decide to make raw nuts and seeds a part of your diet, do so sparingly; they have the potential to make you gain body fat.

Sprouting Is Best
Most seeds and nuts can and should be sprouted. Sprouting activates the enzymes inside of them, which turns them into living organisms. Because of this, sprouted nuts and seeds have to be refrigerated and will spoil in about a week or two as opposed to raw unsprouted nuts and seeds that you can keep on your shelf for long periods of time.

Mother Nature Installed a Defense Mechanism
Seeds and nuts have enzyme inhibitors inside of them which keep them dormant. This is a protective mechanism which allows them to be stored for long periods of time. Farmers must be able to store seed in their dormant state until they are ready to use them. If this was not possible, farmers would lose all of their seed.

When they come in contact with moisture, the seeds will sprout and the enzymes will be activated. They become a living food again. This means that they will completely breakdown in your body, providing you with a ton of nutrition. Sprouted nuts and seeds are very delicious and are very beneficial for you. There is no comparison between sprouted nuts and seeds and their dormant unsprouted counterparts.
Once again: It’s all about the enzymes!

Have a great weekend.

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life

It’s Tuesday night and I am just getting home from the local Farmer’s Market.

I look forward to going to the Farmer’s Market every week. It is always an extremely rewarding experience for me.

The people are friendly; the produce is fresh; what more could you ask for?

In fact, I always leave happier than when I arrive. Why? Because I feel very fortunate that local farmers do what they do… working hard to bring us delicious healthy food at a terrific price week after week.

Which leads me to the point of this post:
How much is that produce?

Whenever I educate people about the benefits of eating fresh whole foods I will often times get this reponse: “But I can’t afford it. Those fruits and vegetables are too expensive.”

Well, I don’t really understand this statement.
Tonight, I brought home:

• 2 pounds of spinach
• Broccoli
• 5 tomatoes
• A bunch of celery
• A bunch of green onions
• 5 nectarines
• 5 peaches
• 8 apricots
• 8 plums

All of this fresh delicious produce cost me an astronomical $19.50! That is less than the price of 6 gallons of gas in Southern California. I personally think that this is one hell of a deal. 

I don’t understand why people think that buying fresh produce is more expensive, but they do.

If you are one of these people, then I highly suggest you find a local Farmer’s Market. Not only will you find affordable healthy produce, you will find a new lifestyle that I promise will be extremely rewarding.

Well, it looks like it’s time for me to go to bed.

Bye for now,

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life

The above headline was on the front page of the Los Angeles Times this weekend.

It seems that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering for approval a list of 38 nonorganic ingredients that will be permitted in organic foods. The approval of these ingredients would affect every type of manufactured organic food.

The proposed ingredients include food colorings, flavorings, bulking agents, and fish oil. Needless to say that the approval of this list would be a huge blow to the organic food movement.

In case you are wondering, food coloring, flavoring, and bulking agents are not desirable additions to your diet.

Why is this happening?
Well, it’s all about the m-o-n-e-y!
That’s right. Big corporations have entered what used to be a small “grass roots” movement. Big business will do whatever it can to make as much money as it can with blatant disregard to the consumer (us).

According to the L.A. times: Sales of organic food in the U.S. has grown from $4 billion in 1997 to $16.9 billion in 2006. This is a more than 400% increase. Big business definitely wants a huge piece of this rapidly growing pie.

The USDA is expected to make a ruling on this issue any day.

What does this mean to me?
It doesn’t look like this dilema will affect organic produce. The proposed additives would be added to organic packaged foods.

Those of you that know me, know that I promote the consumption of fresh whole foods as opposed to packaged foods. However, I hope and pray that the USDA does not approve the list of 38 nonorganic ingredients.

Local is the new Organic
Remember to support local farmers by purchasing your produce at Farmers Markets and CSA’s - Community Supported Agriculture. By doing so, you are voting with your dollars. Together we can make a difference.

I will keep you up to date as to the outcome of this dilema.

Feel free to leave me any questions or comments you may have regarding this situation.

Yours in health,

Alexander Morentin
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life