Hi,

I hope everything is going well today.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting Organic Pastures, a raw dairy farm located in Central California.

Interesting Factoids:
Organic Pastures is the number one raw dairy farm in the United States. Because of this, they are under much scrutiny from the federal government. In fact, as I drove into Organic Pastures I was first greeted by two FDA officials that were there to inspect the facilities.

No worries though, Mark McAfee, CEO of Organic Pastures, and his talented staff run a very efficient operation.

Note: For those of you who aren’t aware, raw milk is illegal in most states in the United States. California is one of the few states that allow raw milk to be sold in grocery stores.

  
    Mark McAfee & Me

The Tour:
Organic Pastures is unlike the commercial dairy farms in his surrounding community. The cows are not confined to tight quarters; they live and graze on 400 grass filled acres. And yes, the land is certified organic.

We walked through the creamery, the kefir room, the cold storage rooms, the cheese room, the shipping department, and the sales office. In other words, I was taken on a tour of the entire operations and facilities, they have nothing to hide. It was fascinating to see how much effort and care goes into each bottle of raw milk and colostrum.

Next, Mark drove me around the entire farm, explaining all the details of the day to day operations as well as his mission to enrich the lives of his consumers through education, awareness, and whole foods nutrition.

I am extremely impressed with Organic Pastures and have developed a deeper appreciation for the raw dairy products they provide. I feel very fortunate that I am able to drive to my local Whole Foods or Mother’s Market and purchase this amazing product.

Many thanks go out to Mark McAfee and the staff of Organic Pastures. Keep up the great work!

For more information on raw milk and Organic Pastures Dairy, visit their website at www.organicpastures.com.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Talk soon,

Alexander Morentin, CES
Health & Fitness Consultant
YWCA North Orange County
Owner, My Fit Life
www.fitness-for-women.net

A recent article highlights the dangers of drinking sodas. The article was written by Rachele Kanigel of Prevention Magazine.

Both sugary sodas and diet sodas were found to contribute to weight gain, bone loss, and corrosion of the teeth, among other things.

Here are some of the other findings:

• Drinking soda contributes to diabetes. The incidence of diabetes has more than tripled in occurrence from 6.6 million in 1980 to 20.8 million today.

• Sodas are very corrosive to your teeth, causing tooth decay. Doctors stated that sipping soda is like bathing your teeth in corrosive acid. Battery Acid has a pH of 1; sugary soda has a pH of 2.5; and diet soda has a pH of 3.2. That is crazy!

• Girls who downed colas were five times as likely to break arms and legs in their teen years as girls who abstained from carbonated beverages.

• Drinking sport drinks such as Powerade are almost as harmful as drinking sugary sodas. According to the article, at 10 calories per ounce, that Powerade is almost as bad as a can of Coke, which has 12 per ounce.

• Diet sodas are not better than their sugary counterparts. They are almost as corrosive, they promote weight gain, and contain artificial sweeteners which are just as bad as high fructose corn syrup or worse.

These findings are both disturbing and eye opening. 

Click here to read the entire article. It is very well written.

One thing that the article did not mention is the fact that most sodas, including Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Sprite, contained genetically modified substances.

According to Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, most of the corn syrup that sweetens packaged foods comes from genetically engineered corn. Artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame (NutraSweet), are genetically engineered substances as well.

Okay, we all know that sodas are bad for us, but few want to admit how bad they actually are. However, the evidence against the dangers of soft drinks and sport drinks is too compelling to ignore.

Bottom line, if you drink soda you need to stop.

Good clean water is always going to be your best bet.

As always, my goal is to inform you as best I can, so you can make the best choices for yourself and your loved ones.

Talk soon.

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Health & Fitness Consultant
www.fitness-for-women.net

One of our readers sent in a comment regarding the post on pharmaceuticals in the water. 

She was interested in finding a way to test the tap water in her house.
I have included the reply that I sent her below:

 As far as your questions are concerned:

I found the information for the post on one of the local T.V. news shows. An independent research firm tested the water in the L.A. basin for pharmaceuticals.

This is significant because the water company is not required to test for pharmaceuticals.

As far as your home drinking water is concerned:

There are two websites that may be of interest to you.

www.AquaMD.com

This site does affordable testing of your tap water by asking you a series of questions along with analyzing tests done by your local water company. They have a video which explains the whole process. It is quite interesting.

http://www.allaboutwater.org/

This site has all kinds of info regarding various types of filtration systems for your house, as well as useful information about bottled water.

Both sites are great resources.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Talk to you soon,

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Health & Fitness Consultant
www.fitness-for-women.net

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

Pharmaceuticals have been found in the water ways and ground water in Los Angeles & its surrounding communities.

Yes, it’s true, a recent report in the evening news stated that studies conducted by an independent “watch dog” group detected a variety of pharmaceutical drugs in the water in and around Los Angeles.

Pharmaceuticals found in the water include:

• Estrogen
• Acetomeniphen
• Ibuprofen
• Muscle Relaxors
• Anti depressants

You may be asking yourself this question: Why hasn’t the local government or the water companies themselves discovered any of these substances in our water?

Answer: Local government and municipal water companies are not required to test for these substances in our water. They are only required to test the water for a small list of contaminants in our water. Of course, they only check for the bare minimum of what is required.

I don’t know about you, but if I am going to take drugs, I want to do it of my own free will; not because I am forced to. The implications run far and wide as to why or how these substances got into our water.

Those of you that know me personally are aware of the fact that I am against the widespread use of pharmaceuticals. These findings are very disturbing to me.

This is one of the many reason why you need to have a good water filtration system for your house.

I know that many of you reading this post do not live in the L.A. basin, but similar findings may be found in your water ways. Remember, local municipalities are not required to test for pharmaceuticals in your water.

I hope you found this post of interest to you.

Yours in health,

Alexander Morentin
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life

Water
Your body consists of 70% water and your brain consists of 85% water. It only makes sense that you need to drink plenty of good clean water on a daily basis to remain vibrant and healthy.

Many of us are dehydrated and don’t even realize it. Dehydration can cause a myriad of problems from headaches to high blood pressure. Simply put, a lack of water will cause you to store toxic waste.

Proper hydration is a key element in obtaining a tight and toned body. You cannot look great and feel great without proper hydration. Key functions of water include:

• Proper delivery of nutrients to our cells
• Proper brain function
• Elimination of waste products from our cells
• Help in maintaining a healthy environment in our intestines
• Proper digestion of food
• Frequent healthy bowel movements

As you can see, every function in the body, in one way or another, requires water.
Benefits of drinking adequate amounts of water include:

• Maintain Optimal Health
• Accelerate Weight Loss
• Increase Energy
• Think Clearly
• Prevent and Heal Disease

Fit Fact
Water is truly the most essential element of life. We can live more than a month without food (I have seen people do this), but we cannot survive more than a few days without water.

How Much Water Should I Drink in One Day?
This is one of the questions that I am most often asked. However, there is no standard answer that can be given for this question. You have probably heard many people say that you should drink 8 glasses of water a day or 96 ounces of water a day or something similar. The problem is this: some people will listen to a statement like the one just mentioned and drink all eight glasses of water in the morning and think they are good for the day. This is faulty thinking.

It has been my experience that water needs will vary from individual to individual. For instance, a carpenter working all day in the sun will require much more water than an office worker sitting behind a desk in an air conditioned office.

A better question would be: How often should I drink water throughout the day?
You should do your best to consume some water every one or two hours. It is more beneficial for you to concern yourself with drinking water consistently throughout the day, rather than focusing on a predetermined amount. Making this one change in your daily regimen will make a positive impact on your weight loss and fitness success.

Food For Thought
Vegetables and fruits contain large amounts of water. Therefore, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will aid in hydrating you body. This is one more reason for you to eat your fruits and veggies.

Thank you for reading this post.

Have a wonderful day.

Alexander Morentin
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life