A British Study confirmed that the more fruits and vegetables we eat daily, the happier, more energized and calm we will feel.

Summer is upon us, bringing with it an incredible bounty of readily available, vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables. Buying healthy, organic produce has never been easier or more fun. Many of the Farmers Markets most of us can access have live music, family play areas, picnic-style tables and other goods to purchase. If outdoor markets are unavailable to you, there is always your local grocery.

A variety of vegetables, fruit juices and smoothies are a wonderful way to vitalize our cells and give our bodies the extra boost of oxygenation that serves as rocket fuel for our blood cells. If you don’t have a juicer, there are several fantastic green powders on the market that can be stirred into fresh water, or store-purchased fresh juices.

Fresh daily, seasonal vegetables help to alkaline the body’s delicate PH balance, reducing acidic states. Disease loves to linger in acidic environments within the body, often causing anxiety and sleepless nights.

The more fresh, organic fruits and vegetables we eat, the less we will crave processed foods and sugar. Organic is always the best choice since there are many pesticides and sprays used in the growing fields that can cause disturbing side effects.

Take the time to gently scrub fruits and vegetables before consuming them. You can add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water and let vegetables soak before using them to help remove any leftover residue.

When steaming or sautéing vegetables, do so lightly; nutrients will be preserved with less heat. It’s a good idea to keep your fruit and vegetables clean and at the ready in the fridge. This way, when you are hungry and ready for a quick snack, they will be the first thing you see.

Pair vegetables and fruits with delicious dipping snacks – hummus, yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut or almond butter, pesto, beans, fresh-cut cheese slices, olives and so on.

In Oriental Medicine, the spleen and the stomach are considered our center, the source of nourishment and EnerQi. The spleen transforms the food that we eat into nourishment and moves those nutrients upward to the stomach. The stomach regulates this sea of nourishment, performing the digestion process as it receives nutrients and processes the waste products downward. The Earth element houses the thoughts and controls the ?esh and limbs. In the Yin/Yang balance of things, the food we eat is directly affected by our thoughts, emotions and the strength of our movements.

Everything we put into our bodies has a cause and effect to what we having going on outside our bodies. Give it a try. Make every meal a rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables. Substitute empty calories for calories that count. Remember, our body is a vibrant energetic power source, our own beautiful temple.

Reference

White, B., et al. (2013), Many apples a day keep the blues away – Daily experiences of negative and positive affect and consumption in young adults. British Journal of Health Psychology, via PsychSource