Pure Foods 
My passion for wellness stems from my own spiritual path. Throughout my journey, I have identified cornerstones to health, which I believe to be fundamental. I have started with the 3 most simplistic, yet they are essential roots to the path of wellbeing. Finding happiness, balance, joy, good health and essentially awakening to our fullest potential is a desire for most of us; however, getting there often seems to be complicated. There are many paths to optimum wellbeing, none better than others, as each person has a path that resonates and works for them personally. I found that establishing pure rest, pure foods, and pure movement into my life has enabled me to find balance and has opened an inner state allowing continuous spiritual growth, which has inevitably created a more fulfilling life. By uniting body-mind-spirit-emotions ¹ through these first cornerstones, I have been able to go deeper and further on my path. This path makes the body pure and strong, since the body is deeply connected to our mind, spirit and emotions, the body then becomes a vehicle for ending suffering.  We awaken to our true self; essentially this is also the path of Yoga, which uses Pranayama & meditation (pure rest), yogic diet (pure foods), and asana (pure movement). These cornerstones are not a means to an end, but only a beautiful beginning, that will open doors of opportunity. To clarify, cornerstones are what hold up a structure. For example, I have referred to these cornerstones as being roots, similar to the roots of a tree. They are what give life and structure to the tree, if they are not nourished, the tree will die, but if nourished the tree will flourish and at the right moment the tree will go beyond these cornerstones, or roots, and will bloom or blossom.  

You are what you eat! 

One of my greatest passions is food; I admit that I am one of those people who ‘Lives to Eat’, rather than ‘Eats to Live’. It is not only the act of eating that I have grown to be so fond of, it is also the preparation, the knowledge, the display, the sensory output, the benefits, and essentially everything about food. As my knowledge around food and nutrition has evolved, I have found a deep appreciation for what I term ‘pure foods’. I define pure foods as:

 

Food sources that have a living essence, originating from a living source, plant or animal, and are provided with natural habitat, are replenished with an adequate and appropriate diet that is suited for the plant or animal and is unaltered. Food that is in its natural state (or as close to it as possible) and that is organic are the purest foods you can obtain or purchase. Food that is unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives and has been minimally refined or processed is the best tasting and most nutritious food available.   

• Produce (Fruits & Vegetables)
• Grains
• Herbs & Spices
• Beans & Legumes
• Meat & poultry
• Seafood & Fish
• Oils, Nuts & Seeds
• Seaweeds 
• Eggs
• Dairy (cow, sheep & goat)
• Tea leafs & edible flowers
• Natural sweeteners
• Coffee& cocoa beans
• Fermented foods

My mission is to provide simple solutions to finding greater wellbeing and to do so in a way that provides realistic, simple, and affordable solutions for everybody. I whole heartily believe that eating mostly pure foods is a stepping stone for optimal health. I do not however recommend what eating lifestyle and traditions you should or should not follow. That is personal and it is my belief that any eating lifestyle, whether vegetarian, omnivore, vegan, raw, or other, can be as healthy as the other.  The most essential part is that your eating lifestyle resonates with who you are as a person; meeting your own personal physical, emotional, and social needs. That it also includes plenty of pure foods, provides you with balanced nutrition, and deeply satisfies you. I also find that upholding traditions, whatever they are, can be part of a person’s joy and eating satisfaction, bringing fond memories and social happiness. Eating rituals and traditions, such as those around ceremonies, parties, holidays, etc., that may be part of your tradition, culture, family, and community, can be a healthy part of your lifestyle, even if they do not fit entirely into the ideal. As for cooking versus eating raw foods, they both have valid arguments, both positives and negatives, and the most nourishing option is what works for you. The most important factor is eating pure foods you enjoy and using high quality preparation and presentation.  Additionally, we often lean towards perfection or avoidance. Mindfulness is an important key to eating healthily and part of being mindful is having the awareness that perfection is not a healthy goal. If you are generally a pretty healthy person, following an 80/20 rule, can be helpful.  Try to opt for pure foods choices approximately 80% of the time and know that the other 20% will allow room for social and personal deviations that will only enrich your overall health and happiness.        

Tips for selecting and finding Pure Foods

• The purest food will likely come from a locally owned food co-op, farmer's market, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or independently-owned natural food store
• If above options are limited, try Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or other similar grocer carrying more choices of unrefined, unaltered and organic food choices
• Shop the parameter of your local grocer, where most pure foods are located
• Try the gourmet food stores. Gourmet cooks, chefs, foodies and restaurateurs know the secret to good eats: high quality ingredients and pure foods are the best tasting 
• Purchase freshly baked breads, bakery items, salads and meal options from your local grocers, bakeries and cafes.  Remember to ask questions, read labels as well as seek out, request and check for the following (as applicable and whenever possible) when buying food:
• All foods
• contains pure foods (foods in their whole state or closest to it)
• limited processing
• unrefined ingredients
• organic ²
• high quality oils
• no trans fatty acids ³
• no preservatives
• no additives
• high quality sea salts, rather than refined salt
• non Genetically Engineered (GMO) food ⁴
• Specific Foods:
• Grains
• whole grains, unrefined grains
• everything above
• Fats & oils
• Unrefined oils
• cold expeller pressed oils
• Extra virgin
• Organic
• Animal products
• Organic
• Grass-fed, free range, pasture raised ^{5 6 7}
• no added hormones, antibiotics or altering drugs
• no nitrates
• no homogenization (unnecessary processing)
• Sweeteners
• No refined sweetener ⁸
• Organic
• Find restaurants that focus on high quality and wholesome choices. Seek out those offering fresh high quality ingredients, and whenever possible look for and support those offering local fare, organic, grass-fed, free-range, and non GMO choices  
• Seek quality over quantity!

Benefit’s to Pure Foods

Here are just a few inspirational, yet simple benefits’ you will gain from eating more pure foods:

• Feel livelier and have more stamina from gaining the extra nutrients, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, healthy fats, and other health producing natural substances in pure foods
• Ingest less harming additives, chemicals, drugs and pesticides that affect your emotional, physiological, psychological and physical health
• Produce and fresh foods will be more flavorful needing less additives, salts, and sugars
• Animal products will naturally be leaner and will contain more vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats 
• Aid the environment saving on production, energy and chemicals that are affecting us globally
• You will inevitably eat more healthy produce that will enhance your overall wellbeing as well as your heart’s health.

Pure Foods Resources

• Go to Shareit Liveit’s community site under eating for health http://www.shareitliveit.org/?page=SubPageEatingForHeal. 
• Rebecca Wood, who wrote the Whole Foods Encyclopedia, a great resource, and has a website at http://www.rwood.com/.
• Go to the Organic Consumer’s Association’s Local Buying Guide.
• For a useful list of common western pure foods look at http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
• Whole Foods publishes a comprehensive list of what is not considered pure and should be avoided in your food on their website at (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/unacceptablefoodingredients.html). 

 Article Definitions

1. Uniting body-mind-spirit-emotions is essentially the meaning of Yoga.  Yoga is ‘to Yoke’ or unite the body-mind-spirit.
2. Organic - See full definition and useful information at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food
3. Trans Fatty Acid (Tran Fat) - See full description at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
4. Genetically Modified (GMO) – Genetic engineering is the transferring of genes between species and can be taken from any plant, animal, insect, bacterium or virus.  The gene is then inserted into a plant grown for food. Many European countries refuse the commerce of genetically modified (GM) food. Today over 60 percent of all processed foods contain manipulated corn, canola or soy. Additionally, there are 43 other approved GM grains, oilseeds, vegetables and fruits in our markets, and many more foods pend approval. Unless that jar of salsa or the deli sandwich clearly states that it is GM free, you may assume that some of its ingredients are altered.
5. Grass-fed - Animals are fed grasses, which is their natural diet.  They should not be supplemented with grain, animal by-products, synthetic hormones, or be given antibiotics to promote growth or prevent disease (though they might be given antibiotics to treat disease). Note that 'grass-fed' does not guarantee that the animal was pasture-raised. While most grass-fed animals are pasture-raised, some may still be confined and fed a steady diet of grasses.
6. Pasture raised - The animal was raised outdoors on a pasture and it eats grasses and food found in a pasture, rather than being fattened on grain in a feedlot or barn. Pasturing livestock and poultry is a traditional farming technique that allows animals to be raised in a humane, ecologically sustainable manner. This is basically the same as grass-fed, though the term "pasture raised" indicates more clearly that the animal was raised outdoors on pasture.
7. Free Range - The animal has access to the outdoors each day. However, this doesn't always guarantee the animal actually went outside. As long as a door to the outdoors is left open for some period of time, the animal can be considered Free Range. Although the USDA has defined this term for chicken raised for consumption, no standards have been set for egg-laying chickens or for other animals. If you are looking to buy eggs, poultry or meat that was raised outdoors, look for a label that says 'Pastured' or 'Pasture-raised.'
8. Unrefined Sweeteners:  see Wikipedia for comprehensive list of unrefined sweeteners:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unrefined_sweeteners)

Written by Stacy Ruse

Find more by Stacy at www.EaseintoGreen.com, www.ShareitLiveit.org, and on her personal Blog http://inspiredwellbeing.blogspot.com.