Every time I hear the news it seems that one thing or another has been found to be either good or bad for us. One week the "experts" are telling us to cut back on or eliminate a particular food or drink as it can cause disease or health conditions (at least it did in lab animals), and the next week other "experts" are claiming that same food or drink is actually good for us. It can get downright confusing!

Because we need food to nourish our body and give us energy it's important to have some sort of guideline and understanding as to which food and drink are good for us and which are not so good. Having a healthy diet is also important in reducing our risk of many of today's chronic ailments.

Making healthy food choices is essential for maintaining good health and well-being, and an easy way to start is with Canada's Food Guide (or the USDA MyPyramid program for our friends to the south). Although I don't agree with everything Health Canada dictates, I do believe the food guide is actually a good tool to use to see if we're getting the right types and amounts of the foods we need. You can visit the Canada Food Guide website at:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html

Choosing foods that are high in fibre and low in fat can help to keep us healthy and fit. Lots of fresh veggies and fruit are a must in today's diet and the fresher and organic we can get is best. The local farmers markets are starting up at this time of year so it's a great way to shop for all your fresh food needs.

Frozen dinners, processed and pre-packaged foods are usually laden with chemicals, fats, excess salt and sugar. If possible, they should be avoided. However, due to our hectic schedules we do on occasion have to break down and have one as a meal. Because of the dioxins and other chemicals being discovered in the plastic used for packaged microwave food, it's a good idea to avoid microwaving. Instead, cook the food in the oven (or toaster oven if you have one) and toss together a salad for added nutrition and fibre. Baby spinach and mesclun come conveniently pre-washed in bags. It's an easy way to get some greens and by adding green peppers, celery, onions and tomatoes it really rounds out the nutrition.

It's also a good idea to read labels to find out what is in the food we eat. If you would like to know what a lot of the chemicals and additives are, there is a multitude of websites and books available that explain what we are eating. You can Google 'food additives' for a huge directory on the essential information about what is really in the food we eat, which additives we should avoid, and which are downright unsafe. There are a lot of books on the subject as well. Check with your local library or at Amazon.

Another way to make an informed choice is to read the Nutrition Facts on the label. The Nutrition Facts table can help you make healthy choices for you and your family. The information is based on a specific amount of food, which you can compare to the amount you eat. It also shows the % Daily Value to see if a food has a little or alot of a specific nutrient. The table also shows how much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium the product contains. Please keep in mind when reading these tables that the serving size may be significantly low. In other words, 50 ml or 1 teaspoon is not a lot of food but may contain high amounts of fats, sodium and/or sugar. You can read more about labelling practises in Canada by visiting: http://healthycanadians.ca/nutrition

It's also important to maintain healthy habits. Keeping active, exercising and not smoking is healthy for your weight, heart and lungs and will keep you feeling young and energized. Adding extra supplements can also have a tremendous effect on your health and AIM has all the right ones to choose from.

Life is supposed to be a journey, not a destination, and by making the right choices we can have a really great ride. By spending a little time reading and educating ourselves, healthy choices shouldn't be difficult.

If you'd like to learn about the AIM products, watch a video or download a datasheet visit My AIM Store website at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com