The Scales have been Tipped Over, Now it’s time to Restore Balance back to its Natural State
There are some major trends in the Health & Wellness industry that are becoming even more common and apparent across the well developed regions of North America, Western Europe and Australia. Although there has been a fast decline in general health due to the increase in fast food consumption that is linked to heart disease and obesity, there are a good number of people who have become more health conscious, aware of the ingredients they consume, questioning how the food made it on their plate, educating themselves on the synthetic chemicals used in factory farming, seeking wholesome ingredients and fresh produce from local farmers and small businesses rather than big chain stores. Needless to say that there are countless of natural health stores, Chinese herb stores and East Indian herb and spice stores that are sprouting up across urban areas. In addition to the number of health and wellness clinics, spas and centres opening up that offer a variety of paramedical treatments including massage therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractic, nutritionist and lifestyle wellness counseling.
Another trend is the popularity increase in 5-star culinary chefs, fine dining restaurants and high-end restaurants that claim to use wholesome and authentic ingredients and claim to comply to a food preparation and presentation high standard – it is no wonder that people are “waking up” from being in an “automatic mode of society” and starting to take control, raise their awareness as to what goes in their bodies.
The Decline in Health due to the North American Food System
- 50,000,000 People in US depend on Fast Food
- 40% of Canadians have High Cholesterol
- 56% of Canadians consume less than the recommended 5 servings of Fruit & Vegetable
- 1 in 10 Meals is a Snack from a Fast Food Restaurant
- 30% of kids in NA visit a Fast Food Restaurant
- 60% of adults over 18 are overweight or obese
- 26% of children are overweight or obese
- 49% of Canadians are physically active, implying 51% are not
- 23% of Canadians report a higher degree of life stress
- 33% of People in Western Society will encounter Cancer
- 33% of Children aged 1-4 years old would develop a food allergy
UK Health is declining despite being predominantly Organic 20 years ago
- 20% of teenagers age 15 are obese 60% of children eat potato chips as a daily snack after school
- Today’s generation approximately survives on french fries and burgers completely. Fresh foods like fruits and vegetables are forgotten about. Eventually children after a few generations will not consider that fruits and vegetables are essential to the human body.
- Some children who don’t know any better are not even aware that carrots actually grow from the soil and are not “grown” out of a can that has the carrots soaked in salted water.
BREAKING THE CYCLE, CHANGING OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER – ONE PERSON AT A TIME…
With this drastic decline in health, we have observed the exponential rise in health sciences, natural health, nutrition, organic produce, diet counseling and weight loss markets are booming more than ever before. There is more and more evidence to show that the Mediterranean diet is the way to go, as well as ensuring that our food selection is rich in natural herbs and spices (such as turmeric, ginger, lemon grass, rosemary, oregano, etc)
Middle Eastern, East Indian and Asian spices as well as Mediterranean and South American herbs have been around for many generations and have been used by the local farmers and inhabitants who have access and are in close proximity to where these spices and herbs originate, these include: turmeric, Himalayan garlic, saffron, turmeric, oregano, rosemary, thyme, mint and more.
So who are the primary demographic that visit the local natural health store in seek of organic produce, a natural ointment, wild oregano oil, natural remedy or curamin? Is it men or women? People from urban or rural areas? Of what ethnic background?
Findings from a recent study conducted by the Hartman Group
82% of Women shoppers aged 25-70 try to avoid buying over the counter (OTC) medications that treat the common cold, flu or headache. Such women don’t think that these OTC drugs are good for them since it is synthetic substances leading them to seek natural and healthy alternatives.
42% consider the purity and healthfulness of medicines highly important.
Now health conscious individuals are taking control of their health, eating consciously and seeking ways to attain optimal health and well being. Many natural health enthusiasts are seeking the natural equivalents for many of the following:
- Instead of OTC ibuprofen or acetaminophen pain relief drugs that can interfere with stomach, liver and kidney function they seek Curamin (natural pain killer) for instant pain relief from aches, pains, menstrual, fevers, headaches. Curamin contains Curcumin which is a beneficial compound for anti-inflammatory response that is found in turmeric root.
- Instead of refined and processed white sugar they seek brown molasses or Stevia which is is a South American herb that has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves of this small, green Stevia rebaudiana plant have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar.
- Instead of using Reactine or other anti-histamines they seek an alternative to common seasonal allergies, ragweed or hay fever. These alternatives include consuming the local and regional honey from that specific area as a counteracting defense.
- Instead of OTC cough syrups that have a high glucose content, they seek a more natural cold prevention remedy such as Wild Oregano Oil to fight off any harmful bacteria or virus that is about to invade and develop into the common cold.
Instead of Neo Citron or other synthetic lemon cold relief beverages, they turn to the natural form of lemon, honey, ginger and garlic and fuse these into their own remedy tea. This also strengthens the immune system to prevent them from catching future colds.- Instead of synthetic forms of anti-oxidants, they turn to the Acai berry extracts in pill form or juice form. Such acai berry juices as Mona Vie is proving to be more effective as it is in juice form, and also contains other vital nutrients, vitamins, minerals and organic fruit.
Just to finish off on my own personal story and whether I choose OTC vs. Natural Medicine – I opt in for natural wherever possible!
Last year’s cold and flu season saw two of my close girlfriends catching the dreaded cold virus. It stayed with them for more than 1-2 weeks as they battled it with OTC drugs, it made them lose their voice and take time off work. They managed to fight it off after 2 weeks only to re-catch it again 2 weeks later. I personally was drinking lots of ginger and lemongrass green tea as a preventive measure. I was able to fly back to the UK for Christmas and still not catch the cold until I was on my flight home and the person sitting beside me was coughing her heart out, had plenty of tissues and was trying to talk to me at the same time. Unfortunately I caught her cold but only for a day or two, as I stepped up my dosage of ginger and honey tea which seemed to do the trick for me. I even ate raw ginger with a dab of honey on it, great throat lozenge that was all natural and home made! I recommended my cold remedy to my girlfriends as I was able to fight off the cold within a day and not get it again for the season.
As for this flu season, I have never taken the flu shot in my life and do not plan to. Fortunately for me I have discovered Mona Vie Mun (Immune) which contains a special Wellmune formula in addition to the anti-oxidant and omega fats that strengthen the immune system to function and fight off any foreign substances, viruses or bacteria that may enter the body.
You can order these natural medicinal products from Organic Planet in Richmond Hill and Scarborough or Healthtastic in Markham, and you can obtain the acai berry juice from Mona Vie and have it delivered to you within 2 days!