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By Nancy and Steve Long

At Harmony Farms Natural Foods Store, we continuously educate our customers on how to utilize organic and natural foods as the staples of their food

experience. Your foods should enhance your life—not only on your palate, but throughout your entire digestive process! Please enjoy the following journey of living a wondrous healthy foods lifestyle!

All meals are a sacred experience, not only in how you set your scene and treat each other, but also in the quality of food going into that sacred vessel called your body. We choose organic and natural foods high in nutrient density and antioxidants, and buy locally whenever possible. North Carolina, especially the Triangle area, is blessed to have a plethora of clean, high quality, locally made products!

We start our day with a hot cup of tea, which is great for awakening your digestive and elimination channels while also alkalinizing your system. Depending on the weather and/or the demands of our schedule, we love Rooibos (S. African Red Bush high in electrolytes), Lemongrass Decaf Green Tea (very uplifting, high antioxidants), Oolong (very hydrating for the skin), or—for a good energy lift—Yerba Mate, Navajo, or Guayusa. Sometimes we choose to have an incredible cup of organic fair trade, shade-grown coffee, low acidity, courtesy of local coffee roaster Larry’s Beans.

After feeding our dogs organic Biologically Appropriate Raw Food aka “barf” (local vendor Nu Dimensions), we variously treat ourselves to toasted sprouted whole grain Ezekial English Muffins topped with Elderberry Jam (local vendor Elderberry Life), high fiber cereal topped with fruit, and other times we have organic eggs with uncured no nitrates added bacon or Turkey bacon or chicken sausage (also available in vegan varieties).

SuPER fooD MIxESWe also love to make Super-Food Smoothies and Juices

to start our day! We combine organic fruits like blueberries, peaches, and strawberries with a protein powder, crushed flax seed, maca powder and a scoop of superfood mix. Superfood mixes are great to get an extra five servings of fruits and veggies along with very high ORAC value “superfruits” like goji, acai, mangosteen, and noni. Mix all this with your favorite “milk” and voila you have a tasty smoothie that will provide your body with essential nutrients that will boost your metabolism and immune system.

Now Harmony Farms has our awesome Organic Juice and Smoothie Bar! So if you are busy we are here to make a truly organic highly nutritious drink for you that is pure organic produce never adding water or ice. Get a Detox Juice or Energy Smoothie or Wheatgrass Shot from local Organic Wheatgrass Farm Eden Song!

Whether it is mid-morning or mid-afternoon, if we get hungry we reach for an apple, or a healthy protein bar free of artificial sugars, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. Those sweeteners and additives do not provide positive nutrients but in fact create hardship on the body when they are digested. Traditional “junk food” is laden with preservatives and unhealthy omega-6 that can lead the body to make more unused fat in the body. Whereas fruit and high quality bars give you good clean energy that boosts you through those slower times of the day. Healthy snack foods—like Raleigh’s Dixie Salsa and Winston Salem’s Green Mountain Gringo corn chips—never use preservatives, are very low in sodium yet taste great!

For lunch we frequently eat leftovers that save tons of money. Yet an organic ham sandwich, bowl of soup, crispy dark leafy green salad with veggies, or even a protein smoothie works great and is very convenient. Foods that are light yet full of energy are perfect for lunch, so as to prevent making you feel heavy, which can interfere with being your best at work during the afternoon.

Dinner is always an anticipated event! We love to have fun and get creative with the foods we cook, though we do love some staples like grilled steak, burgers or chicken—all from local farms raising their animals organically and truly free range. And if you want to take it up a notch, slather them in Cary’s Outta Park BBQ Sauce! We generally adhere to the Mediterranean Diet, eating a lot of seafood either grilled or lightly sautéed with coconut oil (Kalapo is organic fair trade whose owner was born in Raleigh!) served with healthy grains like quinoa, sprouted brown basmati rice, steamed or lightly sautéed vegetables, black beans, and a wonderful dark leafy green salad topped with hemp seeds EVOO and balsamic dressing. We love Italian foods preferring brown rice and vegetable pasta with homemade tomato or EVOO lemon oil sauce; or even out-of-a-jar, locally made Nello’s Red Sauce is fabulous! We limit our

carbs, but a vegan ciabatta roll from local baker The Bread Shop is a perfect complement. Always include a wholesome salad filled with locally grown organic dark leafy green lettuce and vegetables.

Your plate should be full of colors! Colorful fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, bioflavonoids and carotenoids that boost your immune system and metabolism. Our government recently revised the “food pyramid” to become “Choose My Plate” (www.ChooseMyPlate.gov) to put an emphasis on eating the major food groups more evenly throughout your diet—with the exception being dairy, which is suggested to be consumed in small amounts. This certainly reflects our suggestion that your plate be full of colors!

Eating Right for Your Blood Type is an excellent roadmap for curtailing digestive issues. When you eat a food that you like but it doesn’t like you back, that probably has to do with your blood type! It is not normal to experience bloating, gas, mucus, or loose bowels after eating a meal! Digestive distress prevents the absorption of essential nutrients your body needs to function properly. Whereas, a properly prepared vibrant meal will enhance your digestion.

Always let your food be your best medicine to enable you to live a vibrant fulfilling life! h&h

Nancy and Steve Long are the co-owners of Harmony Farms Natural Foods Store, 5653 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC 27612. Nancy is a Classical Naturopath, CNHP, and Usui Reiki Master; Steve is a Certified Health Specialist, Usui Reiki Master, and Healing Touch Therapist. Contact them at: (919) 782-0064 or www.Harmony-Farms.net.

Vibrant Foods for a Fulfilling Life!

“North Carolina, especially the Triangle area, is blessed to have a plethora

of clean, high quality, locally made products!”

Originally published in Health & Healing in the Triangle, Vol. 15, no. 6, health & healing, inc., Chapel hill, nC, publishers. Reprinted with permission.