Pros and Cons of Organic Foods

It is not hard to find the label “organic” on anything these days. If you stroll through the aisles of your local supermarket it could pop up on anything from apples to makeup to energy drinks and candy. Organic foods have been on a steady growth for almost 20 years now and continue to bring in more and more revenue every year. People do not mind paying the extra money if they think they are avoiding putting dangerous pesticides and growth hormones into their bodies.  Are organic products more wholesome, though? What are some of the pros and cons of eating organic foods? We will take a quick look at the history of organics to better understand what makes an organic food product so that we can compare the positive and negative aspects of shopping organic for you and your family.

              All you need do is hop on the USDA’s website to see a history of organic food farming. Around WWII production all around the world was working overtime to keep up with the demand for supplies. Farms were no different. Many “industrial farms” were searching for new ways to increase productivity to keep up with the food shortages that were occurring on and off the battlefield. Many farmers began turning to synthetic fertilizers to increase their harvest. Sure, these synthetic fertilizers worked, but many farmers recognized them as health concerns. These skeptical men and women opted to look for other natural strategies that could increase yield without putting their family’s health at risk. They began to be referred to as “organic farmers”.  These organic farmers’ claims that synthetic pesticides and fertilizers were detrimental to health were not pulled out of thin air. Around 1938 during a dust bowl on the great plains, dry top soil was blown off farming land by the wind and it left many farmers in the area destitute because of the pesticides that were trapped in the dirt. Fast forward to the end of WWII in 1945 and we see a huge pro-organic figure, J.I. Rodale, publish an article warning about the dangers of DDT. America was distracted by the war and then the great depression at the time, but these events laid the groundwork for future generations to take a stand against industrial farming.

              Fast forward a number of years and organic food started becoming more popular in the 90’s especially. Foods brought in from China were notorious at this point for being contaminated and local farmers could advertise organic food that was clean and cheaper. Soon after the USDA released a regulation on organic foods in 2002. They define organic agriculture as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”. Organic foods just so happened to fit nicely into our current culture with the health craze that started in the early 2000’s and continues to this very day.

              Now that we know a brief history of organic food farming let’s look at what organic food is. Organic farming has the following characteristics according to organic agriculture’s sustainable table :

•Are grown or raised by a producer who uses practices in balance with the natural environment, using methods and materials that minimize negative impact on the environment. The organic farmer is committed to replicating the ecology of the natural environment by maintaining biodiversity and fostering healthy soil and growing conditions.

 •Are produced on land that has been free of known and perceived toxic and persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers for at least three years prior to certification, and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are not used in production.

•Are planted on a rotating basis within the farm system. Crops are rotated from field to field, rather than growing the same crop in the same place year after year. Cover crops such as clover are planted to add nutrients to the soil and prevent weeds.

•Organic meat, poultry and egg products come from farms that use organic feed, do not administer added hormones to promote growth or any antibiotics and they allow animals the space and freedom to behave naturally.

Sounds great doesn’t it? Of course, it does. The USDA’s regulation also states that if a product has the USDA Organic seal on it then the farm has been inspected and the product contains at least 95% organic ingredients.

Let’s get to the point here, though. What are the pros and cons of buying and eating organic foods in our modern time? There are several points we need to observe in order to answer this question.

·       Cost- Looking at the coast analysis from business insider shows that simple fruits and vegetable food items will cost you about $10.00 to $25.00 more every year. While meats could cost you over $100.00 more every year. Eggs are in a league of their own, if you opt for the organic, pasture raised eggs it will come to an extra $300.00 more every year. When you get into peanut butter it will be about $110.00 more per year while almond butter (already a pricey item) will cost you about $365.00 more for the organic version.

·       Safety- There was a huge test done by the consumer’s union on organic and non-organic foods. The study showed the organic foods consistently have one-third less pesticide residues on them than non-organic foods. While non-organic foods have well below dangerous levels the concern is how those pesticide residues add up in our bodies over the years. That is something only time will tell. One interesting fact is the natural toxins and pesticides that organic un-altered plants create. A potato for example cannot easily get up and run away if it is attacked so as it turns green it produces its own version of pesticide called solanine. Ingesting too much of this can make a person violently ill. Organic foods contain more natural toxins than non-organic crops. An easy way to combat these toxins, in both organic and non-organic foods, is to simply wash them before consumption or preparation. Most food poisonings come from unsafe handling of foods after they leave the farm.

·       Nutrition- Many studies have done on whether organic food bares more nutritional value than other food items. The fact of the matter is, it is inconclusive. Some studies have shown that organic foods hold more vitamin C, anti-oxidants and minerals, but the margin is so low that it holds little benefit for us. If you want more nutritional content from your food an easy way to do it is to eat your food fresh! Even organic foods, if left in the fridge for too long, lose some of their nutritional impact.

·       Environmental Impact- This is where organic foods pull a big one over on non-organic items. Synthetic pesticides and some fertilizers do not easily breakdown. They build up in our soil, water and bodies. The only way to fight back against this pollution that causes both short and long-term illnesses to include migraines, cardio vascular diseases and cancer in humans, plants and animals is to eliminate the use of it. It is no secret to anyone that these chemicals are harmful to the planet, yet they continue to be used. Organic farming is better for the environment. They are required to allow pasture for their livestock, they rotate crops to allow natural replenishment of soil nutrients and they do not use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides which are known to damage the ecosystem on their crops. All of these points add up to a farm that works in conjunction with the environment instead of against it.

So, lets add up the points. When we look at cost it is clear who wins. Non-organic farms and organic farms cost about the same to run, yet organic food can cost over 75% more in the stores. Organic food is still seen in many areas as a fad, and business owners want to make a few bucks off this trend before it goes out the window. As organic food becomes more popular though we see that price steadily leveling out. It is only a matter of time until organic food prices drop to normal levels. Currently, however, non-organic food gets the win in price.  In safety, I would have to give the win to organic foods. Organic foods avoid synthetic toxins that are known to build up instead of breakdown and can cause cancers and other illnesses. While it is true that organic foods produce their own toxins, and natural fertilizers can hold dangerous bacteria such as E.coli, these are natural poisons that can be avoided with proper care and, not to mention, are natural bacteria and toxins that have been around for millennia. Take care to wash your food and only eat ripe foods fresh and you will not need to worry about food poisoning from organic food items. Next, we look at nutrition. This is a tie between non-organic and organic foods. Multiple studies have shown that on a nutritional level they are at an impasse. Finally, environmental impact is a landslide victory for organic foods. Industrial farms are one of the leading causes of pollution in our world today. They only way to fight back is to stop supporting them by not buying their products. In the end it is up to the consumer, if you think that organic foods are worth the price or not. If the trend continues as it is, we will see organic foods continue to take over the market.

The Importance of Health and Wellness

The health and wellness market is predicted by experts to be the next multi-billion dollar industry. This should come as no surprise when one looks at what is included in this market; beauty products, healthy eating, fitness trends, gyms and even things such as meditation classes.  People are realizing the importance of health and wellness. With things such as cardiovascular disease on the rise globally the need for a higher quality of life is becoming more sought after. Unfortunately, if you were to do a quick google search to see what portion of the health and wellness industry generates the most revenue it would be the “beauty and anti-aging” portion. I say “unfortunately” because such products are not, in my opinion, part of either “health” nor “wellness”. These products are completely superficial. If we look at the term health and wellness we will see it referring to two separate ideas; “health” and then “wellness”. Most people think of these as the same thing, and most are mistaken. Let’s break down what “health and wellness” is and then we will take a look at the overall importance of it and how it plays into everyone’s lives.

            What is “health”? Health refers to our overall physical condition and lack or presence of disease and injury. If a person is healthy then they are not injured or afflicted by illness. It is pretty straight forward, right? Things get a little more complicated when we want to define “wellness”. According to the dictionary wellness is the state of being in good health especially as an actively pursued goal. That is the point I want to hone in on; “an actively pursued goal”. Wellness is a way of life, health is the product of that life. If we put the two in conjunction we will see the importance of a well-rounded approach that addresses both aspects. To help understand what I’m saying let’s use the mnemonic “SPICES” which was developed by DR. Terry Fulmer for the evaluation of geriatric patients. While this mnemonic is intended specifically for geriatric patients the NFPT (National Federation of Professional Trainers) took it and spun it to use it as a tool to teach about the aspects of Health and Wellness. It is such an easy one to remember I wanted to use it here. Many of these definitions are pulled directly from their text book “Personal Trainer Fundamental Theory and Application”.

Social Health- Involves your ability to form satisfying interpersonal relationships with others. It also relates to your ability to adapt comfortably to different social situations and act appropriately in a variety of settings.

Physical Health- Refers to one’s overall well-being and is the easiest to observe of the various dimensions of health.

Intellectual Health- this is the capacity to assimilate and integrate new information into one’s thinking/thought processes. We should all work to understand and comprehend new concepts on a daily basis, even when it is not “formal education”.

Cognitive Health- While intellectual health is the assimilation of new information, cognitive health is referring to the efficiency of the processing of said information as well as how we perceive the world around us.

Emotional Health- It means you are aware of your emotions. You can deal with them, whether they are positive or negative. Emotionally healthy people still feel stress, anger, and sadness. It is the ability to take a step back from yourself, understand what you are feeling and then decide to act or not to act on those feelings.

Spiritual Health- While many give this a religious context, it is focused on the connection of ourselves with a higher power, a sense of purpose, self-actualization, and an inner joy. It is often described by self-acceptance, repentance for misdeeds, a willingness to give to and forgive others and a desire to seek peace with the community and world overall. This dimension is closely tied to emotional and social health but is clearly its own category.

            So, we can see plainly the multiple levels of health and how it relates to our wellness. These six levels; Social, physical, intellectual, cognitive, emotional and spiritual health should all be actively pursued. They are fluid aspects of our lives. By fluid I mean to say that as we age they will change and should be challenged to change for the better. Modern medicine has enabled humanity to live longer lives, but a longer life does not guarantee a quality life.

Let’s look at the skeletal muscular system since it is an easy example. When we are in high school our bodies are going through an extremely important developmental time in our lives. How much physical activity we put ourselves through at that time will lay a foundation for our adult lives. It is widely believed that if we spend more time participating in physical exercise when we are young and developing then our “baseline” physical fitness level will be higher when we are adults. It is also widely believed that losing weight will come easier to those who were physically active as children than those who were not. As we grow older the body begins to slow down, muscle tissue is lost, the distribution of body fat begins to change, and recovery time increases. This does not necessarily have to be a hard truth to face, though. If we understand just a portion of the science of our bodies we will understand that a well-balanced exercise routine can go a long way to balancing hormones, reducing stress, retaining muscle and keeping us moving well into old age. Basic exercise can combat and at times even reverse the negative effects of aging.

More than just our muscles suffer as we age, all 6 levels of health take a toll. That means we must try to stay healthy in every level of SPICES. The good news is that they are all interconnected. There are numerous ways one can make an effort to literally “re-engineer” themselves to make health and wellness more of a priority. Some of the obvious choices are avoiding negative behaviors like tabaco use, alcohol abuse or consuming too much junk food. These negative behaviors are not only bad for our physical health, but things like alcohol are depressants and even a small amount of alcohol can take a toll on our emotional and mental state. There are also positive behaviors that we can use to invoke positive change. Reading a book, socializing with friends, going to the gym, drinking enough water and being creative are all behaviors that are easy to add to our day and can bring on positive change.

 The simple act of physical activity is enough to not only make us stronger physically but supports us emotionally. Exercise releases a cocktail or hormones, all of which help promote healthy brain cells. Even the very act of doing something that we know is positive helps our mood and nourishes future choices to continue to care for ourselves.

In the end wellness is not something that is earned once and then kept on a shelf like a trophy. It is constantly changing, evolving and must be grown and then nurtured throughout our lives. Wellness is a zest for life and requires a level of self-responsibility. We need a level of discipline to keep moving, keep striving to challenge ourselves to grow. Any given behavior can lead us towards our goal or it can lead us astray. It is like the adage “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. We all start somewhere, and it is important to have goals set. They should be goals that are reasonable and in sight. Anything that is set too far away or is unrealistic will only lead to discouragement and then disappointment. The mindset should be more on why one is doing something and not what one is doing. Those who frequent the gym generally go because it gives them a sense of balance and accomplishment afterwards. That is the mindset that should be fostered to grow. One must think about how they have moved to achieve a goal for the day, which is part of the bigger goal instead of an endpoint in of itself. If one takes the time to nurture the aspects of health and wellness they will find that it is a type of preventative medicine that will lead to a long, quality life filled with happiness and fulfillment in themselves and their relationships.

New to the Gym; Flop Sweats

Being the new to the gym is not easy, your first time stepping out onto the gym floor might feel intimidating like everyone is staring at you. You look around and see muscle maniacs lifting dumbbells that weigh as much as a small car, there are women on the stair steppers for 35 minutes that don’t break enough of a sweat to make their makeup run.

Meanwhile, you walk in with grass stained reeboks, gym shorts from high school and casino shirt your cut the sleeves off from 15 minutes before you left home. You are nervous and to top it off you must use your sweat rag before you even decide where to start. Are you FLOP SWEATING at the gym?

Take a breath, I am here to tell you there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. All those machines may seem complicated, and some of them really are! You are not alone in feeling this way. Everyone had to start right where you are no matter where they are now. Even those hulking guys wearing those big leather belts everywhere, once had to walk into the gym for the very first time, and they had no idea where to start either. Here’s a few tips to give you peace of mind and help you on your way to a better you.

1.        1. Do your research before you start

Read up on exactly what type of exercise you want to pursue. There are many ways to get in shape and one method will not always be the best for everyone. Do you want to build muscle? Then read up on and watch videos from body builders. They will have many tips for safety and diet that will help keep you from burning yourself out in the first week. Maybe you want to run some races? Read up on endurance training and pick up a copy of “Runner’s World” to see what the pro’s are saying about newest running trends. It goes on and on. Yoga, palates, power lifting and boxing are all different and fun ways to get in shape. Do the research and take your pick or try them all!

2.       2. Develop a Plan of attack before barging into the gym

You would not start building a house before you have a blue print, so why would you start trying to build yourself before having a workout regiment in place? It is important to follow a regular schedule when pursuing an exercise routine. Too much focus on one area of the body or one particular activity can lead to injuries or imbalances. Use a resource like Bodybuilding.com to get an idea for workouts and safety tips, or to talk to other athletes (yes if you go to the gym I consider you an athlete). That site is not just for bodybuilders either! They have all kinds of information and resources for the average gym goer. 

Have you ever seen the kind of person that is referred to as a “bicep bro”? That is the guy who has massive arms, chest and back muscles but comically skinny legs. That dude or dudet focuses on upper body alone and thus has no strength or mass in the lower portion. Not only do they look goofy but that can lead to some serious knee and ankle problems later in life. Aside from that, having a clear understanding of what you are going to do at the gym will greatly relieve some of the stress on your first day. Talk to the trainers at the gym, or at least get a tour before hand to see what equipment they have available for you. From there you can put together your day 1 routine.

3.       3. No one is staring at you

Okay, so maybe sometimes it may seem like someone is staring at you, but in a room filled with mirrors and equipment that forces you to face one direction sometimes it is just unavoidable to make awkward eye contact from time to time. No one is judging you though. You can tell when someone is new, they walk around aimlessly and take their time reading the instructions on a machine (which you should definitely do before using new equipment) but no one cares! Because they have all been there before. If you have a question you can ask an employee or better yet, suck it up and ask that intimidating guy doing chest press. Here’s the secret; they are super nice people. They will jump on any opportunity to share their knowledge with the newbie. Some of them have been waiting for that day that they can teach someone the thing they are most passionate about. Wouldn’t you be?

4.       4. Eat before your workout

I was a full-time trainer in a big brand gym, and I have dealt with this before. For the love of God, eat at least 2 hours before going to the gym. Eat something that has healthy carbs and protein with calories to spare. Please eat. When you are nervous about something it causes all kinds of craziness with your blood pressure, as does rigorous activity. You do not want to be the person that faints at the gym. It happens, and it is not a big deal, but what are the chances that someone will return to the gym after they embarrassed themselves? Eat a good meal, you need those calories.

One more bonus tip that goes hand in hand with number 4 is breath. Everything is okay! Breath with your workout, get in a rhythm with your movements. If you are doing squats, breath in on the way down and out on the way up. Keep it up, get those sets in and remember that you are doing something good for yourself! Be proud!

Multivitamins; money in the trash!

            Spending money on multivitamins is like throwing money in the trash. New studies have shown that multivitamin use does not lead to a longer life span or any real cardiovascular or mental health benefits, but it doesn’t show any legitimate signs of harm from taking them either.

There was a study covered by Harvard health several years ago that showed a general multivitamin DID reduce the risk of certain health issues such as cataracts and cancers, but only by an 8% margin which still leaves some doubt as to the validity of those statistics. There was NO benefit shown in mental health or cardiovascular health what so ever. The study also showed that there is no apparent risk of taking a multivitamin either.

              The verdict? There’s just no point! It is recommended that you practice a balanced diet, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly to ensure that your body is getting everything that it needs.

No Equipment? No Problem!

Whatever you have been told; fitness does not need to break the bank. In fact, staying in shape requires no equipment at all. All you need is your own body weight and a little bit of room to work in. I’ve been there, and when I say “there” I mean the poor house and when I say “house” I mean my car or whatever friend was letting me stay with them at the time.

When the long, winding road of life took me to the lowest depths I have visited the first, and most valuable, step I took was starting a regular workout routine. All I had was some old sneakers and myself. I looked up workouts online, I followed along with YouTube videos and eventually I got myself into a fit enough state that I needed to step it up from squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, and crunches. To the backyard, I went! 

I used tree branches for pull-ups, I did sprints, spider-man push-ups, dive bomber push-ups, hanging rows, yoga and several other things. Eventually, of course, I did get a gym membership, but to this day I still do at least one body weight day every week to maintain that functional fitness level I had achieved all those years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to sell anyone on a purely calisthenic workout routine (although if you know me, you know how highly I value functional strength from bodyweight routines). I am only trying to say that sometimes a gym membership doesn’t fit the budget and there is no need to think that you can’t get in shape. Sometimes when the money is tight, and the stress is high we require a fitness routine more than ever in our lives. I don’t care what equipment you have access to, a fit you can be achieved no matter what your budget.

As always, if you have questions or want help reaching your goals feel free to shoot me an email and I will be in touch as soon as I can.

The Supplement Trap

Workout supplements; who doesn’t love scanning the shelves at GNC and reading about what amazing new sups have come out this month?
Okay, probably most of you don’t do this. I know I enjoy it though and there are plenty of other gym rats out there who do too. Workout shakes have become a staple of the gym. You can’t enter a gym without hearing the familiar rattling of a blender ball in a mixing cup. The rise of popularity of different supplements has grown exponentially. So much so that many of them are unregulated by the FDA. So the question is; are all of these supplements good for you?
First and foremost a supplement needs to be seen for what it is, a supplement. Proper diet and exercise need to come first, and I do mean them in that order; diet and then exercise. After those have been established then one can start looking at supplementation. They can be beneficial when used appropriately.

Let's talk about the one that comes to mind first when we think of the words “workout supplement”. Protein shakes rose in popularity before any of the others and paved the way for the rest of the supplement industry. A good protein shake will have a balance of protein, carbs, and fats. I’ll answer the most frequent question I get. No, they are not necessary for muscle growth. It is possible to get all of the protein you need from a well-balanced diet. Many of us have hectic schedules though, and balancing your gym time, sleep schedule, work, everything else you need to do and making good meals for yourself can be overwhelming. So a good quality protein drink can be a lifesaver. Aside from that, someone who has a high metabolism because of inherited hormonal traits can also greatly benefit from protein shakes.

The next big one my clients often have questions about are BCAA’s. They are often sold as “during workout” drinks but can be taken up to an hour before a workout as well. BCAA’s supply the 3 main amino acids that comprise 50 to 60% of all muscle tissue. They are; leucine, isoleucine, and valine. If sufficient BCAA’s are present in the muscle for catalyst formation (for energy production), other amino acids can be used for protein synthesis (muscle building and repair). I will stress again, a proper diet will take care of this.

I saved the most controversial one for last. Pre-workout drinks have been gaining traction more rapidly than any others and there is certainly a large variety to choose from. Most pre-workouts contain the same basic ingredients; caffeine, BCAA’s, Beta-alanine, creatine and a vasodilator. First of all, caffeine has been proven to be an effective ergogenic, that’s a performance booster. The danger is how much caffeine a pre-workout contains. Some pre-workouts can hold as much as 419mg per serving. To put that in perspective a single cup of coffee (8 fl oz) has about 95 mg. That is an intense amount of caffeine and one should definitely not consume other forms of caffeine when taking pre-workout. The second ingredient, BCAA's, have already been discussed thus I will not touch on them again. The third ingredient is beta-alanine, now this one I will put into as simple terms as possible since the science behind it is quite involved. Beta-alanine is a natural chemical made in the body in small amounts. It helps prevent muscle fatigue, the theory is by introducing more one will be able to take their workouts further.  Tests of beta-alanine supplementation have proven mostly positive. The biggest drawback is the tingling or itching feeling one gets when using it. In my opinion, it is distracting but some people enjoy it. Next comes creatine. it is used to push one further in heavy load lifting and other explosive movements. While extensively tested the results have been inconclusive. Half of the subjects showed great responsiveness in both performance and muscle recovery while the other half showed no response what so ever. Lastly comes the vast dilators. These are used to increase blood flow to the working muscle groups, increasing oxygen uptake in these parts of the body. It also gives people the “pump” they love to feel after a workout.
While these ingredients are some of the most common they are not the only ones used. This is where the potential danger comes. Many new pre-workouts include these ingredients in varying amounts and sometimes with other ingredients I have not talked about. All of the ingredients have been tested but not necessarily together at once, so there is not always a sure way to tell how you will react with all of the ingredients mixed together.

There is nothing inherently wrong with supplementation, I just encourage those who choose to supplement to cycle on and off. The industry tends to make it sound like we need to supplement in order to workout and get the results we want to see. This is not the case at all, protein and BCAA’s can be handled with proper diet, creatine is not a necessity and if you need a boost before hitting the gym a cup of coffee is more than enough. I always encourage functional, sustainable and longevity minded living in all of my clients, reliance on supplementation undermines those healthy long-term goals.

More Than Just Abs Start in the Kitchen

Getting in shape all starts with diet. This is the ugly truth everyone knows and no one wants to admit. As a personal trainer I see people's faces drop when it's time to talk diet. We love our food. For many it is a comfort problem, we eat when we are stressed, we eat when we are sad and we eat for nearly every social occasion we attend. To change one’s diet means to change the way we see food, which requires us to change a part of our self. Meals need to be seen for what they are, energy. They fuel us by providing our bodies with carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals. That does not mean we can’t enjoy our meals but it does mean we need to learn how to enjoy them the proper way.

With our busy schedules, cooking can be a hassle, many get around this by meal prepping ahead of time and keeping portions in containers in their fridge. Cooking one’s own food is the easiest way to train yourself to appreciate food as food and not as a comfort item. Take time to cook for yourself, see what goes into your meals and you will enjoy dinner time that much more and managing overeating will be far easier.

America has two flavors for almost everything; salty and sweet. It may be a surprise to some but real food does not come in these flavors naturally. Another hard lesson will be learning to enjoy the REAL flavor of food. The subtle sweetness of sweet potatoes, the spicy yet refreshing flavor of radishes and the many forms of sweet and tart of fruits. Mealtime is not something to be rushed and thrown down your gullet, take time on your lunch breaks and at the end of your day to eat slowly and appreciate what you put in your body. People are in such a rush all the time, we spend so much money on our sweet and fatty foods and rarely take a minute to enjoy what we eat. What a waste of money when we don’t take time to taste our meals!

There was a book written by Kelly Hayford, “If It’s Not Food Don’t Eat It!”. Now, I never read this book but I appreciate the title. The title begs to argue, if it IS food, DO eat it. By that I mean, an apple is food, that super processed “health” bar from the gas station is NOT. Organic, free range, chicken is food, that fried, shapeless patty from McDonald's is NOT. I don’t think I need to pound this message all the way home for you. It is pretty straightforward, if it is food, eat it.

If we take time to change the way we see our sustenance, we can change the way we enjoy it and if we change those two things first we are well on our way to a healthier lifestyle. Healthier not just for our bodies but for our minds and morals. In this land of plenty, we take so much for granted, but let's try, starting now, to appreciate our sustenance. We have bountiful, healthy foods and water at our disposal and by wasting it or not appreciating it we not only undervalue ourselves, we undervalue the lives of the animals that were sacrificed for our benefit and the work of the farmers that grew our produce. We can get more than abs from how we eat, we can get a new viewpoint on our lives.